Missouri (BB 63) - Naval Cruise Book

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Strength From The Beginning USS Missouri bunching, at the Sew York Sdvy Yard. 29 Januar 1944

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USS Missouri BB-63 Charting A New Course 1987-1988 History The Voyage Departing Long Beach I.O. Operations Battle Group Beer Day I 32 36 48 56 58 Administration . XI .120 124 X2 126 X3 128 X4 nn 1 Deck 136 1st 140 2nd 144 3rd 148 4th 154 5th 158 6th 16 ' ' 1 U.S. Marine Corps Detachment 214 Medical 222 Strait of Hormuz VIP ' s -70 -66 Beer Day II The Command Commanding Officer 14 Executive Officer 16 Command Master Chief 18 Crossing the Line Tiger Cruise Homecoming -70 Parting Shots .108 .112 .298 Engineering .... A ....174 178 B 182 E 190 M 196 R ?04 Operations OA 232 236 OCOl 238 0C02 240 OE 24 ' ' OI 244 OW 148 1 Supply 250 SI 254 S2 256 S3 259 S4 265 S5 267 Weapons Gl 270 274 G2 276 G3 278 G4 282 GM .... 286 F 288 F3 291

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In 1944. the newspapers heralded the launching of the battleship Missouri with headlines such as. World ' s Greatest Warship Is Launched in Brook- lyn. In 1986, the newly r ecommissioned dreadnought was greeted with the head- line. Mighty Mo Rules The Waves Again. From the moment she was launched, the history of the USS Missouri has been a drama of adventure and triumph. No Hol- lywood moviemaker could have come up with a better script. January 29, 1944 - the USS Missouri is launched. Harry S. Truman, the junior Senator from the State of Missouri, was the main speaker. He predicted in his speech that this great warship would sail victoriously into Tokyo Bay. At the con- clusion of his speech that cold, gray morn- ing, his daughter, Margaret, took a mag- num of Missouri champagne and gripping it like a baseball bat gave a mighty bash against the ship. The bottle broke but nothing else happened. It seemed to have a mind of its own and was not in the mood for launching, Margaret Truman related. Since a great deal of the superstructure was in place, it was the heaviest ship ever launched at iImi time Playfully, the college student put her hand on the bow and gave the ship a shove. Miraculously, al that moment, the ship began to slide down the ways. Just as she struck the water, the sun came out for the first time that day. A perfect ending for the first scene in this real-life drama. It had been only three years from the time the keel was laid at the New York Naval Shipyard. This was to be the last battleship built by the United States, but her destiny called her to be more than a warship. At the ship ' s first commissioning, June 11, 1944, James V. Forrestal, the Secre- tary of the Navy, sent the battlewagon into action with these simple, but prophetic words, Good luck, good hunting, God bless you and may you come back soon. November 10, 1944 - USS Missouri was underway for the Pacific. She reported for duty with the Pacific Fleet on Christmas Eve, 1 944. To the soldiers, sailors and Ma- rines throughout the Pacific theater of war, this was more than a battlewagon. This was Santa Claus and a taste of home. Every available space on the ship was crammed with mailbags bringing Christ- mas greetings and packages from loved ones back in the U.S.A. What followed is recorded in the rib- bons now painted on her superstructure. She received three battle stars. The first for the Iwo Jima Operations, the second for Okinawa Sunto Operations and the third for Third Fleet Operations against Japan. The Iwo Jima Operations included raids against Honshu and the Nansei Shore as well as the final assault and occupation of Iwo Jima in February and March 1945. In March through June 1945, Missouri took part in the 5th and 3rd fleet raids in support of the Okinawa Sunto Operation and then followed this with the 3rd Fleet Operations against the mainland of Japan In July and August. September 2, 1945 - Harry S. Truman, former junior Senator from Missouri, is now President of the United States. The entire world has their attention focused on the deck of USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay. Just as the junior Senator, then Vice President, moved with resolute dignity and grace into the highest office in the land, so, too, the USS Missouri took her place in the spotlight where it was said she became an altar of peace as the Japanese signed the Instrument of Surrender. Thus did this ship assume an enduring place in the history of the world Margaret Truman, sponsor for USS Missouri, al left, during the launcfnng ceremony as her father. Harry S. Truman, a Missouri senator, iitnesses the smashing event.