The USS Missouri (BB-63) is more than just another battleship in textbooks—it’s a monument to American resolve, creativity, and heritage afloat. Born out of the desperate times of World War II and constructed in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Missouri was the last of the Iowa-class battleships to be built. With her sleek 887-foot hull and powered by four engines producing a staggering 212,000 shaft horsepower, she was able to tear through the water at 33+ knots—faster than any U.S. battleship and even quicker than the most powerful Japanese capital ships of the time.
Her name has its origins in long-standing naval tradition. She was the third to bear the name Missouri, following a steam frigate of the 19th century and a Maine-class battleship that sailed with the Great White Fleet. But BB-63 would be the most renowned of them all, making her mark not only in American naval history but in the wider world. Ordered in June 1944, she did not hesitate to join the Pacific action, firing gunfire support at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and attacking the Japanese home islands.
Of all her numerous operations, the one that would be remembered for all time took place on September 2, 1945. Anchored in Tokyo Bay, the Missouri was the platform for the official signing of the formal Japanese surrender that ended World War II. That instant—that which was recorded in grainy newsreels and black-and-white photographs—transformed her from warship to symbol of peace. Her decks bore witness to the end of an international war that had consumed millions of lives and reshaped the world order.
Her history did not end there, though. In the post-war period, the Missouri remained in commission, operating in the Atlantic, experiencing a grounding accident off Hampton Roads, and subsequently vindicating her reputation anew in the Korean War with precise and zealous shore bombardments. She was retired in 1955, but was brought back to active duty in the 1980s during a wide-ranging Navy modernization program.
Equipped with Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles, advanced radar, and Phalanx close-in weapons for missile defense, she was brought back into service not as a relic of the past, but as a formidable, modernized battleship ready for contemporary war. She even saw combat again during the Gulf War, providing firepower with deadly accuracy.
What propelled the Missouri to such a technological force was that she was able to pack so much power, velocity, and adaptability into one ship. Her main armament—nine 16-inch monsters—could fire shells of nearly 2,700 pounds out to 23 miles.
Her secondary 5-inch guns provided vital protection against air opposition and shore batteries. Her armor was also impressive, with steel up to 17 inches thick in certain areas, aimed at stopping the biggest incoming rounds. She was a technological wonder of mid-20th-century shipbuilding, a warship built to endure and win.
Now, the Missouri sits in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, mere yards from where America was launched into World War II. Moored near the bottomed-out wreck of the USS Arizona, the Missouri’s placement creates a melancholy bookend at the beginning and the end of the war. Visitors walk her decks and stand where peace was negotiated, seeing history not on television or between the pages, but up close and with their own two hands.
Her restoration is not merely about remembering the past. It’s about leaving a legacy. Volunteers and historians work tirelessly to maintain her as a living museum, offering each generation a chance to understand what she stood for—and still stands for. It’s not simply history on show; it’s an invitation to take a stroll through time.
And even beyond the museum grounds, Missouri’s influence lives on in another way—through the world of scale modeling. Hobbyists around the globe recreate her in stunning detail, capturing everything from her radar systems to the weathering on her decks, keeping her spirit alive in miniature.
Missouri’s legacy is not measured only in battles won or miles sailed. It’s in the people who remember her, the stories passed down, the veterans who served on her, and the visitors who come away changed. Whether at war, in peace, or on display for future generations, the USS Missouri remains more than steel and firepower. She is a testament to American strength, resilience, and a history that continues to shape the future.