This page was made possible by our friends at Pearl Harbor: Ford Murray, Tour Guide on the USS Missouri, who was kind enough to send the video; Neal Yamamoto, Education Assistant USS Missouri, who produced and edited the video; and photographs and video by Meryl Houlton, Tour Guide USS Missouri, and others credited at the end of the video.
The floating Naval museum that is the USS Missouri was released from its moorings in Pearl Harbor for the first time in 11 years on October 7, 2009, then pulled and nudged into drydock for nearly $20 million worth of repairs and upgrades. The 2-mile trip from Foxtrot 5 to Drydock 4 was witnessed by hundreds of people around Pearl Harbor. The Missouri is perhaps best known as the place where a Japanese delegation offered its unconditional surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, to end World War II.
Some 200 workers per day from BAE Systems Ship Repair spent three months sandblasting and repainting the Missouri; installing an underwater hull anti-corrosion system; replacing the rope mooring lines with chains; replacing plumbing, sewage, and electrical systems; installing humidity monitors for the ship’s 600 tanks; and adding a new tent on the fantail for revenue-generating events.
The “deployment” back to its home at Pier F-5 on January 7, 2010 included upwards of 120 service personnel representing all branches of the service who held their official reenlistment ceremonies aboard the ship while it was being moved — a small and unique group who can say they had their ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri while underway.
The official reopening ceremony was held January 30, 2010 — the ship’s 66th anniversary of its launching falls on January 29, but the 30th was a Saturday, allowing more people to attend.
More USS Missouri related pages:
Detailed background information about the move — Ford Murray’s photos prior to the move — Rare and Astounding Photo of USS Missouri — All USS Missouri related pages and videos