The Mighty Mo!
USS Missouri: The Battleship That Made More History Than Any Other
Read the rest at the link.It was aboard the deck of the USS Missouri (BB-63) on September 2, 1945 that the Empire of Japan officially surrendered and ended World War II.
For her efforts during the war, the Iowa-class battleship earned three battle stars. She would go on to earn five more battle stars for the Korean War, as well as two Combat Action Ribbons and many other commendations and medals for service in the Gulf War.
USS Missouri, A History
The warship was laid down in January 1941 when the clouds of war were on the horizon. The U.S. Navy sought to have a new class of battleships that improved upon the earlier South Dakota-class.
Designed as “fast battleships” powered by larger engines, but also larger-caliber guns that offered a far greater range, these warships could travel with a carrier force and keep pace, being able to reach upwards of thirty-three knots. In addition, the Iowa-class size was developed so as to be able to travel through the Panama Canal, which enabled the warships to respond to threats around the world.
Missouri was the third ship to be named for the “Show Me State,” and was also the last battleship to be commissioned by the United States Navy. Nicknamed “The Mighty Mo,” she was christened by then Sen. Harry S. Truman’s (D-Missouri) daughter, Margaret Truman.
As with her sisters, Missouri was armed with nine 16-inch guns, twenty-five-inch guns, and 40mm anti-aircraft guns as well as forty-nine 20mm anti-aircraft guns. During World War II, The Mighty Mo fired those massive 16-inch guns during the Marine Corps landings at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Hokkaido. In late August 1945, she sailed victoriously into Tokyo Bay to begin the process of demilitarizing Japan, and was then selected to host the surrender ceremony.
Unlike the other Iowa*-class battleships, USS Missouri was not decommissioned following the end of the Second World War.