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| USS
Missouri Goes to Pearl Harbor |
The USS Missouri arrives in Pearl Harbor
on Father's Day - June 21st, 1998.
|
On August 21, 1996 the U.S. Navy announced its
recommendation of Pearl Harbor as the permanent home port for the USS Missouri.
This historic battleship was the official site of the signing of the Instrument of
Surrender by Japan to the Allied Forces, thus ending World War II and beginning a new era
of peace and cooperation in the Pacific. U. S. Sen.
Daniel Inouye (D-HI), a decorated World War II veteran, endorsed Hawaii’s bid to moor
the USS Missouri at Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor. Having the USS Missouri
moored within site of the USS Arizona which was sunk during the attack on Pearl
Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, "will serve as a reminder to all Americans of the many
sacrifices made by their sons and daughters that culminated with the end of the Pacific
war aboard the USS Missouri. The USS Missouri will most certainly be
accorded the highest honors and respect when she arrives at Pearl Harbor," said
Inouye. |
Hawaii’s bond
with the USS Missouri began in 1984 when members of the USS Missouri
Association led the successful effort to home port the still-active battleship in Pearl
Harbor. A pier was built in 1990 in Pearl Harbor for the purpose of mooring the USS
Missouri. She was never moved to Hawaii due to her decommissioning in 1992, following
the Gulf War.
One of the most significant features of the Memorial
Association’s plan for the USS Missouri is the creation of a Memorial Park to
integrate the USS Arizona, USS Bowfin and USS Missouri Memorials.
Artist renderings and planning for the Memorial Park concept were designed free of charge
by Architects Hawaii, a local leading architectural firm.
Supporters believe the proposed Memorial Park will
have tremendous appeal to the 1.5 million visitors who currently pay their respects to the
USS Arizona Memorial annually, some of whom also visit the USS Bowfin Memorial.
"The creation of a Memorial Park will be complete with the USS Missouri. This
will ensure that hundreds of thousands of people each year will be able to experience a
piece of World War II history," said Ed Carter, President of the USS Missouri
Memorial Association.
A Proud and Mighty Vessel
Launched near the end of World War II as the last of
a new class of "super battleships," the USS Missouri proved to be a
fierce juggernaut in three wars (World War II, the Korean War and the Gulf War), prior to
being decommissioned for a final time on March 31, 1992. As long as three football fields
and weighing more than 53,000 tons, the USS Missouri carried a crew of nearly
1,600. Its weaponry included nine 16-inch guns that could shoot one-ton projectiles and
hit a target as small as an army tank 23 miles away – far beyond the ships own
horizon!
The following three cities competed with Pearl Harbor, Honolulu for
the privilege of becoming the USS Missouri’s new home: Bremerton, Washington,
San Francisco, and Long Beach, California. In August 1996, the U.S. Navy officially
selected Pearl Harbor.
In its proposal to the U.S. Navy, the
association described the creation of a Memorial Park. The park would include the two
existing museums – the USS Arizona Museum and the USS Bowfin
(submarine) Museum – as well as a new USS Missouri Museum located between
them.
As visitors look over the water toward Ford Island,
they will see the USS Missouri at the beginning of Battleship Row and the USS
Arizona Memorial at the opposite end. During the first few years of the USS
Missouri Memorial’s operation, visitors will reach the USS Missouri by
bus. Subsequently, when the ship’s permanent berth is completed, they will arrive by
shuttle boat.
A new USS Missouri Museum will be constructed
next to the USS Arizona Museum. It will be full of exhibits, memorabilia, and movie
presentations of the USS Missouri story.
Naval ships leaving and entering
Pearl Harbor Naval Base, the country’s mid-Pacific strategic naval base, will pass
right by the USS Missouri – a continual reminder of the Navy’s role in
the Pacific. Millions of tourists annually will view the USS Missouri and USS
Arizona memorial as their flights make the final approach into Honolulu International
Airport.
Surrounding the three memorial museums in the Memorial Park will be
a handsome, landscaped park with walkways and scenic points from which to view Battleship
Row…and ample parking.
The Pearl Harbor Advantage
Paramount in its case to the U.S. Navy was the Memorial
Association’s point that an average of 7 million tourists visit Hawaii every year,
1.5 million of whom visit the USS Arizona Memorial. Hawaii is a resort destination
for all ages. Therefore, the younger generations, the Navy’s future, will similarly
be exposed to the Navy story.
Additionally, the association cited
these advantages of a Pearl Harbor location:
- The story of the Navy’s role in the Pacific can be seen in one
place: the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Bowfin Memorial and now the USS
Missouri Memorial.
- Because the USS Missouri will reside in an active fleet port,
it will serve an additional role of reinforcing the Navy’s positive image to its own
personnel and their families.
The USS Missouri Arrives in Pearl Harbor
On May 23, 1998
at exactly 3:55p.m. (PST), the last of the mooring lines was cast off and the USS Missouri
began her journey from Bremerton, Washington to Honolulu, Hawaii. Hundreds of boaters and
thousands of spectators gathered to bid farewell to a ship that has for so long been a
part of the areas history. On the way to Hawaii, the Missouri made a one-week stop in
Astoria, Oregon on the Columbia River to kill off any marine organisms that were attached
to the hull.
The Missouri was a huge boom for the Astoria economy
as the quiet, hillside community of 10,000 residents was swarmed by over 125,000
visitor’s eager to get a chance to see the historic battleship. Attendance at the
Columbia River Maritime Museum, which had a special Missouri exhibit, skyrocketed by 542
percent during the 5 days the ship was open to the public. The crush of visitors caused
traffic to slow to a crawl and hotels were booked solid 20 miles to the north and south.
Port Commissioner, Robert Filori, estimated that up to $7 million was pumped into the
local economy.
Of the estimated 125,000 visitors, approximately
57,000 of the them waited in line, sometimes for 3 to 4 hours during peak periods, for a
chance to walk on the main deck, pose with the massive 16-inch guns and stand on the
Surrender Deck. After her stay in Astoria, the Missouri began her long 18-day tow across
the Pacific to Pearl Harbor.
The Iowa Class Battleship, USS Missouri, received a
warm Hawaiian welcome on Father’s Day, June 21st, as she neared her new
home in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Missouri’s arrival was greeted with conch shells as
Hawaii’s Royal Court sailed on the famed Hokule’a to greet the ship. The
"Mighty Mo" was also greeted by honorary co-chairs Governor Ben Cayetano and
Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris.
"The arrival off of Ala Moana Beach was a great
chance for everyone to see our nation’s greatest battleship on the open seas for a
final time before she came home to rest in Pearl Harbor," said Association Chairman
of the Board Ed Carter. "There was a tremendous outpouring of Aloha from the people
of Hawaii as they watched her being pulled across the horizon, it was truly
unforgettable."
Many festivities greeted the famous battleship as she arrived in
Pearl including picnic festivities, a presentation of colors and remarks by the governor,
mayor and other dignitaries. The Hawaii Air National Guard performed an F-15 fly-by when
the Missouri was directly behind Magic Island and an array of local entertainers performed
throughout the day. The festivities ended that evening with fireworks and a helicopter
dropping flowers on the crowds at Magic Island.
We at ICPA would like to congratulate the USS Missouri
Memorial Association on their successful bid to obtain this proud warship. |
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