Battleship New Jersey is the most decorated battleship in United States history. In March 2024, the ship—which is now a museum docked in Camden, New Jersey—pulled away from land for the first time in more than 20 years. The 887.7 foot ship was pushed and pulled by tugboats to Paulsboro, New Jersey, and then to Philadelphia: a six mile journey. At the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the ship was guided into dry dock to undergo two months of repairs that can only be completed out of water.

For weeks, workers have been hunched underneath the battleship: welding waterproof caps, replacing anodes, and pressure-washing and painting the hull. Before returning to Camden in late May, the ship will have been sprayed with six coats of epoxy in three distinct colors — layering that will help museum officials track the underwater erosion process.

Weekend tours have allowed ticket holders from as far away as China and South America to walk beneath its underbelly. One man flew back and forth from California within 24 hours for the opportunity to climb down five flights of stairs into the cavernous boat basin where the work is being done.

“They don’t do this, anywhere, very often,” said Libby Jones, the museum’s director of education. “If you’re into this kind of stuff, this is it — this is the Super Bowl.”

This story was assigned and published by The New York Times in May 2024.