On February 26, 2018, the Battleship Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, unveiled the newly restored superstructure of the legendary “Mighty Mo,” reaching a milestone in the preservation effort for this iconic vessel. The unveiling ceremony heralded the end of a four-year project to restore the USS Missouri to its 1991 state when it last served active duty during Operation Desert Storm.
Restoring the superstructure, rising about 110 feet above the main deck with a mast extending even higher, back to its former glory. Works replaced approximately 17,000 pounds of steel, sandblasted nearly 27,000 square feet of steel surface to remove rust and corrosion, and applied protective coatings in efforts to improve rainwater draining ability and to preserve the structure for future generations. This $3.5 million project was entirely self-funded by ticket sales, as they received no financial aid from any government. The work and energy of the USS Missouri Memorial Association is what keeps this battleship in working order.
According to Michael Carr, president, and chief executive officer of the USS Missouri Memorial Association, restoration serves as a demonstration of the association’s commitment to the preservation of the Mighty Mo for posterity and the world. They work hard to ensure that future generations can view the ship in all her glory, just as she appeared on her final mission in 1991.
The restoration will also see the newly restored Navigation Bridge opened, containing the Chart House, Captain’s At-Sea Cabin, Pilot House, and Conning Tower. This immersive audio experience takes visitors back to December 7th, 1991, when the USS Missouri was involved in the ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, recreated with the assistance of active-duty sailors. It also features multilingual text panels in English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, making this exhibition one of the first in any Hawaii museum to provide an experience this inclusive.
Other restorations involved the fitting of replicas for two SLQ-32 electronic warfare antennas and a radome, added to the USS Missouri before it was decommissioned in 1992. These improvements show that the Association took immense care to detail in restoring Mighty Mo to its 1991 configuration, the final expression of the battleship in its 48-year active career that spanned three wars: World War II, the Korean War, and Operation Desert Storm.
The USS Missouri is an Iowa-class battleship, special in history as being the very last battleship built and quite probably one of the most fearsome. At 887 feet in length and with a speed that could top 30 knots, this Mighty Mo was something to behold in terms of naval engineering. Its complement of nine 16-inch guns firing a 2,700-pound shell 23 miles in only 50 seconds was the stuff of legend.
That the superstructure of the USS Missouri has been preserved is not essentially an issue of the physical integrity of the ship but is, itself, a rich tribute to the nation’s vast maritime history and serves as a symbol of strength and commitment to peace. Through efforts to continue keeping the Mighty Mo open to the public, the USS Missouri Memorial Association is not only recognizing the service and sacrifice of those who served aboard her but also providing a tangible link to the past that allows future generations to understand the pivotal role she played in shaping world history.