This article originally appeared on January 8, 2024 in The Monmouth Journal, Eastern Monmouth County Edition.
Photo: Cadet Chief Petty Officer Russell Karshmer (courtesy of The Monmouth Journal)
HIGHLANDS — The USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee recently announced the winner of the USS New Jersey Commissioning Coin Design contest. Russell Karshmer, of Highlands, a junior at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) at Sandy Hook and a Cadet Chief Petty Officer in the NJROTC program, had his design selected out of more than 300 submissions from middle and high school students from across the state.
Karshmer’s design, which will be minted on the reverse side of the official commemorative Commissioning Coin for the USS New Jersey (SSN 796), depicts another meaningful “High Point” in the Garden State’s history — the view from Mount Mitchell Scenic Overlook, the highest point in New Jersey and on the Eastern seaboard.
The design includes symbols representing New Jersey, including the state bird, an Eastern Goldfinch, perched atop the state tree, a Red Oak, as it holds the state flower, a violet, in its beak.
Also depicted is the USS New Jersey and the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States.
The design also incorporates the official state colors of Jersey, Blue and Buff, as well as three oak leaves, three acorns and the three piers of Naval Weapons Station Earle to celebrate the USS New Jersey as the third warship to bear the name of the state, and New Jersey being the third state to join the Union.
“The Commissioning Committee was extremely impressed by the thoughtfulness and detail included in all of the submissions,” said Julianne Dods, Trustee, USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee. “We applaud all of the students for their creativity and congratulate Russell for his remarkable work in helping to depict this historical event.”
Karshmer’s submission was one of 24 top designs voted on by the USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee.
As winner, Karshmer will receive a $1,000 scholarship and an invitation to attend the Commissioning Ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Leonardo April 6, 2024.
A Virginia-class submarine, the USS New Jersey will be the third naval vessel named after the state of New Jersey and the first ever built fully designed to support an integrated male and female crew.
The name of the vessel was announced in May 2015 and it was christened in November 2021.
The commissioning ceremony is a is a sacred event in the life of every U.S. Navy ship and will mark the official entry of the USS New Jersey to the Navy’s fleet.
The USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee is a volunteer-led, non-profit organization established as a liaison between the ship and its namesake state and to coordinate and fund activities leading up to the commissioning ceremony that will celebrate the crew, their families and the vessel.
For more information on the USS New Jersey and the Commissioning Committee, visit njcommissioning.org