Battleship USS Missouri BB-63 USA 250

January 29, 1944
USA 250
USS Missouri BB-63
Picture from 2013
On this date in 1944 the United State Navy launched the USS Missouri. The Missouri , an Iowa Class Battleship, was the last battleship commissioned by the United States. The Missouri participated in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The quarterdeck of the Missouri was the site where the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed ending World War II.
 
After serving in the Korean War, the Missouri was decommissioned in 1955. She was later modernized in 1984 fitted with cruise missile and anti-ship missile launchers along with updated electronics, serving as an escort ship for oil tankers in the Persian Gulf during threats with Iran and later in Operation Desert Storm.
 
The Missouri was once again decommissioned in 1992 and donated to the USS Memorial in 1998 where she remains docked adjacent to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.
 
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