Posted on 09/02/2009 6:48:34 AM PDT by Federalist Patriot
The Battleship Missouri, scene of the Japanese Surrender to U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur on September 2, 1945, is about to get a complete overhaul and makeover. The videos above show the Missouri in action during the First Gulf War in 1991 - blasting away with her big guns. The second video shows the Japanese Surrender on her deck 64 years ago today:
"On Sept. 2, 1945, the USS Missouri hosted Japan's surrender in World War II. "I'm proud of it," Art Albert said.
Back then Albert was a machinist aboard the vessel. Now he sees rust and faded paint on his once proud battleship.
"She's a very big ship. Takes up a lot of real estate," Missouri chief engineer Ron Chavez said. Between October and next January Chavez will spearhead a makeover of the Missouri.
"The forward part of the ship has actually rusted through," he said. "There's actually holes in the side of the ship about six inches in diameter."
The ship will be towed to dry dock at Pearl Harbor but work has already begun. Scaffolding has been erected so crews can sand and strip the surface to bare metal.
Michael Carr is president of the Battleship Missouri Memorial. He said repairs will cost $15 million.
"We've received a $10 million grant from the Department of Defense. So the balance of those funds will be coming from our own reserve funds," he said.
One of the biggest jobs will be securing the 12-story tower that sits mid-ship and supports the radar.
"Structurally it needs to be repaired," Chavez said. "We don't want to come in one day and find the radar sitting on top of the main deck because the deck rusted around it." . . .(Watch Videos)
(Excerpt) Read more at freedomslighthouse.com ...
BB 63 salute !
Maybe they’ll put a wax dummy of Emperor Hirohito on the deck for Obama?
LOL! Yeah, since he thinks Hirohito was onboard to surrender to MacArthur!
Obama is such a stupid Knee Grow
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