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From Tragedy to Victory

The symbolism is undeniable. On one end is the USS Arizona Memorial, a few hundred yards away is the USS Missouri. These two battleships, at rest in Pearl Harbor, represent the beginning and the end of WWII.

The USS Arizona (BB-39), is the symbol of the start of America’s war in the Pacific. On December 7th, 1941, she was torn apart by an armor-piercing bomb in Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. In less than 9 minutes the magnificent battleship sank, entombing more than 900 servicemen.

In 1945, aboard the deck of the USS Missouri (BB-63), General Douglas MacArthur, along with Japanese dignitaries solemnly signed the treaty of surrender ending WWII. The USS Missouri (nicknamed “Mighty Mo”) continued to serve her country in two other wars.

The USS Missouri and the USS Arizona – One proudly afloat, the other tragically below the calm waters of the Pacific Ocean. One cannot fail to be deeply moved by their historic significance and emotional symbolism.

In 1955, the Missouri was decommissioned and put into the mothball fleet at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Wash. While there, it was visited by as many as 180,000 tourists a year.

Thanks for the tour.

It was in 1956 as a lad of 11 years, I won a trip to Seattle as a reward for selling subscriptions to our newspaper, The Spokane Daily Chronicle. It was a three day trip and included a ferry ride to Bremerton and a tour of the USS MISSOURI (BB-63). Not knowing any better, I stood on the plaque designating the surrender spot.

Don't know if I'll ever make it back to Hawaii to take the tour.

On a related note, the USS IOWA is currently moored in the San Francisco Bay. Our goofy neighbors to the west in San Francisco, through their elected Board of Supervisors, have vetoed the plan to place the IOWA in a place of honor alongside a pier and open it to the public.

Sooooo, it looks like the City of Stockton (California) has launched a campaign to host the IOWA. I'm all for it. That will place it only 35-40 miles away. Cool! (Never have liked going over to the city that much). Looking forward to walking across a brow again and offering up a salute to the OOD and Old Glory.