FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE“MIGHTY MO” CELEBRATES DOUBLE LAUNCH ANNIVERSARIES TODAY
70 Years Since the USS Missouri First Entered the Water;
15 Years Since the Battleship Missouri Memorial Opened in Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, HI – (January 29, 2014) – Today, the USS Missouri celebrates a pair of noteworthy
anniversaries representing its launch both as a battleship ready for combat (70 years), and as a memorial
ready to showcase its greatness in service (15 years).
It was 70 years ago on January 29, 1944, when Margaret Truman, sponsor of the USS Missouri anddaughter of future President Harry Truman, christened the last battleship ever built by America. A crowdof Navy leaders, government officials and workers at the Brooklyn Navy Yard watched the gigantic“Mighty Mo” slide into the East River and begin a military career spanning three wars over five decades.
Exactly 55 years later, January 29, 1999, the Battleship Missouri Memorial opened its gangplank inhistoric Pearl Harbor to showcase the history-making achievements of the retired battleship and honor theArmed Forces members responsible for ensuring America’s freedom.
“January 29 represents a new beginning for the USS Missouri, first in its service to America starting 70years ago and today as a distinguished memorial honoring the commitment made to protect America’s
freedom,” said Michael A. Carr, President and COO of the Battleship Missouri Memorial. “In the 15years since the Battleship Missouri Memorial opened, we are continually making improvements to ahistorical tour experience that carries special significance here in the midst of Pearl Harbor.”
Stretching three football fields long and standing 20 stories tall from keel to mast, the USS Missouri wasinstrumental to victory in major battles of the Pacific during World War II before serving as thememorable site where General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Chester Nimitz and the Allied Forces
accepted Imperial Japan’s surrender to end the war and restore peace on September 2, 1945. The
Missouri’s famed “Surrender Deck” is now a must-see monument for visitors to the battleship.
During the Korean War, the USS Missouri provided bombardment and gunfire support for U.N. forces in
two tours of duty between September 1950 and March 1953.
After being decommissioned for three decades the USS Missouri was reactivated and modernized for duty
during the mid-1980s, culminating with its service in Operation Desert Storm starting on January 17, 1991.
Over the next two months, the Missouri fired hundreds of rounds from its big guns and Tomahawk cruise
missiles at Iraqi targets.
Today, as the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the Mighty Mo is berthed at Pier Foxtrot 5 on Ford Island,
standing bow-to-bow to the sunken USS Arizona and creating a stirring bond between America’s twobattleships signifying the beginning and end of World War II. Visitors tour the main and upper decks andthroughout the inside of the retired battleship to see historical exhibits and get a first-hand glimpse as to
how the Missouri’s crewmembers lived and worked while at sea.
-morePier Foxtrot-5, Ford Island, Pearl Harbor
63 Cowpens St. • Honolulu, HI 96818 • Ph: (808) 423-2263 • Fax: (808) 423-0700 • www.ussmissouri.org

“Mighty Mo” Celebrates Double Launch Anniversaries Today
Page 2Mighty Mo’s Launch Anniversary Celebrated at Living History Day on Ford Island, Feb. 1
A day of festivities celebrating the 70th anniversary of the launch of the USS Missouri will be thecenterpiece 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
Also being unveiled onboard the ship is a new exhibit in tribute to the USS Missouri’s launch 70 years
ago and its subsequent rebirth as the Battleship Missouri Memorial 55 years later. The new exhibit willfeature photos of the Missouri under construction, as well as never-before-seen film of the actual
launching taken by a Brooklyn Navy Yard worker.
Admission to the Battleship Missouri Memorial on February 1 is free to Hawaii residents, as well as tomembers of the military, and members of the Battleship Missouri Memorial and Pacific Aviation
Museum Pearl Harbor.
Battleship Missouri MemorialThe 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