FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

70TH ANNIVERSARY OF USS MISSOURI’S LAUNCH TO BE CELEBRATEDAT LIVING HISTORY DAY ON FORD ISLAND, FEBRUARY 1
Free Admission for Hawaii Residents to the Battleship Missouri Memorial
Pearl Harbor, HI – (January 27, 2014) – A day of festivities celebrating the 70th anniversary of thelaunch of America’s last and most famous battleship, the USS Missouri, will be the centerpiece of“Living History Day on Ford Island” on Saturday, February 1.
Guests to the Battleship Missouri Memorial on Living History Day will enjoy a variety of historicalexhibits and activities that will be as fun and entertaining, as they are educational, including:• Displays of military vehicles, memorabilia and weaponry;• Bands playing patriotic music;• Oral history presentations;• People in period dress from the World War II era, and;• Actors portraying famous figures of World War II, such as General Douglas MacArthur
Admission will be free to Hawaii residents, as well as to members of the military, and members of theBattleship Missouri Memorial and Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor on February 1.
“Historic Ford Island, as seen through the Battleship Missouri Memorial, is significant to anyone whoappreciates the legacy of sacrifice and freedom that Pearl Harbor represents to our Armed Forces and theAmerican people,” said Michael A. Carr, President and COO of the Battleship Missouri Memorial.
“Living History Day on Ford Island will be a wonderful experience for guests to remember, honor andlearn about what makes this such a special place in our nation’s history.”
It was on January 29, 1944, the height of combat in World War II, when Margaret Truman, daughter offuture President Harry Truman, christened the USS Missouri as the great battleship was launched fromthe Brooklyn Navy Yard and sent to protect America’s freedom in the Pacific Theatre.
Today, as the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the “Mighty Mo” is berthed at Pier Foxtrot 5 on Ford Island
in Pearl Harbor, standing bow-to-bow to the sunken USS Arizona and creating a stirring bond between
America’s two battleships signifying the beginning and end of World War II.
Construction of the USS Missouri began on January 6, 1941, 11 months before the December 7, 1941
attack at Pearl Harbor and other military installations in Hawaii and the Pacific by Imperial Japan thatthrust America into World War II, and three years before the gigantic battleship was launched. Stretching
three football fields long and standing 20 stories tall from keel to mast, the USS Missouri was instrumental
to victory in major battles of the Pacific, before serving as the memorable site where General MacArthur,
Admiral Nimitz and the Allied Forces accepted Imperial Japan’s surrender to end World War II and restore
peace on September 2, 1945. The Missouri’s famed “Surrender Deck” is now a must-see monument forvisitors to the battleship.

Pier Foxtrot-5, Ford Island, Pearl Harbor
63 Cowpens St. • Honolulu, HI 96818 • Ph: (808) 423-2263 • Fax: (808) 423-0700 • www.ussmissouri.org

70th Anniversary of USS Missouri’s Launch to be Celebrated February 1Page 2

The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is also being showcased on Living History Day on Ford
Island and will offer guests a series of special events, attractions, and presentation to enjoy at its twohangars.
Ford Island or Moku‘ume‘ume, its Hawaiian name meaning “isle of attraction,” is located in the middle ofPearl Harbor and consists of about 500 acres of land. Named for Dr. Seth Porter Ford (1817-1866), aHawaii physician, Ford Island was purchased by the Army during World War I and transferred to theNavy in the mid-1930s. The tiny island is best known for being at the center of “Battleship Row” during
the attack on Pearl Harbor, as it was ringed by battleships and other vessels of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Battleship Missouri Memorial
The Battleship Missouri Memorial is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. General admission, which
includes choice of an optional tour, is $25 per adult and $13 per child (4-12). Military, kama‘aina (localresident) and school group pricing is available. For information or reservations, call (toll-free) 1-877-6444896 or visit USSMissouri.org.
The Battleship Missouri Memorial, located a mere ship’s length from the USS Arizona Memorial,
completes a historical visitor experience that begins with the “day of infamy” and the sinking of theUSS Arizona in Pearl Harbor and ends with Imperial Japan’s surrender aboard the USS Missouri inTokyo Bay.
Following an astounding career that spans five decades and three wars, from World War II to the Korean
conflict to the Liberation of Kuwait, the “Mighty Mo” was decommissioned and donated to the USS
Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which operates the battleshipas a historic attraction and memorial.
The Association oversees her care and preservation with the support of visitors, memberships, grants andthe generosity of donors.
###Media Contact:
Patrick Dugan808-539-3411/808-741-2712
Patrick.Dugan@AnthologyGroup.com

Jaclyn Hawse(808) 455-1600 x246
JaclynH@ussmissouri.org