<p>Weighing over 58,000 tons and measuring just under 900 feet from bow to stern, the USS Missouri is a hulking, awe-inspiring behemoth of a ship. A true force to be reckoned with in her prime, today, the now peaceful giant stands silent guard over Pearl Harbor.
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<pre>USS Missouri arrived in Hawaii on June 22, 1998, and opened to the public on January 29, 1999.
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<p>USS Missouri is the youngest of the four magnificent Iowa class battleships built by the United States. These battleships were extensively upgraded several times during their half century of naval service. During World War II,  Missouri participated in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, screened Task Force 58 during air strikes against Japan and served as Admiral William F. Halsey's flagship.
</p><p>During the Korean War, she supported the Inchon landings, provided support for the evacuation of Hungnam and conducted extensive shore bombardment of North Korea.
</p><p>At 1:40 AM on 16 January, 1991, while underway in the Persian Gulf, USS Missouri launched the first of 28 tomahawk missiles toward Baghdad. During 44 days of Desert Storm, she fired 759 sixteen inch projectiles while bombarding Iraqi forces.
</p><p>USS Missouri is best known as the site where General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, on 2 September 1945, officially accepted the surrender of Japan, ending World War II.
</p><p>USS Missouri was decommissioned for the second time on 31 March 1992.
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Today, the "Mighty Mo" is open for visitors in Pearl Harbor as the Battleship Missouri Memorial, under the care of the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc. Not supported with government funding, the Association is a Hawaii-based 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to creating and maintaining a fitting memorial to the people and historic events reflecting our nation's legacy of duty, honor, strength, resolve, and sacrifice.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/88123769@N02">Bernard Spragg. NZ</a> from Christchurch, New Zealand
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/volvob12b/10764235935/">Battleship Missouri.</a>