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Total Run This Leg:
706.6
Nautical Miles
Total Average Speed: 6.09 Knots
Hours / Days This Leg: 116 Hours / 4.83 Days from the Freeport, Grand
Bahamas Island transfer point of the New Jersey from the tug Mariner last Thursday at
noon.
Distance To Go This Leg: 119.4 Nautical Miles to the mouth of the
Delaware River.
Estimated Time Of Arrival: 3:00 p.m., tomorrow, Wednesday, November 10,
at the Cape Henlopen Sea Buoy.
Present Course: 000 North
Winds: West-Southwest at 10 Knots
Seas: 1 Foot
Swells: 5 Feet from the Northeast
Barometric Pressure: 1028 Millibars
Air Temperature: 68 Degrees
Sea Temperature: 77 Degrees
Visibility: 10 Miles
Skies: Clear Panama Canal
Transit: October 16 - 21 / Balboa Pier 14 - 15, Miraflores and Pedro Miguel
Locks, the Gaillard Cut, Gamboa, Lake Gatun, and the Gatun Locks, and Cristobal. USS
New Jersey's clearance into the Caribbean Sea / Atlantic Ocean was completed at 11:34
a.m., and her mark for the commencement of the Cristobal, Panama - Philadelphia, PA Third
Leg was passed at 11:42 a.m., Thursday, October 21.
Distance Of Second Leg:
September 21 -
October 15 / Long Beach, CA to Balboa Anchorage, Panama: 2,948.7 Nautical Miles, the
longest leg of New Jersey's homecoming voyage.
Total Average Speed Second Leg: 5.18 Knots
Distance Of First Leg: September 12 - 21 / Bremerton, WA to Long Beach,
CA: 1,193.6 Nautical Miles from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to Long Beach, CA
anchorage.
Total Average Speed First Leg: 5.54 Knots
Position: The USS New Jersey this morning
was passing 72 miles due East of Cape Henry and the general area of Virginia Beach,
Norfolk, Virginia, and the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. She was proceeding due
North along the DelMarVa coastline toward the mouth of the Delaware River, where Captain
Ogaard is scheduled to bring her at the estimated time of 3:00 p.m., tomorrow afternoon,
Wednesday.
USS New Jersey's Gear Changed For The Final Time
About 72 Miles East of Cape Henry, at the entrance to the
Chesapeake Bay, the USS New Jersey came to rest this morning behind the tug Sea Victory.
For the final time in her journey from Bremerton, which began more than eight weeks
ago, her tow chain and assorted connection gear was removed for the final cruise into the
waters of New Jersey beginning tomorrow evening.
The seas were benevolent, which is why Captain Kaare
Ogaard decided early this morning to execute this substantial effort now. It is
always easier, safer and cleaner to perform this essential tugboat maneuver in calmer seas
than wilder ones, if you can find them. When you can, you take advantage of them.
The crew was called out at 8:00 a.m. to begin preparing
to haul in the line, muscle its tonnage one last time, and get the Battleship set for
shallower water, a slower run, and her eventual docking at the Philadelphia Navy Yard
Thursday afternoon.
The always impressive performance took about 45 minutes.
The New Jersey was slowly drawn up to the Sea Victory's stern to allow the crew to
uncouple the chain, pennants, and connection gear attached to the ship's anchor chain,
then use the tug's winches to spool in the primary wire and shift the ship's attachment to
the other tow wire for the final run. This switch permits the primary wire to remain
protected as long as possible for the deep water runs.
There were no injuries, everything was conducted safely
and efficiently, and when it was all over, Captain Ogaard remarked that it was one of the
nicer efforts of the voyage. The gear worked smoothly, the seas were extremely
cooperative, and the crew was at peak performance.
Everyone senses the homecoming is very close now, and the
thought of bringing her home, then doing what they must do in port before they leave
again, has filled them with anticipation. Today's final tow gear removal and
exchange was the clear signal to them that soon they will be delivering the Battleship
home, and thereafter they will get themselves home.
These seven men have dealt with a very long journey,
albeit not nearly as long as Ogaard's Oriskany voyage earlier this year of 15,000 Miles,
but long enough. In fact two of them, Cook CJ Good and Second Mate Mike Poirier,
were aboard the Sea Victory for the Oriskany voyage. For them, nearly the entire
year has been at sea with a naval vessel.
It's come time for the New Jersey to leave the deep seas
behind her, cruise with pride up the Delaware River to be welcomed by her admirers, and
then find her final resting place when the decision about her future becomes clear.
Today's effort was the prelude to that. For the men
of the Sea Victory, it was a moment in the long journey that carried considerable meaning,
a turning point for them as they begin to think ahead to their next assignments, some
known, some not. For the New Jersey, her future is also less known than her past,
but never mind. She's coming home now, and that's really what counts.
Submitted by Bob Wernet onboard the Sea Victory.
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