Mighty Mo! : Men of the Battleship Missouri Prepared for Overseas Duty

The USS Missouri, a virtual national monument and historical treasure in itself, makes history wherever it goes. This time, it is off on a six-month tour to the Middle East, its first deployment abroad since a round-the-world cruise that ended in December. The battleship sailed from the Long Beach Naval Station on July 25 with sailors lining its rails and loved ones lining the dock to wave farewell to the crew of 1,500. It was aboard the Missouri that the formal surrender of Japan was signed Sept. 2, 1945, ending World War II. The Mighty Mo was put into mothballs in 1955, then brought out for refurbishing and recommissioning May 10, 1986.