VOLUME XIII – A Nostalgic Crew

Dear South Jersey,

After just experiencing the death of one of America’s most hated enemies in recent weeks, it is only appropriate that my next blog comes to you in praise of our military.

And as we continue our journey through the many avenues of volunteerism in the area, nothing is more historic and glorified than our very own Battleship New Jersey, which is now stationed in Camden as a museum for all to enjoy.

I recently spoke with a volunteer from the New Jersey for an article that will run in The Central Record; however, I also wanted to share with you some of the opportunities and good stories that docent and Military Liaison Officer of the Battleship New Jersey Walt Urban passed along to me.

Most volunteerism for the New Jersey occurs on the weekends, unless of course there is a big event being planned that needs special attention during the week. There are literally dozens of interested and dedicated people who serve as docents for the ship. A docent is essentially a knowledgeable tour guide who leads hour and 45 minute tours for groups of 12-15 people around the ship.

Along with the docents, there are also volunteers that clean the brass all around the ship and volunteers that do radio work, as well. To Urban’s knowledge, there are something close to 800,000 hours of volunteerism that have gone into the ship since it opened up as a museum in October 2001.

“There’s just an incredible amount of people who are excited to come on down to the ship. It’s not all Navy types,” Urban said. “We’ve got a variety of Army, Air Force, civilians who have never served in the military who are very anxious to come in and gain the experience of what it’s like to be a volunteer on the Battleship.”

Most anyone can serve as a volunteer for the New Jersey. The staff just asks that interested parties go through a training program, which runs about six nights. Once that is taken, potential volunteers must take an exam, and when that’s passed, people can volunteer whenever they please.

“The docent community on board is great,” said Urban. “We’re all there because we want to be there. So nobody has an attitude except positive. We all want to do a good job for the ship, showcase the ship and tell the ship’s story. So, from that standpoint, there’s a great deal of camaraderie amongst those in the community.”

Urban and his colleagues meet on the weekends to plan out their tours. People love coming out to see them.

“We have a little lounge there where we get together in the morning and have coffee and get ready for the tours,” Urban said. “We compare notes on what’s going on. It’s a good bonding thing. The ship is a great catalyst for that. Everybody is there because of the ship and everybody loves the ship for one reason or another. They have some special interests, like myself, having served on her and being just a battleship aficionado is one of the reasons why I enjoy coming down here and helping out.”

The ship just had a big event on April 30 to open up spaces on ship for a Marine detachment. On Memorial Day Weekend, they will also be holding a big ceremony to unveil the newest addition to the ship: the opening of the gun turrets, which was not accessible before. Now, tourists can go inside the gun turrets and see what it was like inside those chambers.

“If you haven’t been down to see the ship, certainly the new exhibits are something you want to see for the first time. It’s going to be a very unique experience,” Urban said.

Urban’s favorite feature of the ship would have to be the encampment programs on Friday and Saturday nights, where kids groups (sometimes in the lower range of 300) can come and spend the night on the ship. Boy scouts, girl scouts, you name it – the ship has done it.

It’s probably the best program we have to offer, honestly,” said Urban. “It’s the most enthusiastically supported by parents, who come out as chaperones and get to spend the night with their children. Everyone walks off the ship the following day with a smile.”

Overall, I was very pleased to speak with Urban and hear all of his great stories. He gave me the complete rundown of the ship, both physically and historically.

I encourage you to keep an eye out in The Central Record for more about Urban’s remarkable story and to go down to see the Battleship New Jersey yourself for an even more detailed experience. Don’t forget, anyone can volunteer, so go inquire today!

Take care.

Yours,

Kevin Haslam