To enlarge the Navy’s fleet by 60 ships, money was allotted to build four 

fast Iowa Class Battleships of which the Missouri, (BB-63) was one. 

Affectionately Nicknamed the “Mighty Mo.”  It would be the last battleship 

ever built by the United States.

Nearly 11 months before Pearl Harbor was bombed, the Missouri’s keel was 

laid at the New York Navy Yard on January 6, 1941 and completed 3 years 

later.  

On January 29, 1944, more than 20,000 spectators watched as she was 

christened by Miss Margaret Truman, the 19 year old daughter of then 

United States Senator Harry S. Truman from Missouri.  Senator 

Truman, when delivering his opening remarks at the Christening Ceremony, 

said, “The USS Missouri will show … the world her innate seaworthiness, 

her valiant fighting spirit and the invincible power of the United States 

Navy.”

The Missouri joined the Pacific Fleet in January 1945.  

IWO JIMA

This invasion began on February 19, 1945.  The Missouri was assigned 

the task of safeguarding US aircraft carriers by providing them with 

anti-aircraft protection.  She also aided in refueling the nearby destroyers.

The Mighty Mo was 65 miles from Iwo Jima when the attack began.  With 

her 5 inch guns blazing, Mo shot down her first Japanese plane.  The 

Missouri heavily bombarded the southeastern end of Iwo Jima.  The 

battle of Iwo Jima was one of the bloodiest battles of the war.  

The U.S. Forces lost over 6,000 men and approximately 19,000 

were wounded in action.  The Japanese lost nearly 21,000 of their troops.

OKINAWA

On March 24, 1945 the invasion of Okinawa began.  The Missouri, in the 

company of two other Iowa Class battleships, the New Jersey and 

Wisconsin, opened fire on the island, offering support to the 60,000 

American troops that had landed there.  On that first day she fired 180 

rounds from her 16 inch guns, striking buildings, army barracks, 

observation posts and an ammunition dump.

JAPAN SURRENDERS

On August 5, 1945 the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan 

and on August 9, Nagasaki.  On August 15, 1945, three years, eight 

months and seven days from that fateful day at Pearl Harbor, the 

Japanese surrendered and the war in the Pacific was over.

The Instrument of Surrender was signed on September 2, 1945 on 

the 01 deck level of the Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay, near the 

city of Yokohama, Japan.  Japan’s delegation consisted of 11 men 

who had traveled in secrecy from Tokyo.  General Douglas MacArthur 

signed in his capacity as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.  

Joining him as signatory was Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz along 

with representatives of China, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, Australia, 

Canada, France, Netherlands and New Zealand.  The Japanese Foreign 

Minister, Mamoru Shigemitsu, signed on behalf of the Emperor of 

Japan and the Japanese Government General Yoshijiro Umezu, Chief 

of the Imperial General Staff, signed on behalf of the Japanese Armed 

Forces.

Hundreds of American sailors lined every inch of the Missouri when 

General MacArthur delivered an eloquent speech calling for “freedom, 

tolerance and justice.”

THE KOREAN WAR

On June 25, 1950, the North Koreans  in a surprise attack, invaded 

democratic South Korea.  The Missouri was ordered to depart for the 

Pacific as soon as possible and left for Korea on August 19, 1950.  

For a six month period from September 15, 1950 through March 29, 1951, 

the Missouri played a vital part in the success of the Korean War.  She 

relentlessly bombarded military targets along the coast of both North 

and South Korea. Her shore bombardments, mostly on Korea’s east 

coast, battered cities such as Tanchon, Chongjin, Chaho, Songjin 

and Wonsan.

DECOMMISSIONED

The Missouri was moved to the Pacific Reserve Fleet in Bremerton, 

Washington on February 26, 1955.  During her years of retirement, 

visitors could visit the Surrender Deck of the Mighty Mo.  The 

Missouri also enjoyed a short but successful career portraying 

numerous warships in movies such as MacArthur, The Winds of 

War, and War and Remembrance.

RECOMMISSIONED

In early 1984, the Missouri and her three sister battleships were recalled 

from retirement to serve the nation once more.  On May 6, 1986 she 

had her formal re-commissioning ceremony on May 10 and her return 

to active duty.

THE PERSIAN GULF

During the summer of 1990, Iraq invaded the tiny country of Kuwait.  

Under General Norman Schwarzkopf’s command, the U.S. and Allied 

military assembled thousands of vessels, aircraft, tanks and equipment 

for immediate duty.  At 1:40 a.m. on January 17, the Missouri 

launches the first of 28 Tomahawk missiles toward Baghdad.

FINAL JOURNEY HOME

After the Gulf War, the Missouri spent four years from 1992 to 1995 

at the Pacific Reserve Fleet in Bremerton, Washington before she 

was moved to another Bremerton pier and opened to the public for 

visitation.  Then following an intense competition from four cities to 

have the Missouri permanently berthed at one of these locations, 

Secretary of Navy John Dalton, on August 21, 1996, selected the 

USS Missouri Memorial Association to receive the Missouri at Pearl 

Harbor, Hawaii.  This announcement was made 51 years from 

September 2, 1945, the date Japan ended World War II at the 

surrender ceremony held aboard the Missouri.  

The Missouri left Bremerton on May 23, 1998 and went on a 300 

mile trip to Astoria, Oregon.  The Missouri left Astoria for Pearl Harbor 

and ended in Pearl Harbor on June 22, 1998.