Battleship New Jersey Teak Pen

[PhilW]

I am new to pen turning and I made this "Big Cigar" style pen for a 92 year old WWII vet who lost all of his WWII memorabilia in a fire at the end of 2017 The pen is made from a piece of the teak deck from the Battleship New Jersey some of the teak dates back to the early 40's when the ship was built at the Philadelphia Navy Ship Yard

 

[penmaker134]

that is a beautiful pen. That sucks about all his memorabilia

 

[PhilW]

penmaker134, thanks it was an honor making it for him

 

[Jim15]

Great looking pen. He will appreciate it I'm sure.

 

[philipff]

I keep wondering if I am the last man alive to have seen New Jersey in two wars: Viet Nam where a broadside of her 16in guns nearly knocked me down 14 miles away on USS Princeton flight deck. Then, off Beirut in 1983 she sailed into the Med.Sea when I was Captain of the USS Tarawa. Amazing sight in both cases!! P.

 

[philipff]

P.S. Could you spare a 4in piece of decking? P.

 

[MRDucks2]

One of my favorite stories from a sailor who was on the New Jersey during the Gulf of Sudra "line in the sea" in the Med. The guy was on the Kitty Hawk when our joint Navy/Marine squadron was training and received an escort from the Missouri. True or not, a great story and I am sure my memory is rusty.

During Khadafi's "line in the sea" the New Jersey was patrolling off by itself and was sitting dead in the water, near the "line in the sea", maintaining radio silence, observing and seeing what would happen.

During this, an Israeli ship on patrol saw the large ship on the horizon and attempted to contact the Jersey, asking that it identify itself. Maintaining radio silence, the Jersey did nothing. After two more attempts, the Israeli ship finally got tough and demanded the unidentified ship identify itself or it would be fired upon.

The Skipper of the Jersey finally had them respond with "This it the Battleship USS New Jersey, fire at will." Obviously to the delight of the ships company on the Jersey.

The Israeli ship did not respond and simply headed back over the horizon.

God Bless America.


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[PhilW]

MrDucks, do you recall the year? The NJ's last Commissioning was from 1982 to 1991 as part of President Regan's 600 ship fleet. I do know that the NJ fired its big 16" guns in 1984 in retaliation for the Marine Barricks bombing by the terrorists. That was the last time we fired our big guns in anger. One of our Chiefs was in the barracks when it was bombed. He was one of the guys killed that day.

 

[MRDucks2]

Would have been 1985-1987. We already had guys who were in Beruit during the bombing in the squadron, plus that event is why I upped my enlistment by 6 months.

Most likely '86 when I heard the story. The only two times I saw battleships at sea, being in a rag unit, was when the "civilian" transport was shot down in Nicaragua (86) and we happened to be in the area (may have been on the Ranger then) as well as a Russian freighter and when the Missouri and Kitty Hawk were simultaneously refueled by the -63 oiler, which would have also been in '86 according to what I see.


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[PhilW]

Phillipff, I just sent you a PM (I think it sent). Let me know if you received it.