The last of the battleships
The USS Missouri, nicknamed the “Mighty Mo,” was one of the last battleships the U.S. Navy ever built. Commissioned in 1944, she served in the final year of the Pacific war, supporting the campaigns at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Surrender in Tokyo Bay
On September 2, 1945, the Missouri sat anchored in Tokyo Bay as representatives of Japan came aboard to sign the formal instrument of surrender. General Douglas MacArthur presided over the brief ceremony that ended World War II. The day is remembered as V-J Day.
It is a striking piece of symmetry. The war reached the United States at Pearl Harbor and was formally ended on a ship that is now moored there.
A long career and a final home
The Missouri went on to serve in the Korean War and, after modernization, in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 before being retired. In 1998 she was brought to Pearl Harbor and opened as the Battleship Missouri Memorial.
She now sits on Ford Island, watching over the Arizona. Visitors often describe the pairing as the bookends of the war: the beginning and the end, side by side.
Visiting the Mighty Mo
You can walk the teak decks, stand at the surrender plaque, and tour the ship from the bridge to the gun turrets. The Missouri is reached by a free shuttle from the Pearl Harbor visitor center, since private vehicles cannot cross to Ford Island.
Many Pearl Harbor tours combine the Arizona Memorial and the Missouri in a single day, which is the most popular way to see both ends of the story.
Common questions
Why is the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor?
The Missouri was brought to Pearl Harbor in 1998 and opened as a memorial. She is moored near the USS Arizona, linking the start and the end of World War II in one place.
Where did Japan surrender to end World War II?
Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. That ship is now the Battleship Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbor.
