The USS Missouri (BB-63) is a famous battleship of the United States Navy, notable for being the site of the Japanese surrender that effectively ended World War II. Commissioned in 1944, the USS Missouri served in the Pacific theater during the final stages of the war, including the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
The Missouri became the flagship of Admiral William Halsey and later participated in the Korean War. However, its most iconic moment occurred on September 2, 1945, when Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender on the ship’s deck, bringing an end to World War II.
Following the war, the USS Missouri was decommissioned but later reactivated during the 1980s. It played a key role in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The battleship is now a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, allowing visitors to explore its rich history and witness the site where the war in the Pacific officially concluded.
Photo: Working on a canvas bloomer for a 16in gun on the USS Missouri.
Date: August 1944.
