 The accuracy of New Jersey 's guns was also called into question . An investigation into New Jersey 's gunfire effectiveness in Lebanon , led by Marine Colonel Don Price , found that many of the ship 's shells had missed their targets by as much as 10 @,@ 000 yards ( 9 @,@ 140 m ) and therefore may have inadvertently killed civilians . Tim McNulty , a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune based in Lebanon said , " Everybody loved the New Jersey until she fired her guns . Once she fired , it was obvious she couldn 't hit anything . " The inaccuracy is believed to have resulted because the ship 's main gunpowder had been remixed by the Navy , under the direction of Captain Joseph Dominick Miceli at the Naval Weapons Support Center , and rebagged . Powder lots ( an individual production of powder ) burn at different rates . Therefore , remixing the powder lots could cause the guns to fire inconsistently . The problem was apparently resolved after the Navy was able to locate additional powder supplies which had not been remixed . 
