Boarding the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor is an experience that lingers. It’s not a historical tour—it’s stepping into living memory, where past and present meet in the salty, warm Hawaiian breeze. The Mighty Mo, as she’s endearingly nicknamed, is not steel and teak—she’s a peace diplomat, a power diplomat, a courage diplomat of all the men and women who sailed on her.
The history of the USS Missouri is indistinguishable from the great history of the 20th century. She was commissioned in 1944 and played a significant role in the Pacific Theater, supporting Allied troops at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and serving as the flagship of Admiral Halsey during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. And her most excellent day was September 2, 1945, when she received the formal surrender of Japan, and World War II finally came to an end after all those years.
From her teak deck, world leaders signed the Instrument of Surrender to end the war that had claimed more lives than any other in the annals of man. The Missouri was selected not just for her power and location in proximity to Tokyo Bay, but as a symbol of hope, an emblem for a new dawn for a war-ravaged world.
Today, the Missouri is not just a restored relic of the past; she is a working monument. Since being opened to the general public in 1999, millions have walked her decks, attracted by the chance to touch the past, recall sacrifice, and ponder the quest for peace. The museum visit is structured so that it will be small and intimate, so that visitors can try to feel the people behind the steel.
The Pathway to Peace exhibit puts all of these stories into perspective in a wonderful way, through personal artifacts, interactive displays, and cherished gifts from sailors themselves and their families. One may hear firsthand testimony, see cherished possessions, and stand where history turned the corner toward peace.
It is the people who made the metal shine that give Missouri its song. Her decks have seen fear and worry, relief from a kamikaze threat to honor of surrender. Tour guides take their visitors through these stories, pointing out plaques where the Japanese had surrendered, photographs of General MacArthur and Japanese leaders, and even small scars from the battles she had experienced.
Each dent and each repair is a story of heroism, like the kamikaze pilots who struck the Missouri and the price tag this carried.
Keeping this floating memorial in peak condition is an around-the-clock labor of love. The ship needs constant maintenance—painting, deck refurbishes, and the upkeep of thousands of square feet of teak. Volunteers as young as 13 and as old as septuagenarians work alongside experienced professionals, sanding, painting, and scrubbing to make the Missouri a witness for generations to come. Every brush stroke is a reminder of the men and women who sailed aboard her.
Its own heritage, however, is not so much preservation as understanding and reconciliation. Actions taken through the respect of both American and Japanese viewpoints have built bridges of understanding and shown that even the deepest wounds can be healed, and peace is a culture worth respecting and cultivating.
Activities such as the 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II perpetuate this memory by commemorating the valor and sacrifice of veterans and by shrugging off examination of the war’s lessons. Moored just yards from the USS Arizona Memorial, the Missouri creates a circle of memory that juxtaposes tragedy and peace in striking visual contrasts.
Walking her decks, it’s hard not to feel the presence of those who came before—sailors, commanders, and everyday heroes who believed in something greater than themselves. The USS Missouri’s true legacy isn’t measured in cannons or tons of steel, but in the spirit she embodies: a commitment to remembrance, reconciliation, and enduring hope for peace.