Missouri (BB 63) - Naval Cruise Book

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ameemmwzedze ,AM msn The MISSOIJTI s hrst Commandlng Officer 'Ab-

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AILY 29, 1944 aturday BADEN SKIES have settled low over Brooklyn Navy Yard . . . Under that dark canopy an icy wind Whips through the yards, its raw blasts nipping noses and watering eyes of 26,000 shivering persons gathered for the launching of one of the mightiest of all battlewagons-the U.S.S. Missouri. A smooth-faced, graying man, overcoated, be-gloved, be-spectacled stands on a platform, talking into a microphone. Behind him are admirals, cabinet officials, leaders of government and its arms, listening intently. All of them, though, shift their eyes now and then to stare in awe at the masterpiece of shipbuilding science into which on this day is being breathed the spirit and soul of the nation whose security it is to defend by carrying the battle across dark waters of the globe to hidden holes where aggressors lurk. he Missouri slides down the ways

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Of, THE S LEX .,gXv,AsQQ ..K,, Q jc, isripffgifttsiiisvarsffh . ,, .t c Q CC Roh HE smooth-faced, graying man, talking into the microphone is the' orator of the day. The crowd likes him. He has an infectious smile. No one has realized it quite yet but of all the men in the United States today no better selection could have been made in the hunt for an official speaker for the launching of the U .S.S. Missouri. This man was born in Missouri, his home has always been in Missouri, in the First World War he served as an artillery officer and then he re- turned to Missouri to become a judge and then to represent his home state in the United States Senate. He is United States Senator Harry S. Truman, nationally known for the bang-up job he has done as head of the Senate committee investigat- ing world war expenditures, the famous Truman committee. The job that committee has done is a tribute to this man who sparked its dartings here and there to plug up the rat holes of useless expenditures. This has been a disconcerting day for the senator. His introduction to the sleek, powerful battleship that is to carry the name of his home state into the turbulent corners of a world -at war has had little of the quiet, leisurely touch of an old home week. For one thing, the weather has been unfriendly. For another, tidal conditions have disarranged the program. At the last minute, those who have been squinting expertly at the elements have insisted that the time be advanced for the release of the ship at a moment when they know therefll be water there to float it and conditions favorable for the tugs to grab it and hold it. ltis a big ship, there's a lot of War Bond money invested in it, it's badly needed in the Pacific-so, there must be no slip-up. The senator is smilingly I-agreeable to all the hurry. He is forced to race through his speech at breakneck speed-with the breathless excitement, almost, of Winchell in a news broadcast. The senator has prepared a good speech. lt's a big day for Missouri. He can't let down the folks back home. He has to squeeze in that speech, while skilled hands cope with the weather. He reads swiftly, but easily, with the polished effect of a trip- hammer news broadcaster. . Did you catch that line in his speech? T He said: f'Big Mo, with batteries blazing, will sail into Tokyo Bayf' The crowd cheers. Tokyo is a major public worry at this moment. The senator finishes in time, in plenty of time, in fact for his daughter, Miss Mary Margaret Truman, a bright, smiling typical American school- girl, to swing lustily with a bottle of champagne, as she sings out the