Battleship New Jersey

“Paul Stillwell tells Battleship New Jersey’s story in the crew’s own words thanks to his incredible collection of oral history interviews, collected over the last 40 years. This long-awaited updated edition, which includes, for the first time, the closing years of the ship’s active career and first years of her second life as a museum and memorial, is a must have for battleship enthusiasts and will be a permanent fixture on my desk at the museum.“—Ryan Szimanski, Curator, Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial and Executive Director, Historic Naval Ships Association   

With the perspective afforded an officer who served aboard the New Jersey, Paul Stillwell has penned one of the best books on a warship ever written.  It is also a case study of a weapons system that served the country for half a century in roles unintended and in ways unimagined.  A remarkable work. —Dr. Malcom Muir,author of The Iowa Class Battleships “Warships have lives, and so do the sailors who man them. In his revised illustrated history of battleship New Jersey, Paul Stillwell tells the stories of both with the sort of insight that only an experienced veteran—and veteran author—can have. This revision is a book to learn from and also to enjoy—as I most certainly have.“ — Dr. Thomas C. Hone, author of American and British Aircraft Carrier Development, 1919-1941 and Battle Line: The United States Navy, 1919-1939 “A book that vividly brings alive the entire long history of this famous ship, most notably through the voices of crew members, drawn from many personal interviews, oral histories, letters, and the author’s own personal experience as a crew member during the late 1960s. There are few books that so faithfully recall the experience of a ship’s service in war and peace, in particular one that covers such a long period of time.” —Christopher C. Wright, Editor-in-Chief, Warship International “Battleship New Jersey” is as enjoyable to read as it is to admire its research. It is filled with interesting, often funny personal anecdotes from the battleship’s construction to its service years. Stillwell has a remarkable skill at weaving technical descriptions and facts into very understandable and fast reading prose. As read as one may be the subject, be assured you will still learn new things here and enjoy it as well. —Anthony Tully author of “Battle of Surigao Strait”,  co-author of ”Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway“

Paul Stillwell is an independent historian and retired naval officer. He worked for thirty years at the U.S. Naval Institute as an oral historian and editor of Naval History magazine. He is the author or editor of fourteen books, including five on battleships and an award-winning volume on the U.S. Navy’s first African American officers, The Golden Thirteen. His 2021 book Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr. also received acclaim. He lives in Arnold, Maryland.