USS New Jersey’s Hidden Past: The “Black Dragon” Battleship That Terrified Enemies and Earned Legendary Status—Secrets Finally Revealed!

Unleashing the “Black Dragon”: The Untold Legend of USS New Jersey

In the annals of naval history, few warships evoke awe and reverence quite like the mighty USS New Jersey (BB-62). Nicknamed the “Black Dragon” by both friend and foe, this massive Iowa-class battleship thundered across the world’s oceans for half a century, leaving a wake of astonishment—and, at times, terror—wherever she sailed. While tales of her record-breaking firepower and epic deployments are legendary, many of her most fascinating stories remained locked away… until now.

Prepare to discover the covert missions, the bizarre encounters, and the human drama behind the steel as we reveal the hidden past of the USS New Jersey—the battleship that not only shaped the course of war but became a near-mythical force in her own right.

Forged for War: Birth of a Legend

Commissioned in May 1943, USS New Jersey was the second Iowa-class fast battleship built for the U.S. Navy. Armed with nine 16-inch guns (capable of hurling shells the weight of Volkswagens nearly 23 miles), a bristling array of rapid-fire AA cannons, and some of the thickest armor afloat, she was the embodiment of power projection.

But what set the “Black Dragon” apart was more than raw muscle. Her sleek silhouette—painted in midnight hues for night operations—earned her an aura of menace. Japanese sailors, who first sighted her during the Pacific island hopping campaigns, whispered that a shadowy “Black Dragon” haunted the horizon, relentlessly pounding fortifications and vanishing before dawn.

World War II: A Phantom in the Pacific

USS New Jersey’s WWII career reads like the script of a Hollywood epic. Assigned as flagship to the legendary Admiral Raymond Spruance, she spearheaded the relentless U.S. push across the Central Pacific. Her guns shattered enemy shore batteries at Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Leyte, and Okinawa. On countless nights, Japanese soldiers would listen in terror as the piercing shriek of incoming shells heralded doom from the “black battleship” they could barely track.

It wasn’t just firepower that gave New Jersey her reputation. She was part of Admiral Halsey’s famous “typhoon run,” when, during a 1944 hurricane, her crew steered through 70-foot waves that claimed three destroyers. At the battle of Leyte Gulf, New Jersey’s presence helped blunt a last-gasp Japanese sortie—her very silhouette enough to deter an attack.

Some accounts, only recently declassified, suggest that New Jersey was assigned to shadow Japanese supply convoys under radio silence, communicating only by secret visual signals. She could seemingly melt into the horizon, then suddenly erupt in thunder and flame—a haunting specter among Allied fleets.

Unseen Battles: Secret Missions and Near Misses

During her WWII tours, New Jersey’s crew faced threats far beyond the enemy guns. Japanese kamikaze pilots marked her as a priority target. In late 1944, a Zero narrowly missed striking her superstructure—only the frantic efforts of her AA gunners prevented disaster. Rumors persist among veterans of a botched enemy submarine attack off the Philippines, foiled by last-minute maneuvering and the keen eyes of New Jersey’s radar operators.

There were secret shore bombardments, too. Declassified documents describe “Operation Ghost Fire,” where, under cover of darkness, New Jersey crept close to enemy-held islands, delivering pulses of gunfire believed to be “supernatural” by terrified defenders. Tales began to spread: whole platoons deserting their posts, convinced the Black Dragon was more demon than ship.

Korea, Vietnam, and Beyond: A Battleship Reborn

The Black Dragon’s legend didn’t end in 1945. Reactivated for the Korean War, New Jersey shelled enemy coastal railways, bridges, and troop concentrations with such devastating accuracy that North Korean units coined her the “Devil’s Gun.” Her intimidating figure once again sparked panic along fog-shrouded shorelines.

Two decades later she was called upon during the Vietnam War. In 1968-69, New Jersey’s sudden return to Southeast Asia was both a morale boost to American forces and a nightmare for the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. She hammered supply routes and enemy fortifications with an intensity that echoed her exploits in the Pacific. Some accounts suggest the mere rumor of her presence delayed enemy offensives for days.

Even after Vietnam, whispers persisted. In the 1980s, reactivated during escalating Cold War tensions, New Jersey was modernized with Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles—transforming her into a high-tech guardian with old-school brawn. Few outside naval circles realized: occasionally, she sailed with classified missions supporting special operations in the Mediterranean and Middle East—her stormy prow cutting through rumor, secrecy, and fear.

Forbidden Waters: Encounters and Secrets

Many stories never made the official logs. During the 1980s, on a Mediterranean deployment, New Jersey entered contested waters at midnight, “showing the flag” in a tense staring contest with Soviet ships. The details remain classified, but spy ship intercepts and coded signals sparked a silent but ferocious game of naval brinkmanship.

Then there are the personal tales: a sailor’s haunting account of a Japanese midget submarine’s unexplained appearance during night watch, or rumors of the “Dragon’s Eyes”—the twin searchlights reputed to pinpoint enemy infiltrators in the dead of night, striking terror before a single shot was fired.

The Ship That Wouldn’t Die

What truly elevates New Jersey to legend is her astonishing longevity. She served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf—a fighting life unrivaled in U.S. battleship history. Through it all, sailors spoke of her spirit—how she seemed to protect her crew from direct hits, how her hull “thrummed” when in action, how she inspired fellowship and awe.

In her golden years, New Jersey steamed home, taking her place as a museum ship in Camden, New Jersey. Yet, for veterans and adversaries alike, the memory of the “Black Dragon”—the invisible, invincible terror of the seas—remains undimmed.

Conclusion: The Legacy of Fear and Honor

The true story of the USS New Jersey is not merely written in steel and gunpowder. It is woven from whispered legends on enemy shores, midnight confrontations in forbidden waters, and countless lives saved—or changed forever—by her presence.

Her hidden past, once shadowed in secrecy, is now revealed: the USS New Jersey was not just a battleship, but a symbol—a force of nature, a guardian of the fleet, a nightmare to the enemy. The Black Dragon lives on, not simply as a relic, but as the beating heart of American naval legend.