When thinking of 20th Century coastal gun emplacements, Puget Sound and The Strait of Juan De Fuca don't typically come to mind. However, by the end of the Second World War the approaches to Seattle featured some of the most powerful gun batteries found anywhere in the world. Camp Hayden on The Strait of Juan De Fuca (roughly 20 minutes west of Port Angeles) featured two of the biggest such gun emplacements.
Protection for the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canadian border region first came to fruition in the late nineteenth century.
There are several important milestone events in the life of a warship. Of particular importance are those proceedings surrounding the ship's launching and retirement from active service. Such events include the keel laying, launching, commissioning, decommissioning, and final disposition of the ship. On 23 May 2013 one of history's most powerful warships, the battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62), will celebrate the 70th Anniversary of its commissioning.
USS New Jersey is the second of the Iowa-class fast battleships. The four Iowas (Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri and
