ABOUT THE “MIGHTY MO”
USS Missouri (BB-63)
Class:
Iowa-class battleship
Length:887 feet
Height:209 feet from keel to mast
Beam:
108 feet
Weight:58,000 tons (full load); 45,000 tons (unloaded)
Speed:In excess of 30 knots (35 mph)
Note: Use “USS” only when referring to active-service ship. Use “Missouri,” “BattleshipMissouri” when referring to decommissioned ship.
Dawn of the USS Missouri• Four Iowa-class battleships were built during World War II, designed for speed andfirepower.
• The USS Missouri’s keel was laid on Jan. 6, 1941, at the New York Naval Shipyard,Brooklyn, NY.
• Her armament included the main battery of nine 16 inch-barrel guns and twelve 5 inchbarrel anti-aircraft guns.
• The Missouri was launched on Jan. 29, 1944, and commissioned on June 11, 1944.
• She was assigned to the Pacific Third Fleet and steamed into Pearl Harbor on Christmas
Eve, 1944.
USS Missouri’s Service• Tokyo: The USS Missouri was part of the force that carried out bombing raids overTokyo and provided firepower in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
• End of the War: The Missouri secured its place in history as the site of Japan’s formal
surrender to the Allied Forces on Sept. 2, 1945, ending World War II. The ceremony forthe signing of the Instrument of Surrender was conducted by Supreme Allied
Commander, General Douglas A. MacArthur.
• Korea: The Mighty Mo’s main battery firepower became a legend in Korea, with hernine 16 inch-barrel guns hurling 1,800-pound shells as heavy as Volkswagens over 23
miles in defense of U.S. land forces.
• Decommissioning: In 1955, the Missouri was decommissioned and mothballed at thePuget Sound Naval Shipyard.
• Recommissioning: The USS Missouri was recommissioned in 1986 after undergoing anextensive modernization and refurbishment.
• Persian Gulf: Mighty Mo was deployed to the Persian Gulf where it fired its 16-inch
guns and launched Tomahawk missiles against Iraqi positions during Operation DesertStorm.
Pier Foxtrot-5, Ford Island, Pearl Harbor
63 Cowpens St. • Honolulu, HI 96818 • Ph: (808) 423-2263 • Fax: (808) 423-0700 • www.ussmissouri.org

Battleship Missouri Memorial Fact SheetPage 2•••

Last mission: The Missouri’s final operational mission occurred on Dec. 7, 1991, when
the battleship led a contingent of ships into Pearl Harbor as part of the commemoration tomark the 50th anniversary of the attack that thrust America into World War II.
Second decommisisoning: In 1992, the Missouri was decommissioned for the secondtime. In 1995, it was removed from the Navy’s ship registry, clearing the way for thebattleship to be donated by the Navy for preservation as a memorial museum.
Her legacy: In August 1996, the Navy selected the non-profit USS Missouri Memorial
Association as caretaker for the battleship and Pearl Harbor as its permanent home. OnMay 4, 1998, the Navy made it official, transferring the Mighty Mo’s care to theassociation.

Fast Facts• Designing the Missouri took 175 tons of blueprint paper. The ship was built in three years
and required over 3 million man-days to complete the job.
• For comparison’s sake, the Missouri is 279 feet longer and 11 feet wider than the USS
Arizona. The Mighty Mo is also 5 feet longer and 18 feet wider than the RMS Titanic.
• Just how big is the Missouri? If you could stand the ship on end, it would be 332 feettaller than the Washington Monument.
• The nine 16-inch guns are the Mighty Mo’s trademark feature. Each gun barrel is 65 feetlong, weighs an incredible 116 tons, and can fire a 2,700-pound shell 23 miles in 90
seconds — with pinpoint accuracy.
• The Missouri was the last U.S. battleship ever built. She was also the most formidable.
In addition to her massive firepower capabilities, she possessed thick steel armor platingthat protected the hull (13.5 inches), the gun turrets (17 inches in front; 13 inches on thesides), the citadel (17 inches), and the conning tower sides (17.3 inches).
Visiting the Battleship Missouri MemorialToday, the Battleship Missouri Memorial sits bow-to-bow with the sunken USS Arizona in thehallowed waters of Pearl Harbor. It is open daily from 8 a.m.to 4 p.m. Mighty Mo Passes are $29for adults and $13 for children (4-12). The pass includes a single admission, plus a choice fromone of three tour options. For $25 more, guests may upgrade to the Heart of the Missouri Tour, a90-minute guided tour that focuses on the extensive mechanics behind this Iowa-class battleship,
which was designed for speed and firepower. Children must be age 10 or older for this tour. For
visitor information or to reserve a tour, call (808) 455-1600 or visit ussmissouri.org.