USS‌ ‌‌Missouri‌

The **USS *Missouri* (BB-63)** (**"Mighty Mo"** or **"Big Mo"**) is a warship that appears prominently throughout the *Foxtrot: Foxes in Arms* series. She is an *Iowa*-class battleship built to serve the United States Navy and is named in honor of the US state of Missouri. The ship serves as one of the primary locations of the series, given some of the main cast's positions.

The ship in the series is heavily based off of the real ship of the same name.

## Characteristics

### General Description

*Missouri* is one of four *Iowa*-class battleships that was designed in the late 1930s and built in the mid 1940s following the needs for a fast battleship to keep up with the aircraft carriers and counter enemy fleet units. In the 1980s, the ship underwent a massive modernization effort, replacing most of the antiquated anti-aircraft gun systems and electronic equipment with missiles and more up-to-date systems. According to the real specs, the ship is 887 feet 3 inches (270.4 m) long overall and is 860 feet (262.1 m) long at the waterline. The ship has a beam of 108 feet 2 inches (33 meters) and a draft of 37 feet 9 inches (11.5 meters) at her full combat load of 57,540 long tons (58,460 t). Like her sisters, *Missouri* is powered by eight oil-fired Babcock and Wilcox boilers and propelled by four General Electric geared steam turbines, each driving one screw propeller using the steam from those boilers. Her overall power output is around 212,000 shp (shaft horsepower), which can get the ship to a speed of around 33 knots (around 37.98 mph or 61.1 km/h). The ship also has a maximum range of 15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) when traveling at a cruising speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). In the series, *Missouri* appears in her post 1980's refit, so she would've had a crew of around 1,515 officers and enlisted sailors.

While she has no hangars, *Missouri's* flight deck allows for up to four helicopters for temporary storage, typically SH-60 Seahawks. She also carries a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for spotting and reconnaissance, which replaced helicopters the ship used in the 1950s for the same purpose.

### Armaments

*Missouri* has primary armament consisting of nine 16 in (406 mm)/50-caliber Mark 7 naval guns housed in three triple-gun turrets, two in a superfiring pair forward and one aft. These large-caliber guns have a rate of fire of two shells per minute, and have a maximum range of around 25-26 miles (40.23-41.84 km). As per her 1980's refit, the ship is also armed with twelve 5 in (127 mm)/38-caliber Mark 12 dual purpose guns, which could be used for both attacking ships or aircraft and have a rate of fire of fifteen rounds per minute at an effective firing range of 10.2 miles (or 16 m). *Missouri* also carries thirty-two of the BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles in eight Armored Box Launchers and sixteen RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles for striking targets hundreds of miles away, beyond the range of her guns. For close-in defense, the ship has four Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems, or CIWS for short (nicknamed sea-whiz), each armed with a single Vulcan M61 20 mm Gatling gun. In the series, she's also seen to carry smaller armaments such as M2 Browning .50 caliber machine guns and Mark 38 25 mm chain guns.

### Armor

As a battleship, *Missouri* is heavily armored compared to most other ships in the fleet. She has an internal armor belt at the waterline at around 12.1 in (307 mm) thick meant to protect the most vital areas internally from damage. The belt armor extends to the two transverse bulkheads fore and aft of the main-gun barbettes, forming the armored citadel. Her bulkheads had around 14.5 in (368 mm) of armor protection as well, slightly thicker than some of her sisters. The main battery turrets are protected by armor 19.5 in (495 mm) thick on their faces and 9.5 in (241 mm) on their sides, and her decks are between 4.75–6.2 in (121–157 mm) thick in armor protection. The conning tower in the bridge had armor as thick as 17.3 in (439 mm), one of the most well protected areas of the ship aside from the main battery turrets.

## History

### World War II and later service

The USS *Missouri* was ordered in 1940 and completed on June 11, 1944, having been built at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, USA. Soon afterward, she deployed for combat service in the Pacific Theater against the Japanese Empire, seeing action at the Battle of Iwo Jima, providing cover fire for infantry forces on the island. She later took part in the Battle of Okinawa, where she bombarded the island in preparation for the impending American invasion of the island and launched numerous raids against Japan from 1944 to 1945, causing massive infrastructural damage.

On August 29, 1945, *Missouri* arrived in Tokyo Bay to accept Japan’s formal surrender following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The signing of Japan’s submission to the Allies on *Missouri’s* decks on September 2, 1945, brought World War II’s end. After the war's end, *Missouri* was overhauled and would continue to see action in the Cold War’s early stages. After the Korean War outbreak in 1950, *Missouri* provided fire support for United Nations troops landing at Incheon, South Korea, allowing the Allies to push the North Koreans out of Seoul, eventually recapturing the city. It would carry out several such missions throughout the entire war, bombarding Communist positions as UN forces vied for control of South Korea. Following the war's end, *Missouri* was decommissioned in 1955 and joined the reserve fleet, also known as the “Mothball Fleet."

Years later, in the 1980s, the *Missouri* was reactivated and recommissioned into the fleet along with her sisters as a part of a "600-Ship Navy" plan. The modernization plan included removing all 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns and some of the 5 in (127 mm) secondary guns and replacing them with modern electronics and weapons. The *Missouri* would then be outfitted with Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS). Upon her recommissioning, the ship took part in an around-the-world tour before being sent to operate in the Persian Gulf to escort tankers in and out of a danger zone. From there, the battleship would take part in several naval exercises with ships from other navies. In the 1990s, the *Missouri* would take part in a war against Iraq after that nation had seized Kuwait. By war's end, the ship had fired over 700 rounds of 16-inch ammo and around 28 Tomahawk missiles.

The *Missouri* would go on to serve a few more years before being decommissioned before the decade ended having received eleven battle stars for service in World War II, Korea, and the Persian Gulf. Shortly after, she was donated to the *Missouri* Memorial Association and was turned into a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

### Reactivation & Return to Service

In the early 2010s, the American government, concerned about the Urocyan Empire which had recently begun a massive military build up, began to take precautions in case a war breaks out. Promptly, the military was given a bigger budget. The Navy was tasked with building up a large surface and submarine fleet. But the construction rate of new carriers, destroyers, and submarines was just not enough to satisfy the higher ups, so alternative methods were looked to. Ships began being pulled from the Navy's Mothball Fleet, and the Navy even went to the states and asked for help.

USS *Missouri* was one of the ships under consideration for reactivation. This was in light of large Urocyan Navy battleships beginning to enter Imperial service, and the US had no such ship to counter them. In 2017, the museum reached an agreement as the contract was about to expire, and the battleship was turned over to the Navy, being placed back in the Mothball Fleet until a time could be scheduled for her to undergo a massive overhaul. Some time later, *Missouri* entered drydock at Naval Base Pearl Harbor for a restoration overhaul, which would prove to be quite extensive using as many methods as possible.

*Missouri’s* overhaul would end up taking just under two years total to complete, with sea trials being conducted in March 2019. In addition to all the technical stuff, there was still a need to find individuals who understood how the ship operated, with many veterans plus vintage training videos, as well as training courses based on those videos, were signed onto the task. The ship was intended to be used as a training ship and not a combative vessel. However, as Urocyan battleships entered combat service, these plans changed, and *Missouri* was, instead, made combat ready again to counter these vessels.

### Combat Service in the Modern Day - *Foxtrot: Foxes in Arms*

After quite a bit of work, *Missouri* was recommissioned and re-entered the active fleet as a surface combatant for the first time in over three decades. In the series, the battleship is first seen docked at the naval base being loaded up with supplies and a fresh batch of crew members in preparation for her first combat outing in this new service career. The ship received orders to join a task force which was to engage Urocyan forces in a stronghold on a remote island. Once preparations for combat were ready, the ship was placed under Arthur Snow's command with his younger brother Sewell Snow serving as the ship's Executive Officer, or XO. Upon reaching the area of operations, *Missouri* fired her main battery guns and launched Tomahawk cruiser missiles against enemy positions and vehicles with the aim of disrupting Imperial operations and stall their annexations. During this engagement, the *Missouri* received some damage from enemy forces on land, as well as getting into a short gunnery duel with an Imperial light cruiser. Some inflicted damage included her aft main gun turret getting knocked out and some other damage. Several of the crew were either injured or killed, with medic Swefred Hayden doing what he could to help as best he could. Fortunately, the ship survived the entire battle and marked a new era for the use of battleships in naval warfare, as well as be a part of a beginning string of conflicts between the US and Urocyia.

Following repairs, the *Missouri* would be sent out on another deployment, this time to the South Pacific region while operating with the Pacific Fleet at the time, even after having additional troubles with her aft turret, which had been repaired after the previous engagement. However, as they went about their cruise, an enemy vessel came and attacked the fleet, which included the vintage battleship accompanied by the amphibious assault ship USS *Essex* and an assortment of cruisers and destroyers. Under Arthur's direction, the *Missouri* began to engage the Imperial vessel, firing her main guns in defense of the fleet. However, it was proving to do little damage toward the foe, and they managed to knock down a few planes from the *Essex*, as well as cripple the cruiser USS *Princeton*. Thankfully, with some air support from a nearby aircraft carrier and Arthur's effective leadership skills, the fleet managed to successfully escape the enemy and regroup at Yokosuka, Japan. Even after that close brush with the enemy, nothing would compare with the horrors that awaited *Missouri* within the closing months of 2020. An event that would turn the tides of history for years to come.

### Urocyan War

In the later months of 2020, *Missouri* had been in port following a short drydock visit for maintenance. The ship was preparing to leave on a training mission with the aircraft carrier USS *Theodore Roosevelt* and other escorting ships when Urocyan aircraft launched from carriers, or arriving from long flights from Urocyan bases, attacked the American fleet, which was primarily still in port. Many ships were sunk or damaged during the initial attacks. From the bridge, Arthur attempted to coordinate a bold counterattack with a number of the undamaged vessels and aircraft, some of which being with Strike Fighter Squadron 242, under the command of Arthur's friend Captain Justin Redding. Arthur's movements managed to lessen the damage and save many lives, but *Missouri* suffered damage herself when Urocyan attack aircraft successfully scored on her from a low-level bombing run, damaging her aft flight deck. The damage was minimal, and while there were many injured, no one was killed in the fire that followed.

Following repairs, *Missouri* was soon prepared again for another war that would determine the fate of the world. And upon showing himself worthy of during the attack, Arthur has a hand in Sewell being promoted, and being placed in charge of a destroyer squadron, which Sewell would later take the Aegis destroyer USS *Kidd* under his wing. Following Sewell's promotion, Commander Hunter Hargreaves, who'd previously served as the Operations Officer, took Sewell's place as the *Missouri's* XO. Because of Arthur's prowess during the initial attacks, his ship was selected to be the flagship of the new Vanguard Fleet, which would become the US Navy's most powerful single fleet in many years. They would end up being placed on the front lines of the Urocyan War as it officially unfolds.

## Known Crew

Within the coming series, a whole cast of characters are featured as a part of the 1,515 sailors that make up this battleships crew. For the time being, the list goes as follows:

### Current

* Captain Arthur J. Snow the Arctic Fox - Commanding Officer/CO
* Commander Hunter Hargraves the Grey Fox - Executive Officer/XO
* Command Master Chief Petty Officer James Winter the Arctic Wolf - Senior Enlisted Advisor
* Commander Jade Shaw the Red Fox - Operations Officer
* Lieutenant Commander Swiper Rockefeller the Red Fox - Navigator
* Lieutenant Commander Swefred G. Hayden the Swift Fox - Chief Medical Officer
* Lieutenant Commander Jesse Wolffe the Gray Wolf - Chief Engineer
* Lieutenant, junior grade Jeremy "Jay" Benz the Silver Fox - Tactical Action Officer
* Lieutenant, junior grade Don "Flash" Eastwood the Coyote - Tactical Action Officer
* Ensign Edson “Echo” Smith the Red Wolf - Turret Officer/Gunner's Mate
* Ensign Oliver “Ollie” Frost the Siberian Husky - Medical Officer/Hospital Corpsman
* Seaman Mike Granderson the Labrador Retriever - Helmsman
* Petty Officer 1st Class Cody Burke the Kit Fox - Navigator/Signalman
* Chief Information Systems Technician Bruno “Bravo” Nolan the Maned Wolf - Communications Officer
* Airman Oscar Walton the Coyote - Flight Deck Officer

### Former

* Commander Sewell D. Snow the Arctic Fox - Executive Officer/XO - Promoted after the attack on Naval Base San Diego
* Captain Justin F. Redding the Red Fox - Naval Aviation Officer (Temporary) - Returned to flying with VFA-242

## Trivia

* Out of all the ships to appear in the series, the *Missouri* is the most prominent, as it is directly connected with the main cast of the series.
* *Missouri’s* reactivation took inspiration from the 2012 movie *Battleship* and the 2008 video game *Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.* It is also partially due to the various battleships seen in some of the *Ace Combat* video games, such as Erusea’s *Tanager* and Yuktobania’s *Upor*.
* While it isn't an official nickname to the ship in real life, many of the characters use the term “Mo’” when referring to the vessel, referencing the ship’s namesake abbreviation being “MO.”
* The *Missouri's* history within the series has been altered from her real-life counterpart. This was also done in *Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots*, as just with this version, the battleship returned to service but for the purposes of stopping an advanced submersible warship named *Outer Haven*.
	+ With that said, it should be noted that while the *Missouri* was still stripped of most of her EW equipment on *MGS4,* the *Missouri* here in *Foxtrot: Foxes in Arms* had most of that lost equipment restored upon her recommissioning; specifically the original '80s-90's equipment was replaced with the latest advancements of those systems.
* During the Urocyan Wars, the *Missouri* was designated the flagship of Battle Group Foxtrot. This is noteworthy since most flagships in many modern, real-world navies are aircraft carriers, not battleships. However, during World War II, flagships were often chosen for their speed instead of their power.
	+ The *Missouri* herself was once designated the flagship of the American 3rd Fleet during World War II, so in the series, this could still hold some ground even in a 21st Century setting.
* "Lucky Mo'" is an unofficial nickname the ship has within the series. The nickname could stem from the WWII aircraft carrier USS *Enterprise* (CV-6) which had the nickname "Lucky E."
* Out of the four *Iowa*-class battleships, *Missouri* was chosen for several reasons. Aside from appearing in the most forms of media compared to her sister ships, the *Missouri* is the favorite battleship of the series creator as well as being named after the creator's birth state.
* USS *Missouri* has appeared numerous times in the media from TV shows and movies to videogames and music videos.
* Within the lore of the series, the *Missouri's* existence implies that World War II, or an event very similar to it, occurred back in the 1940s.
* In the series, US Marines can be seen aboard the ship providing security and other positions. While in real life, so called Marine Detachments, or MarDets, are no longer used on large ships, the battleship still did have a MarDet during her own service life.
* *Missouri* is the youngest member of the *Iowa*-class battleships, despite her hull number being higher than that of the *Wisconsin*.

## External Links

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS\_Missouri\_(BB-63)

https://www.ussmissouri.org/#