For our January Troop outing, 23 Scouts and 7 adults enjoyed a day trip to Camden, NJ, where we visited the Battleship New Jersey and the Camden Aquarium. We first toured the battleship, where we eagerly traversed some ladders and passageways, and experienced tight squeezes, just like the officers and crew of the ship did when they were on board. We got to examine the massive shells that would have been loaded into the 66-foot-long gun barrels as well as the gun barrels themselves, and the four stories worth of storage needed to keep the cannons operational. The Battleship New Jersey served in WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. She earned an impressive total of 19 stars for her service, making her the most decorated battleship in US history.
Following our fascinating tour of the battleship, we headed to the Camden Aquarium, where some of us clambered across a rope bridge poised above a pool filled with several large, vicious looking sharks. We viewed an interesting 3D movie about penguins, then observed fish ranging from tropical varieties to some which make their home in the deepest ocean abyss. As we passed the tanks of some frightening-looking eels, we were greeted by aquarium scuba diving staff who happened to be cleaning the glass. Next, we watched some hippos being fed, which was mesmerizing and slightly alarming because the staff were inside their habitat, and hippos are both quick and very aggressive. We also had the pleasure of learning about a unique species of jellyfish that lives upside down in order to resemble a reef organism. This quirk serves to protect them and enables them to effectively hunt for prey. Our trip was fun and educational, and some Scouts were able to share the experience with their fathers