Total Run: 198
Nautical Miles from Blake Island, Puget Sound
Total Average Speed: 5.83 Knots
Hours From Departure: 34 Hours
Distance To Go This Leg: 984.3 Nautical Miles to Long Beach Sea Buoy
Estimated Time Of Arrival: 8:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 21
Present Course: 180 Degrees due South
Seas: Rippled Surface
Swells: 4 Feet West Northwest
Air Temperature: 60 Degrees
Visibility: 10 Miles or Unrestricted Position: 39 nautical miles off-shore of Washington
state's Quinault River, which is south of Cape Elizabeth. The shoreline cliffs,
rising in places to 140 feet, were visible throughout the afternoon. Snow-capped peaks
were seen beyond them. Between the USS New Jersey and the coastline is the Olympic
Coast National Marine Sanctuary extending from well south of us northward to Cape Flattery
where we passed this morning. Ships carrying dangerous cargo, petroleum, chemicals
or various other hydrocarbon products are banned from transiting this sanctuary to protect
the waters and marine life from vessel and cargo mishaps.
Captain's Remarks: Captain Kaare
L. Ogaard, Jr., smiled broadly when he described the state of current conditions:
"This is as good as it ever gets," he said.
Sometimes it's fun and games
Through the years of the battleship's lengthy and decorated service to the
nation, her crew regularly published an onboard weekly newspaper called "The
Jerseyman."
Many of the preserved editions, reviewed recently at the
New Jersey State Archives in Trenton, contained stories of battle actions, blood donation
drives, intra-ship sports results, book reviews, messages from the chaplains, and assorted
entertainment features. (The archival copies were donated by the Battleship New Jersey
Historical Museum Society.)
A typical edition was "The Jerseyman" published
May 8, 1953. On the top of page 2 was listed the names of Captain C.L. Melson, USN,
Commanding Officer, and Cdr. P.I. Joachim, USN, Executive Officer. Chaplain B.A. Bonner
was editor in chief; John Dickey, managing editor; James Hankers, news editor; George
Ethier, feature editor; and Gerald Thompson, feature editor.
The headline on page 6 reads: "Sunday Marks
45th Celebration of Mother's Day; Day First Celebrated in Philadelphia in 1908."
The story begins by quoting a short poem by Joaquim
Miller:
"The greatest battle that was ever fought:
Shall I tell you where or when?
On the maps of the world you will find it not;
For it was fought by the mothers of men."
A small story at the bottom of that page lists a
"Mileage Chart" for the battleship's recent engagements: |