More than 160 New Jerseyans will watch the ship cross from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. Among them will be Gov. Christie Whitman, several members of Congress and state legislators.

"This is a long-awaited and proud moment for the citizens of New Jersey, and I am looking forward to witnessing history being made as our namesake battleship travels through the locks of the Panama Canal one final time on her way back home," said state Sen. John J. Matheussen, R-Gloucester.

The governor's personal entourage will include a half-dozen staffers and her state police security detail. The trip will cost the governor's office $10,000.

All other participants will pay their own way.

They include: Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.; Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, D-N.J., state Senate President Donald DiFrancesco, R-Union, and Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina, D-Monmouth, chairman of the New Jersey Battleship Commission.

The governor invited 100 New Jersey veterans to make the trip, but only a handful could afford to take the time and spend the money. Lautenberg announced Friday that he will pay to bring 10 veterans along.

The ship is scheduled to arrive in Balboa, Panama, today.

On Sunday, the governor will tour the ship with reporters. A speaking program will follow. On Monday, Whitman will board the New Jersey for its entrance into the canal.

The ship will exit into the Atlantic on Thursday on its way back to the Garden State, where it will be permanently berthed in either Camden or Bayonne as a floating museum. The Navy has yet to decide which port will be the New Jersey's final home.

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