Battleship New Jersey docks in South Philadelphia for preventative maintenance
NATIONAL PARK, N.J. (CBS) - The Battleship New Jersey is now docked in South Philadelphia on Wednesday after it was towed down the Delaware River for the second time in less than a week.
While passing the Red Bank Battlefield, onlookers lined the New Jersey side of the Delaware to catch a glimpse of the nation's most decorated battleship.
"Well, it's something you certainly don't see every day, and especially to see a large military ship like that in motion, it's kind of a great opportunity," said Frank Moriarty, who paused to take pictures of the ship.
The Battleship New Jersey was pulled by four tugboats to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where it will be drydocked for preventative maintenance.
"It's always been near and dear to my heart with my dad helping build the ship," said Dennis Taylor, who beamed with pride.
The Battleship New Jersey launched on the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, and it has been a floating museum in Camden since 2001.
Last week, the ship was moved to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, where it was balanced before the dry dock process.
At the shipyard, the battleship's hull will be repainted, and thousands of parts will be replaced. The battleship was backed into Dry Dock No. 3, the same spot it was built during the 1930s.
The ship's CEO said the move to South Philly was smooth and more than 1,600 tickets have already been sold for tours on weekends in April and May, when it's not being worked on.
"It will be your chance to not come aboard the ship, but come underneath the ship, so your once in a generation opportunity to walk underneath and touch the hull of an Iowa class battleship," Marshall Spevak, the CEO of the Battleship New Jersey, said.
The maintenance will take about 60 days.
