In April 1989, as "New Jersey" was preparing for her last operational cruise, sister ship suffered a catastrophic explosion in her No. 2 gun turret; fallout from the incident led U.S. Naval officials to freeze live fire exercises with the guns until the investigation into the explosion was concluded. Eventually, the ban was lifted and "New Jersey" was allowed to use her big guns again. "New Jersey"s final cruise began in 1989 as part of Pacific Exercise '89. Upon completion of the exercise, "New Jersey" sailed through the Indian Ocean and into the Persian Gulf, in the process becoming the centerpiece for various battle groups and surface action groups. "New Jersey" remained in the Persian Gulf for the rest of the year, returning to the United States in February 1990.