04 Level Navigation Bridge

04 Level Navigation Bridge. Battleship New Jersey. , The Navigation Bridge is where the crew of New Jersey "conned," or steered, the ship. This operation required the coordination of the ship's helmsmen, Officer of the deck, and navigational crew. Located on the Navigation Bridge was the Captain's Chair; from here; the Captain of the New Jersey commanded the ship., In the center of the bridge is the Conning Tower, also known as the "battle conn." A cylindrical three-level structure composed of 17.3" of solid steel armor. The armor for the Conning Tower was specially designed to resist the impact of a 2,240lb 16" shell traveling at more than 2,000 miles per hour., Each of the armored doors weighs over one ton. Directly inside the armored doors is New Jersey's primary wheel. Within this area are the ship's RPM indicator, engine telegraphs, communications gear, and other equipment needed to "conn" the ship. If damage occurred to the "battle conn," there are four "back-up" steering locations within the sheep., Outside the Conning Tower are several stations used for reading navigational charts. There are also three SPA-25 surface search repeaters on the Navigation Bridge: one is inside "Battle Conn," another is located near the Captain's Chair, and the final station is within the Chart House., The Chart House, located just behind the Conning Tower, was used to store the ship's navigational charts. It also housed the ship's sailing plan, and a marine navigation system that assisted the navigators in determining New Jersey's position.New Jersey was typically "conned" from the 08 Level Bridge, which allowed for a full 360-degree view of the ship and her surroundings., [Captions:] , Above: A rare 1943 interior view of the round bridge which was unique to New Jersey. Each armored door weighs more than a ton., Above and Below: During her long career, New Jersey had no less than three different bridge designs; the original open bridge was replaced by the rounded bridge seen above immediately after her sea trials in October 1943. New Jersey fought most of World War II with this unique curved bridge layout. In early 1945, the design was changed to the "square bridge" seen today and is common to all four Iowa Class battleships., The picture below dates from 1984.