ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 5
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED DECEMBER 15, 1997
By Assemblymen COLLINS, DORIA and Azzolina
An Assembly Resolution calling on the Secretary of the Navy to make an advance commitment that the Battleship New Jersey will be released to her namesake State for use as a museum and memorial.
Whereas, In 1938, a Joint Resolution was passed by the New Jersey Legislature requesting that one of the new class of battleships be named for the State of New Jersey and this request was subsequently honored by Acting Secretary of the Navy Charles Edison, future Governor of this State and son of the State's famous inventor Thomas Edison; and
Whereas, The New Jersey General Assembly, on behalf of the citizens of the State of New Jersey, notes that Governor Christine Todd Whitman has requested the donation of the USS New Jersey (BB-62) to the battleship's namesake State by letter to the Secretary of the Navy in February 1995 and again in December 1997; and
Whereas, The USS New Jersey Battleship Commission, created pursuant to Chapter 440 of the New Jersey laws of 1979, submitted an application to Naval Sea Systems Command in February 1996 for donation of the ship, which during World War II was the flagship of Fleet Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey, USN, a resident of Elizabeth, New Jersey; and
Whereas, Thousands of New Jersey residents to-date and four former governors have, in an effort to build a crescendo over the last 20 years, supported the work of the Battleship Commission in its efforts to acquire this ship by donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Battleship New Jersey Foundation and have given countless hours of time in volunteer service; and
Whereas, New Jersey corporations, foundations, State veteran, civic and fraternal organizations have pledged their financial support upon the awarding of the ship to our State; and
Whereas, Wide public support for the project has been shown in the purchase of over 7,000 special battleship license plates that have been issued to-date since 1996 and in the State's income tax refund donation check-off option, which went into effect in 1996 and has resulted in over 15,000 initial participants and is projected to have over 35,000 for 1997; and
Whereas, The New Jersey State Elks Association, with their 138 lodges and 50,000 members, have undertaken fully the effort of raising thousands of dollars to support the return of the Battleship New Jersey to this State through Operation TOP; and
Whereas, Though there has been speculation recently that a different battleship may be donated to the area, it is a fact that only one battleship can be sustained economically in the Port of New York/New Jersey and that battleship should be the USS New Jersey; and
Whereas, The Military Ocean Terminal Reuse Commission in Bayonne has included the USS New Jersey in their master plan, in which it will serve as a world-class museum and memorial, and at a site with direct ramp access to the New Jersey Turnpike and adjacent to the Hudson Light Rail System connecting points north along the New Jersey side of the Hudson River; and
Whereas, This prime location, near Liberty State Park, will afford visitors to the battleship easy access to other major area attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Liberty Science Center, so that the USS New Jersey, in conjunction with those attractions, will become the tourist centerpiece of the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, which is the largest tourist destination of the entire Northeast region; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House calls on the Secretary of the Navy to make an advance commitment that the Battleship New Jersey be released eventually to her namesake State for use as a museum and memorial and to make certain that no other battleship be donated to this area where it might compete economically with this State's distinguished naval namesake.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to Secretary of the Navy John Dalton and to each member of the Congress of the United States elected from New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution calls on the Secretary of the Navy to make an advance commitment that the Battleship New Jersey be released eventually to her namesake State for use as a museum and memorial and to make certain that no other battleship be donated to this area where it might compete economically with this State's distinguished naval namesake.
Calls on Secretary of the Navy to make an advance commitment that the Battleship New Jersey be released eventually to this State.