Deck Tour Photos - August 10, 2000 |
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I was among the estimated 11,000 lucky people who took the opportunity to stroll around the main deck of the Battleship New Jersey when she was opened to the public, August 9th & 10th. I arrived in Camden at 8:20 on Thursday morning, following a three hour drive from the suburbs of Washington, DC. The shuttle buses were suppose to start running at 9:00, but there was a bus loading when I got there, and we left shortly thereafter. I was among the first group of visitors to go aboard that morning and took the pictures you see below. It was truly an awesome experience to roam her decks, but it only whet my appetite for more. I look forward to being involved in her restoration in whatever way possible, and seeing her displayed proudly, on Camden's historic Delaware River waterfront next year. |
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| Early
in the morning, before all the crowds made it on deck. She looks a little strange, like she got a buzz cut, with over 30 feet missing from the top of her superstructure. |
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| Another
shot of the those big 16-inchers. I thought she looked a little worn in some places, but overall in much better shape than I had expected. Can't wait to see what $7.3 Million can do, that's the estimated cost of the facelift she is about to receive. |
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| Didn't
take the crowds long to fill the main deck, and they were all after one thing, to get their picture taken next to the star attractions, those big guns. |
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There's
lots of rust to sand off, and it'll take |
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was really an eerie experience walking on deck, sort of like she was asleep, and we, the visitors needed to be quiet, so as not to wake her. If only those teak planks could talk, what a story they'd have to tell. When the deck is replaced, I'd really like to see them cut those old planks into mementos to be sold for fund raising purposes or presented to crewman who are Plank Holders. |
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| Standing
on the dock next to this ship, that's when you begin to get an idea of how big she really is. To say she's 887 feet long is one thing, the true realization comes when you look at here from this perspective!! Welcome home BB-62!! |
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| No
deck tour would be complete without getting your picture taken next to
these big guns. Here is the webmaster of this site, yours truly, striking a pose. |
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| As we departed the ship that day, the Home Port Alliance presented everyone with a Certificate like this one, celebrating the fact that we were among the first to board the Battleship at her new home, Camden, in the year 2000. It's a nice memento of my visit! | ||
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