Learn the History

Missouri (the last Battleship built by the United States) was christened by Miss Mary Margaret Truman daughter of the Senior Senator from Missouri, Harry Truman. Miss Janet T. Lingo acted as Maid of Honor. In his comments, Mr. Truman said, “The time is surly coming when the people of Missouri..Read More

Pre-commissioning detail for Battleship Missouri and other smaller ships, at Newport, Rhode Island. Rumor had it that Battleship Missouri was destined to be an outstanding ship and 3,000 officers requested duty aboard her! At Newport, most of Missouri’s crew assembled for specialized training, fire fighting and other schools and rapidly..Read More

While some of her crew were already aboard Battleship Missouri, handling pre-commissioning duties, 1,500 officers and men came from Newport, by ship and by train, to complete the ship’s complement.

The United States Ship Missouri is commissioned in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Senator Harry Truman (later Vice President & president) attending and Captain William M. Callaghan, USN, Commanding Officer. Plank owners numbered 2,451.

USS Missouri leaves Brooklyn Navy Yard and anchored off Bayonne, New Jersey. On July 13, Missouri entered dry dock at Bayonne, NJ, for once over and to have radar antenna installed, which if Missouri had attached leaving Brooklyn, it would have scraped the Brooklyn Bridge.

Missouri leaves Bayonne and anchored off Fort Lafayette, NY. Here ammunition was loaded aboard.

Battleship Missouri heads for the open sea for the first time for gunnery practice, trials, speed runs and tough training.

Missouri departed Norfolk for battle practice, drill and shakedown cruise, heading for Gulf of Paria, South America. She arrives on August 25 at Port of Spain Trinidad. The ensuing weeks are spent on extensive drills and battle practice with an occasional “break” on the beach.

On December 18, Missouri heads to Pearl Harbor in Task Unit 12.7.1 with destroyers Bailey and Terry. On December 24 (Merry Christmas), Missouri moored at berth F-2, Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.

Missouri departs Hawaii and proceeded to the West Caroline Islands, and….the WAR.

USS Missouri (BB-63) underway as part of Task Force Group 58.2, which includes the carriers Lexington, Hancock and San Jacinto, the Battleship Wisconsin and destroyers. The Group joined on air strikes against Tokyo and on February 19, supported the invasion of Iwo Jima and more air strikes against the Tokyo..Read More

Missouri at dawn, as first wave of carrier planes of Task Force 58 take off to bomb Tokyo with 1,500 Hellcats and Avengers taking part. No opposition from the Japanese. The Task Force was 100 miles off the enemy coast. US planes made five raids that day.

After refueling, Missouri, along with carriers, headed for Iwo Jima, giving direct support to the invasion landings. Stiff Japanese opposition. Air alert at 1900. Japanese bombers overhead. At 1930, several small groups of “Bogies” were picked up by radar and ‘condition one’ was set. As bogies closed in, Air Defense..Read More

USS Missouri (BB-63) as part of Task Group 58.2, joined on air strikes against Okinawa. Missouri assigned to Task Group 59. Night 16 inch practice firing and war maneuvers. Task Force 59 returns to Ulithi and Missouri is assigned to USS Yorktown carrier task group. Missouri departed Ulithi setting course..Read More

USS Missouri loses three men over the side in a terrible storm. Two men are recovered by Mo while the third is picked up by a destroyer. Battleship New Jersey nearly rams Missouri, by accident. Later, New Jersey rams destroyer USS Franks and carrier escort USS Langley almost hits Missouri...Read More

Missouri opens fire on low flying suicide planes. Despite the curtain of shells and Missouri scoring many hits, a Japanese pilot came through crashing just below the main deck on the starboard side near turret three. The enemy’s body smashed into a floater net storage on the shield of a..Read More

Missouri arrives at Ulithi on May 9. On May 14, Captain William M. Callaghan, USN is replaced by Captain Stuart S. Murray, USN, who assumed command of Missouri. At the ceremony of transfer, Captain Callaghan repeated some words he used at Missouri’s commissioning: “Be loyal to God, who created you;..Read More

President Harry S. Truman announced in a radio that WW II had ended in Victory in Europe (VE Day).

Missouri arrived at Apra Harbor, Guam where Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr, USN, Commander Third Fleet, hoisted his flag and Missouri became his flagship. Missouri arrived at Apra Harbor, Guam where Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr, USN, Commander Third Fleet, hoisted his flag and Missouri became his flagship.

The memorable typhoon in the Ryuku Islands, Okinawa area. Typhoon continues with these ships badly damaged: USS Indiana, USS Massachusetts, USS Alabama, USS Missouri, USS Hornet, USS Bennington, USS Belleau Wood, USS San Jacinto, USS Windham Bay, USS Salamana, USS Bougainville, USS Attu, plus cruisers, destroyers and destroyer escorts. Battleship..Read More

Missouri arrived in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, the Philippines, after three months of continuous operations in support of the Okinawa campaign. Here, she prepared to lead the mighty Third Fleet in strikes at the heart of Japan, from within it’s home waters.

The battle for Okinawa officially ended with 12,520 Americans and 110,000 Japanese killed in the 81 day campaign.

Potsdam Declaration calling for unconditional surrender is delivered to Japan.

First atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Honshu killing 140,000 people in the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare. Three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the US exploded a second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Kyushu killing an estimated 74,000 people.

President Harry Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II. Japan accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and agreed to surrender. At 0540, after Admiral Halsey received word from Pacific Fleet Commander in Chief Admiral Nimitz, all air strikes were recalled. At 1100, battle flags were..Read More

Plan of the Day, September 2 1945 Deck Log, September 2 1945 “At 0700, over 170 newsmen and cameramen boarded Missouri from destroyer Buchanan. For an hour high ranking military officials from all the Allied Powers boarded Missouri from other destroyers and small craft. Admiral Nimitz boarded shortly after 0800..Read More

9/7/1945 Missouri departed from Tokyo Bay 9/13/1945 Missouri arrives at Guam, brought on stores and over 400 veteran passengers and unloaded excess supplies. 9/15/1945 Missouri underway from Guam, homeward bound via Pearl Harbor, unescorted. 9/20/1945 Missouri arrives at Pearl Harbor. 9/29/1945 Missouri departs Pearl Harbor. 10/13/1945 Missouri transited the Panama..Read More