The family and I took a trip across the Delaware to see the Battleship New Jersey; America's most decorated battleship. I had always wanted to take the tour, but had been putting it off . . . for seven years. *Hanging head in shame.*
We had a few options when we purchased the tickets. We could take the self-guided tour - lame - or spend the extra $2 apiece for the guided tour - sweet! Our tour guide was John Stickney from New Yawk (below), a 30-year veteran of the Navy. The tour guides are all volunteers, and are superlative at their craft.
Nice! We toured the rest of the ship, including the Tomahawk launchers - Giggity! - chaff launchers, and the bridge (below). It was an all-inclusive tour that lasted about two hours, instead of the usual hour and a half. Luckily, we were graced with a Korean War veteran who was an ensign aboard the New Jersey at the time. Whatever detail John missed - and there weren't many - the veteran gladly provided. The tour was not only educational, but damned entertaining! I would highly recommend it to anyone.
As we disembarked the New Jersey, we passed the ship's motto, and I had to laugh: USS New Jersey: Firepower for Freedom. Oh, and my kids? They thought it was "Awesome!"
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