The USS Missouri is the blue-gray ship sitting near the white Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Buy tickets at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum. General admission is $16 (or $10 for kamaaina) and the guided tour is $7.00. You will have to take a free shuttle bus from the Bowfin to the Missouri. Today is the 63rd anniversary of the end of World War II, when the Instrument of Surrender was signed aboard the USS Missouri.
Here’s the battleship up close.
Ramp that leads to the ship.
Armor piercers, powder keg, and aluminum cylinders that housed 3 powder kegs each.
Two turrets of 3 guns each. 77-110 men had to work one turret. The surrender deck is the small area on the left covered with a tarp.
Officer’s quarters.
Officers’ dining room.
Tomahawk missle.
Combat Command Center. David: “3-2-1-Fire!”
Surrender deck. The blue circle on the right marks the spot where the Instrument of Surrender was signed. The deck is made of Burmese teak wood, which is very durable and fire-resistant.
“Over this spot on 2 September 1945 the Instrument of Formal Surrender of Japan to the Allied Powers was signed thus bringing to a close the Second World War. The ship at that time was at anchor in Tokyo Bay.”
The USS Missouri fought in 3 wars: World War II, Korean War, and Operation Desert Storm.
There was more to see down below, especially the mess hall and crew’s quarters, but we were tired so we left the ship and took the shuttle bus back to the Bowfin, where we had parked our car. The tour was fun and educational. There was more to it than recounted here.
September 2, 2008 at 3:26 pm |
WB called!
They want you back