You can ride on the Battleship New Jersey as it enters its dry dock

The Battleship New Jersey is adding a new opportunity to its itinerary of dry dock opportunities — a chance to passenger the ship as it crosses the Delaware.

The battleship announced this first-ever opportunity on Wednesday via Facebook.

There will be two separate auctions for a chance to ride on the ship. The first auction will run March 1 through 6, and the second March 11 through 15. Each auction winner will also get a plus-one.

More: The battleship isn't going to Philly ... first

The Battleship is leaving its Camden dock on Thursday, March 21, before heading to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal for ballasting in preparation for dry dock.

Marshall Spevak, the battleship's interim CEO, explained that the proceeds from the auctions as well as other events like dry dock tours and affiliated cruise opportunities will help supplement revenue lost from normal touring schedules while the ship is being worked on.

He estimated at least half a million dollars as the amount of lost revenue the ship is hoping to match.

The auctioned tickets will give winners a chance to ride the battleship on Wednesday, March 27 when it travels from Paulsboro across the river to Philadelphia for its historic dry dock maintenance project.

The opportunity became official after the battleship team kept receiving inquiries from people wanting to ride on the ship.

"We wanted to give this opportunity to the public to be a part of history," Spevak said.

Auction tickets can be purchased through the battleship's eBay profile, titled Battleshop.

As of Thursday morning, the bidding had already risen to $5,200 on the first auction.

"We're eagerly waiting to see how high it will go," Spevak said.

More on The Battleship New Jersey:

Dry Dock Tours: Want to tour the Battleship New Jersey in Philly? Here's how to get tickets

WATCH: Battleship New Jersey prepares to leave Camden

More: Maintaining a memorial. The Battleship prepares to leave Camden

Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at [email protected]. And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Win auctioned tickets to ride on the Battleship New Jersey