Drawing Done By Highlands Teen Will Be On USS New Jersey Coin

LEONARDO, NJ — We told you this back in December, but here's a reminder that America's newest submarine will be unveiled this April at U.S. Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown.

And a drawing created by a local teenager was chosen to go on the back of a commemorative U.S. coin that will be minted for the submarine.

The teen is Russell Karshmer, who lives with his family in Highlands. He is a high school junior at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), located on Sandy Hook. Karshmer is also a cadet chief petty officer in the Navy Junior ROTC program, which has a unit at MAST.

To commemorate the new submarine, the USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee held a coin design contest in 2023. Karshmer's drawing was selected as the winner out of more than 300 submissions.

Karshmer will receive a $1,000 scholarship and a special invitation to attend the commissioning ceremony at NWS Earle on April 6.

New Submarine Will Be Commissioned In Middletown This April (Dec. 15, 2023)

Karshmer drew the view from the top of Mount Mitchell, the highest point on the Eastern Seaboard.

His drawing is incredibly thoughtful: He deliberately included symbols that represent our state, 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 in Karshmer's drawing is the submarine itself, and the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States.

Even the number "three" is significant in his drawing: The USS New Jersey is the third warship to bear the name of the state, and New Jersey was the third state to join the union. That's why Karshmer drew three oak leaves, three acorns and the three piers of Naval Weapons Station Earle, which itself was designed to look like King Neptune's trident.

He also intentionally used the official state colors of New Jersey, blue and buff.

The judges said they were impressed by how much detail Karshmer put into his design.

“The Commissioning Committee was extremely impressed by the thoughtfulness and detail,” said Julianne Dods, a trustee at the USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee. “We applaud all the students for their creativity and congratulate Russell for his remarkable work in helping to depict this historical event.”

The submarine is called the USS New Jersey and it will be commissioned in a huge ceremony at 10 a.m. April 6 at NWS Earle in Leonardo. It is a Virginia-class submarine, and is also the first U.S. submarine 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 where military boats or submarines are officially recognized as joining the Navy fleet. Organizers call it a "sacred"" event for a U.S. military vessel.

Hundreds, if not thousands of people attend, including many high-ranking members of the U.S. Navy and U.S. government.

Those who would like to attend the commissioning should go to www.njcommissioning.org to enter the ticket lottery to be on hand for this historic event. The deadline to enter the lottery is Jan. 14 and tickets are limited, so make sure to enter as soon as possible. It may even be possible for some groups to get up close and even tour inside the submarine.

To stay up to date on the Commissioning of the USS New Jersey: www.njcommissioning.org