 USS New Jersey ( BB @-@ 16 ) was the fourth of five Virginia @-@ class battleships of the United States Navy , and the first ship to carry her name . She was laid down at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy , Massachusetts in May 1902 , launched in November 1904 , and commissioned into the fleet in May 1906 . The ship was armed with an offensive battery of four 12 @-@ inch ( 300 mm ) guns and eight 8 @-@ inch ( 200 mm ) guns , and she was capable of a top speed of 19 knots ( 35 km / h ; 22 mph ) . 
