Missouri (BB 63) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 72 text:

ff -wi fi X W xl My f In f ,S J X ,M ,Away X if ,j4z' , Q, 5 fv 7 xxx zawa A ,J A ff Sy ,s NZ W 7 X . ,!, SX? f W W N N if . mf mf' ,f

Page 71 text:

Then came August 9th . . . the day before the Japanese government made its first peace overtures. The Missouri took its last shot that day at a Ja lane not a ver o P P - Y ef Od shot, but good enough, a shot of the type the average hunter will talk about over the cocktails when he returns to the lodge for supper at night. Around 1500 of that day, it was reported that one of the picket destroyers had been crash-dived by a Jap plane and, as bogies were picked up and closing in, 4'Air Defensen was sounded. At 1600 a GRACE was sighted coming in fast. The Miss0urzf's gunfire met it at once. The Miss0uri's position in the center of the formation prevented its gunnery crews from having much of a shot. However, the 40 MM did succeed in gettin one ood shot burst. With g g all ships firing, the plane was splashed close aboard one of the carriers. A few days later the war ended and, as the editors of the MISSOURIAN, the shipls newspaper, told the shipls company: '4The Missouriis prime reason in being . . . to protect our ships and to destroy the enemy . . . had been fulfilled in a manner of which all hands could be proud. The MISSOURIAN editor continued: 44Although all the fighting and destruction of laps in the Missourfs wartime life had taken only eleven days, many were the long days and hours when the if di U 1 .N V5 pi 2 . 4 ain Battery Salvo A

Page 73 text:

Zz? 1 enior Japanese emissary