The most decorated battleship in the history of the United States, the Battleship New Jersey, recently received an overdue face-lift at Philadelphia Navy Yard, write Tracey Tully, Rachel Wisniewski, and Erin Schaff for The New York Times.

The ship, which is no longer operational, underwent two months of repairs that could only be done on land.

Battleship New Jersey served in more military campaigns than any of its counterparts. It was christened on December 7, 1942, the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It earned 19 battle stars in 21 years of active service.

It was moved to its permanent dock in Camden, New Jersey, in 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks, where it was turned into a museum.

“They moved her in the middle of the night without anybody on board,” said Ryan Szimanski, the museum’s curator.

It spent the following several decades in Delaware River before heading to Philadelphia for repairs and restoration.

Workers have already spent weeks welding waterproof caps and replacing anodes underneath the battleship.

Before returning to Camden later this month, the ship will be sprayed with six coats of epoxy in three colors to help museum officials follow the underwater erosion process.

Read more about the Battleship New Jersey renovations at The New York Times.

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