Unbelievable Power at Sea: USS New Jersey’s 16-Inch Guns, Monumental Shells, and the Fierce Impact on the Vietnam War

The sight is both awe-inspiring and humbling: aboard the decks of USS New Jersey (BB-62) in 1969, Navy sailors sweat and strain as they maneuver 2,700-pound, 16-inch armor-piercing shells—each as tall as a man and as heavy as a small car. The barrels these shells would soon thunder from are among the most powerful naval guns ever deployed, a testament to American engineering and military might. In these moments, captured in crisp photographs and sailors’ vivid memories, the near-mythical presence of the Iowa-class battleship again comes alive—not only as a force of the World War II Pacific but as a decisive player in the Vietnam War a generation later.

A War Machine Reborn

The USS New Jersey (BB-62) was launched in just 1942 but by 1969 had already lived more military life than most warships ever would. After serving with distinction in World War II—bombarding Japanese strongholds, screening aircraft carriers at Leyte Gulf, and enduring Kamikaze attacks—the ship completed stints in both the Korean War and the Mediterranean during the Cold War. In 1967, with the Vietnam War intensifying, it was decided that New Jersey’s thundering guns would serve once more, leading to the ship’s reactivation.

When the battleship returned to service, she once again became the embodiment of American naval power, her mighty main battery of nine 16-inch/50-caliber Mark 7 guns as relevant as ever to those fighting on the shores of Vietnam.

The Might of the 16-Inch Guns

The statistics alone verge on the unbelievable. A single 16-inch shell weighed up to 2,700 pounds (apples-to-apples, the weight of a Toyota Corolla) and, when fired, could be hurled more than 20 miles—a distance so great that the curvature of the earth had to be factored into calculations. The force behind each shot was equivalent to a small earthquake: the flash from the muzzle, the concussion in the air, and the roar echoing for miles.

Sailors would carefully roll these massive shells across the deck, often in long assembly-line chains, maneuvering them into armored hoists and then up toward the gun turrets. Inside the turret, loading the shell required teamwork, strength, and constant vigilance—the safety protocols drilled into every member of the crew. Then came the powder bags, up to six per shot, each packed with 110 pounds of propellant, which provided the explosive energy needed to launch the shell at up to 2,500 feet per second.

Standing inside these great turrets—armored, noisy, and cramped—Navy gunners experienced firsthand what few people in history ever would: the sheer, raw power of the battleship era.

Dominance in the Vietnam War

While battleships had largely faded from modern naval doctrine with the rise of missile warfare and jet aircraft, Vietnam presented unique operational challenges—and opportunities. America’s South Vietnamese allies, U.S. Marines, and Army forces were often locked in bitter fights along the coastline and the Mekong Delta, where dense jungle and fortified enemy positions rendered airstrikes and traditional artillery less effective or more dangerous.

USS New Jersey changed that calculus. With her guns anchored just offshore, the ship provided devastating, near-instant firepower anywhere within range. Enemy bunkers, supply lines, command posts, and concentrations of troops could be targeted with precision and obliterated with a single salvo. The psychological impact was immense—both for the sailors witnessing their own guns in action, and for the enemy. The simple knowledge that New Jersey’s guns could reach and destroy with such force forced North Vietnamese forces to adapt or scatter.

The battleship’s presence allowed for flexible, on-call fire support. When Marines called for help from the jungle or along the coast, New Jersey’s fire control team took coordinates—sometimes relayed directly by spotter aircraft or troops—and computed firing solutions on the fly. Three-gun barrages would level entire grid squares, and even a single shell could crater a hillside or destroy a reinforced bunker. Frequently, the concussion alone collapsed structures and demoralized enemy fighters.

Legacy of the New Jersey: More Than Firepower

The return of the USS New Jersey to combat was also a powerful symbol. It bridged the technological gulf between eras, showing that the might and tradition of World War II’s greatest ships still had relevance. The ship’s crew, often a mix of young draftees and seasoned Navy veterans, took pride in her storied service record. More than a floating artillery platform, she was a living piece of history—a connection to the epic Pacific battles of Saipan, Leyte, and Okinawa.

Onboard, daily life was consumed by constant maintenance and training required to keep the massive guns and sophisticated fire control systems combat-ready. “Battleship gray” became a state of mind as well as a paint color. The pace and precision needed to operate the Mark 7 guns safely fostered tight camaraderie. The sailors who rolled, hoisted, and fired those 2,700-pound shells were working not just as individuals but as part of a living, breathing machine.

The End of an Era and Enduring Inspiration

Following her Vietnam service, New Jersey would return again in the 1980s for one final refit and deployment before being decommissioned for the last time. Yet the photographs and accounts from 1969 endure—preserved in naval archives and the memories of those who served. They remind us that a handful of men, through teamwork and hard labor, could wield and control a power that shaped battles, terrifies enemies, and saved American lives.

Her legendary 16-inch guns, the heaviest ever fitted to an American warship, did more than just hurl steel at distant enemies. They embodied a philosophy—one of decisive, overwhelming force when and where it was needed most. And in the Vietnam War’s coastal jungles and river deltas, USS New Jersey’s spectacular might made her more than just a relic; she was a crucial instrument of American strategy and, for a time, the dominant power at sea.

Today, the USS New Jersey is a museum ship, but her legacy—the sight of men carefully maneuvering those towering shells across her decks—continues to be an enduring reminder of the extraordinary power that once sailed the world’s oceans, ready at a moment’s notice to shape the course of history.