The USS Missouri (BB-63), affectionately known as the "Mighty Mo," is an Iowa-class fast battleship that holds one of the most monumental places in global history. Commissioned in June 1944, she was the last battleship ever completed and commissioned by the United States. While she provided devastating fire support with her nine 16-inch guns during the brutal battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, her ultimate legacy was cemented on September 2, 1945. Anchored in Tokyo Bay, the Missouri’s starboard quarterdeck served as the historic stage where Allied leaders and Japanese officials signed the Imperial Instrument of Surrender, officially bringing World War II to a close. Unlike many of her peers, her service extended well into the modern era; she was reactivated and highly modernized in the 1980s with Tomahawk cruise missiles, ultimately firing the opening shots of Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Following her final decommissioning in 1992, the legendary warship was donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association and towed to her permanent home. Today, the "Mighty Mo" is moored as a world-class museum ship at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. Positioned contextually just a ship's length away from the sunken remains of the USS Arizona, she acts as a profound historical bookend—marking the exact location where America's involvement in World War II tragically began, and the very decks where the global conflict finally ended. Visitors from around the world flock to her to stand on the famous "Surrender Deck," explore her sprawling interior passageways, and experience immersive exhibits like the newly opened Pathway to Peace gallery.
