Battleship New Jersey journeys home to Camden

The Battleship New Jersey returns to its home berth along the Camden waterfront Thursday after wrapping up a $10 million face-lift in Philadelphia .

Why it matters: The project preserves the nation's most highly decorated battleship as a museum and memorial.

Driving the news: The 45,000-ton vessel will take to the Delaware River from Paulsboro on the final leg of its journey home, where it's expected to dock around 1:20pm.

Catch up quick: The World War II-era battleship underwent 12 weeks of repairs and maintenance in South Philly, departing last week.

• The renovation, the first in more than three decades, included a fresh coat of paint for its hull and replacing hundreds of anodes to protect the ship from eroding.

Fun fact: Over 6,000 people bought tickets to tour the ship below deck while it dry-docked in Philly.

Flashback: The battleship was built at the city's Navy Yard and launched on Dec. 7, 1942 .

• The ship was used in World War II and the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf wars before decommissioning for good in 1991.
• The battleship, which earned 19 battle stars, opened as a museum in 2001.

If you go: A welcome home celebration begins at 11am at the ship's pier in Camden and includes games, live music and family activities.

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