Missouri (BB 63) - Naval Cruise Book

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IN PREPARATION EOR THE EVENT HE war was over, and the din of shouting men, slapping of backs and wave of excitement had passed, when the crew began to wonder what happens now? The answer wasnit long in coming. The Missouri was designated as the site, and the plans for the formal surrender were started almost immediately. Every precaution had to be considered and weighed carefully in the event of a possible trick. The memory of Pearl Harbor and the burning wreckage of our fleet, was branded in in the minds of our military leaders. The ,lapanese had a habit of talking peace while pulling sneak attacks. One of the precautions to be taken was the organization of a landing force of regi- ment size to be landed on the Japanese homeland. The Missouri was to furnish a Navy company as well as officers for Battallion staffs. ln spite of the fact that none of the ship's company had received any training as ground forces, there was a deluge of volunteers. ln the weeks that followed, intensified training programs were put underway, the infantry troops began to look sharper and when the time came to land, they stormed ashore with the precision of seasoned veterans. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew began to clean house in preparation for the historic day to come. Decks were scrubbed white, paint brushes worked busily and bright work began to sparkle. She underwent a thorough cleaning, forward and aft. ' The Missouri and her sister ship, the U.S.S. lowa, steamed together into Tokyo Bay, their 16 inch guns a grim reminder to the Japs that they meant business. It was the first time in history that a warship was selected as the site for such a momentous, world important event. The HMighty Mo was ready. . . ' entering tokyo boy in company with the iowa and so follows the working press

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IITHE HE weather was crisp and a little warm for October, but the huge crowd that waited on the docks of New York Harbor paid little, if any, attention to it. All eyes were strained, search- ing out into the sea with eager expectation' of the return of the battleship Missouri from the war. , ln the days that followed, the thousands of guests that poured aboard the warship, marveled at its immensity and were awed at the length of her giant 16 inch guns, but always, the center of interest was the inlaid bronze plaque that marked the spot where the world's greatest war was brought to a close. The high point of the cruise was on Navy Day, when President Truman, who himself had played an active part in the shipis history, came aboard to pay his respects. After a well deserved rest and overhaul period, the Missouri returned to active duty, while her sister ships closed shop and went into mothballs. The Post War period found her engaged in more routine assign- ments, acting as a training ship, good will am- bassador, and the instrument for 'ishowing the flag . ln April 1946, she was designated to return the remains of the late Turkish Ambassador, the Honorable Melmet Munir Ertegun, to his home- land, making visits of courtesy to Gibraltar, Piraeus, Naples, Algiers and Tangier enroute. Mid-July found her nestled in the yards of her home port, Norfolk, Virginia, eagerly anticipating and preparing for her first South American cruise. Chipping hammers noisily agitated her gray body followed by paint brushes that gently caressednit. URRE DER Things were ship shape and stores aboard, on a humid August 6, 1947. The Mo was underway for Bio de Janeiro, Brazil, via Cuba and Trinidad. At Rio ce Janeiro, accompanied by two destroy- ers, U.S.S. Dyess and Small, the Missouri awaited the arrival of President Truman, who was attending the Pan American Conference. On the first of September, the President, looking a little older from the weight of the responsibilities he now carried, came aboard with his party while all hands manned the rail. Smartly dressed Brazilian naval officers, with their gold glistening, accompanied Enrico Caspar, President of Brazil, and other high officials of both governments. The luncheon on board in honor of the Brazilian president, was the first of many formal occasions attended by the officers and men of the Missouri, including Brazil's lnde- pendence Day on September seventh, during the stay. When the convention was completed, President Truman and his party returned to the ship for a pleasant homeward cruise to Norfolk. Returning to her duties as training ship, the Missouri existed in a more or less routine manner. Routine until the seventeenth of January on a foggy Chesapeake Bay. A sickening screeching noise shot through the ship, her huge powerful screws could not move her, she hit a mud bank and was grounded. The large scale plans for re-floating her were being prepared, while jibes and jeers about the uMighty Mo were pointed at her as she lay helpless in shoal water. Finally after nearly a month of working and planning, a successful pull off was enacted. The ship was again afloat. Much of the scorn turned to praise when the full facts of salvage operation were disclosed. The following excerpt from an editorial of a Norfolk newspaper, printed during the ship's first Korean cruise, best expresses the opinion toward the battleship today. HAt lastreports fthe Missourij had joined the group of naval vessels off lnchon, on the west coast, and as ammunition carrier and floating battery for bombardment of shore positions, she may be expected to turn up where her services are needed. The Missouri gets around these days--not aground. I the great ship has gone aground a giant in distress