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Background : Missouri was laid down on 6 January 1941 on Slipway 1 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. She was launched two years later, 29 January 1944 before a crow of 20.000 - 30.000 spectators under the sponsorship of Margaet Truman, daughter of senator Harry S. Truman, and was commissioned on 11 June. Missouri conducted her first sea trials off New York before steaming south for a shakedown cruise where she would be joined by the large cruiser Alaska. The battleship got underway on 11 November for the US West Coast. Additional fitting out work was conducted in San Francisco to prepare her for flagship duties.
Missouri left San Francisco on 14 December, sailing for Ulithi in the Caroline Islands where she was temporarily used as flagship by Vice Admiral Mitscher. She then joined Task Force 58 on 27 January 1945 whose objective was to conduct airstrikes on Tokyo in support of the future landings on Iwo Jima. Part of Task Group 58.2 with the carriers Lexington CV-16, Hancock and Sancinto, Missouri, aside from escort duties, also acted as fleet oiler as the logistics train could not come with them during raids. Once the strikes were concluded, the fleet sailed to Iwo Jima to provide air support and shore bombardment before departing in early March for Ulithi to replenish fuel and ammunition. Missouri would be subsequently transferred to Yorktown CV-10’s group, TG-58.4 and leave on 14 March for another round of airstrikes on Japan. With several targets located in the Inland Sea, Japanese aircraft counter attacked and damaged several carriers, notably USS Franklin, forcing Missouri to cover her withdrawal. The group returned to the fleet in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. There, Missouri was temporarily transferred to TF-59 along with her sisters New Jersey and Wisconsin to target the island’s southern coast to draw Japanese forces away from the landing sites. Once the job was completed, she returned to TG-58.4.
It was on 11 April that Missouri was introduced to the infamous kamikazes. One plane slipped through her air defenses and slammed into her side, below the main deck. The impact threw gasoline on the deck which quickly ignited, but was quickly suppressed by the crew. While she suffered no fatalities, two crewmen were wounded in another attack on 17 April. Missouri left TF-58 on 5 May to return to Ulithi before heading to Guam. There, Admiral Halsey, commander of the Third Fleet, would make her the flagship of the now TF-38. After providing shore bombardment on Okinawa in late May, she blasted Kyūshū’s airfields on 2-3 June. On the night of 5-6, she and the fleet were struck by Typhoon Connie. While Missouri suffered minor damage, other ships weren’t so lucky. Still, compared to Typhoon Cobra, “only” 5 sailors, 1 officer and 150 aircraft were lost. It would be the second time Halsey would run his fleet into a typhoon. After another round of airstrikes, the fleet withdrew to Leyte Gulf, arriving on 13 June.
After resupplying, the Third Fleet got underway on 1 July to strike the Home Islands, with Missouri being part of TG-58.4. On 15 July, she and other vessels were detached to bombard industrial facilities in Muroan, Hokkaido. Another mission followed the next day with HMS King George V joining the kicking. They returned to screen the carriers during strikes in the Inland Sea and Tokyo later in the month. Attack resumed after a brief pause on 9 August, the same day as the city of Nagasaki was flattened by a nuclear strike. On 15 of June, Japan announced its capitulation.
Over the following two weeks, Allied Forces began preparations to begin the occupation of Japan. On 21 August, Missouri sent 200 men and officers to her sister Iowa. Two days later, it was decided that Missouri would host the surrender ceremony, scheduled for 31 August. The crew immediately began preparations, cleaning and painting the vessel. The flag Commodore Matthew Perry had flown during his expedition to open Japan in 1853 was brought - it would be flown during the surrender ceremony. On 29 August, the flotilla entered Tokyo Bay and Missouri was anchored close to where Perry had anchored his own vessel 90 years ago. Due to poor weather, the ceremony was postponed to September 2.
Shortly after 0800, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz boarded Missouri followed by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allies at 0843. Japan’s representatives, led by Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, arrived at 0856. At 0902, MacArthur opened the ceremony with a speech, stating "It is my earnest hope—indeed the hope of all mankind—that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past, a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice." The ceremony would end shortly after.
Missouri left Tokyo Bay on 6 September after Halsey had transferred his flag to USS South Dakota the previous day. As part of Operation Magic Carpet, she took howard-bound passengers at Guam then sailed to Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 20 September. She flew Admiral Nimitz’s flag on 28 September’s afternoon for a reception. She would depart the next day for the US East Coast, reaching New York on 23 October, firing a 21-gun salute four days later as President Truman boarded her for navy Day ceremonies. Now part of the Atlantic Fleet, Missouri underwent maintenance in the New York Naval Shipyard, trading her old Mark 8 fcs radars for the newer Mark 13, before going for a training cruise in Cuba. 21 March 1946, she received the remains of Turkish ambassador Munir Ertegun and was tasked to bring them back to his homeland. Arriving in Istanbul on 5 April, she rendered full honors, including a 19-guns salute and crossed paths with the venerable battlecruiser TCG Yavuz, former Yavuz Sultan Selim and Goeben.
Missouri left Istanbul on 9 April, headed for Piraeus, Greece. She was welcomed by the Greek government and anti-communist citizens - Greece was fighting a case of communism and had become the theater of a civil war. This would be a test for the US for their new doctrine of containment of the Soviet Union - the Soviets were pushing for concessions in the Dodecanese in the peace treaty with Italy and for access through the Dardanelles. In a way, Missouri’s voyage to the eastern Mediterranean became a symbol of America’s strategic commitment to the region. Media were quick to proclaim her as symbol of US interest in preserving Turkey and Greece’s independence.
After a port call in Algiers and Tangiers, Missouri returned home, arriving there on 9 May. She then joined Admiral Mitscher’s Eight Fleet for training maneuvers. She would spend the next year sailing Atlantic coastal waters and the Carribeans in various exercises. This routine would be interrupted on 3 December when she was struck by a star shell from USS Little Rock, causing the death of one crewman and wounding three others.
Missouri hosted President Truman at Rio de Janeiro for the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Hemisphere Peace and Security. Truman would sign the Rio Treaty on 2 September 1947, broadening the Monroe Doctrine, stipulating that an attack on any of the signatories was an attack on all. The battleship would return to New York for an overhaul where her radar suite would be considerably upgraded. Following this, Missouri began training duties for the next two years, also becoming the first battleship to host a helicopter detachment, with two Sikorsky HO3S-1.
On 17 January 1950, Missouri ran aground, 1.6 mi from Thimble Shoal Light, Near Old Point Comfort. The grounding resulted from a combination of many factors, including her CO Captain William D. Brown’s inexperience maneuvering such a large ship. To make matters worse, the grounding happened during an unusually high tide and an abandoned anchor had gotten embedded in Missouri’s hull. It was only on 17 February and after off-loading ammunition, fuel and food with a combination of tugboats, pontoons, beach gear and rising tide that she was freed. Captain Brown was subsequently court martialed and found guilty of negligence.
It was the same year that North Korea thought it would be a great idea to spread the virtues of communism to its southern neighbor, prompting the US to intervene on behalf of the UN. Part of the mobilization, Missouri was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Due to the urgency of the situation, she sailed straight through a hurricane off the coast of North Carolina. After a week of repairs in Pearl Harbor, Missouri arrived at Kyūshū on 14 September, becoming Rear Admiral Allan Edward Smith’s flagship. Being the first US battleship to reach Korean waters, she lost no time in introducing the North Koreans to the virtues of democracy, bombarding Samchok on 19 September to divert the KPA’s attention from the Incheon nandings. After a brief return to Japan, she reached Incheon and spread even more freedom to the retreating North Korean troops. On 10 October, she became Rear Admiral John M. Higgins’ flagship then Vice Admiral A. D. Strubble, commander of the Seventh Fleet. She conducted additional bombardment missions in Chongjin and Tanchon areas and at Wonsan where she also screened US carriers. She was visited by comedian Bob Hope during this time.
While MacArthur’s landings at Incheon had sent the North Koreans on the run, the People’s Republic of China had been carefully monitoring the situation and was getting increasingly worried that the UN offensive could evolve into a war with China itself. Thus, after several warnings, China would be true to its word and send over 380.000 PLA troops to reinforce the KPA, forcing UN troops to retreat. Missouri provided gunfire support during the Hungnam evacuation. She would not retreat until the last UN troops had withdrawn on 24 December. With the large majority of the troops successfully evacuated, as well as more than 86.000 refugees, the operation was dubbed the “Miracle of Christmas”.
Early 1951 saw Missouri alternate between shore bombardments and carrier escort until 19 March. She left for the United States on 6 March, having fired 2.895 16” shells and 8.043 5” shells during her deployment. After arriving at Norfolk on 27 April, she became Rear Admiral James L. Holloway, Jr. 's flagship and began training cruises. She entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 18 October for a three month overhaul and spent the next six months training out of Guantanamo Bay and made a port visit in New York for Navy Day celebrations. After that, she prepared for a second tour in Korea and departed Hampton Roads on 11 September, arriving at Yokosuka on 17 October where she became Vice Admiral Joseph J. Clark’s flagship. Primary mission : provide gunfire support “Cobra strikes” in the Chaho-Tanchon and Tanchon-Sonjin areas, at Chongjin and Chaho, Wonsan, Hamhung, and Hungnam from 25 October to 2 January 1953. One of her helicopters crashed on 21 December with no survivors. After a short trip to Sasebo to resupply where she was visited by General Mark W. Clark UN CINC and Admiral Sir Guy Russell, British CINC Far East Fleet, Missouri resumed “Cobra” missions, with notably a raid on Wonsan Harbor. As she was returning to Sasebo on 26 March, her CO, Captain Warner Edsall, suffered a fatal heart attack. On 6 April, her sister New Jersey relieved her as flagship of the Seventh Fleet and she returned home, arriving in Norfolk on 4 May.
She went out for a training cruise to Brazil, Cuba and Panama from 8 June to 4 August.From 20 November to April 1954, she was overhauled, exchanging her SP radar for the AN/SPS-8 which required the strengthening of the mainmast and the replacement of her 16” guns. Now flagship of Rear Admiral Ruthven Libby, Missouri went for a training cruise to Lisbon, Portugal, Cherbourg and Cuba with her sisters joining on the way - the only time where they would sail together. She returned to Norfolk on 3 August to be placed in reserve on the West Coast, hosting 16.900 visitors at Long Beach and more than 20.100 in San Francisco. Missouri arrived in Seattle to offload her ammunition before being officially decommissioned on 26 February 1955 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
For nearly thirty years, the giant would serve as a tourist attraction with around 250.000 visitors per year, who came to see the “surrender deck” where a bronze plaque memorialized the spot in Tokyo Bay where Japan had surrendered. Copies of the surrender documents and photos accompanied the historical display.
Mighty Mo’s slumber was interrupted with the Reagan Administration’s 600-ship Navy. Thus, she was reactivated and towed by the salvage ship Beaufort to the Long Beach Naval Yard in the summer of 1984 to undergo modernization. Four of her 5” guns as well as the 20mm and 40mm guns with their directors were removed in exchange for four Mk 141 quad launchers for the RGM-84 Harpoon ASM with the SWG-1 FCS, four Mk 143 ABL for 32 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, a quarter of Phalanx CIWS. Her fire control systems were upgraded along with her electronic warfare capabilities with the AN/SLQ-32 EWS and radars with the AN/SPS-49 and AN/SPS-67. She was also outfitted with the AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy and Mk 36 SRBOC chaff launchers.
Missouri was recommissioned in San Francisco on 10 May 1986. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger told an audience of 10.000, telling the crew to "listen for the footsteps of those who have gone before you. They speak to you of honor and the importance of duty. They remind you of your own traditions." Margaret Truman was also present and gave a short speech which she concluded with "now take care of my baby."
Three months later, Missouri departed Long Beach for an around-the-world cruise, visiting Pearl Harbor, Sydney, Hobart, Perth, Diego Garcia, the Suez Canal, Istanbul, Naples, Rota, Lisbon, and Panama Canal. She became the first US battleship to circumnavigate the globe, following the steps of Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet, and her predecessor USS Missouri BB-11, 80 years later.
In 1987, Missouri was fitted with 40mm grenade launchers and 25mm autocannons for deployment in the Middle East as part of Operation Earnest Will to escort reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. These small caliber weapons were installed due to the threat of Iranian Boghammar speed boats - firing 16” salvos at these floating gnats, while fun, would be just a waste of ammunition. As the centerpiece of Battlegroup Echo, she escorted tanker convoys through the Strait of Hormuz, keeping her FCS trained at Iranian land-based Silkworm batteries. She then departed for a 6 months deployment to the Indian Ocean and North Arabian Sea, spending more than 100 days in a hot-tense environment. 1988 was relatively uneventful with port visits and exercises. 1989 saw her participating in PacEx ‘89 where she and New Jersey made a firepower demonstration off Okinawa for the Japanese and other allied ships. Early 1990 saw her being part of the RimPac Exercise and a Western Pacific port to port cruiser with the inactivation process scheduled afterwards. But fate had other plans.
On 2 August 1990, Iraq, led by dictator Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait. President George H. W. Bush was quick to react and sent several hundred thousand troops, along with a strong naval force, to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf to support a multinational force. The battleship departed Long Beach on 13 November with extensive press coverage and headed for the Persian Gulf. Before Operation Desert Storm began, Missouri prepared herself to launch Tomahawk TLAMs and provide shore bombardment. At 0140 on 17 January 1991, she fired her first missile, followed by 27 others over the next five days.
On 29 January, Missouri began her first bombardment mission, targeting an Iraqi command post and control bunkers near the Saudi borders. She then turned her guns on beach defenses in occupied Kuwait on the night of 3 February, firing 112 16” shells before her sister Wisconsin took over. 60 additional shells were fired off Khafji on 11-12 February before she moved north to Faylaka Island. Once the minesweepers cleaned a path, she opened fire. The goal was to attract the Iraqis attention with an amphibious landing feint against the Kuwaiti coast. It worked and the Iraqis fired two Silkworm missiles at the battleship. One crashed shortly after launch, the other was intercepted by a Sea Dart SAM from HMS Gloucester. The batteries were subsequently located by Missoury’s Pioneer drones and flew in many directions, leaving nothing but unpleasant memories and smoke. On 25 February, Missouri was accidentally targeted by USS Jarrett’s CIWS resulting in one sailor suffering minor injuries. The battleship also helped in minesweeping efforts, destroying at least 15 mines.
By 26 February, the frontline had moved out of range of Missouri’s weapons. She was thus sent home on 21 March, having fired 783 16” shells and launched 28 Tomahawks. She spent the rest of the year doing training missions and hosting visitors before doing a “voyage of remembrance” to mark the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Missouri would host President Bush during the ceremony - the first presidential visit since Harry S. Truman’s in September 1947.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union in late 1991 and the lack of a near peer enemy, Missouri was decommissioned on 31 March 1992 at Long Beach. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 January 1995, remaining at Bremerton, but not open to tourists like before - the Navy intended her to be a symbol of the end of WWII for the United States. Thus, on 4 May 1998, Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton signed the donation contract transferring her to the USS Missouri Memorial Association of Honolulu, Hawaii and on 29 January 1999, Missouri was opened as a museum.
Originally, the decision to move Missouri to Pearl Harbor was met with some resistance, with the National Park Service being concerned that her presence would overshadow the battleship Arizona. To guard against this impression, Missouri was placed to a certain distance and with her bow facing the Arizona Memorial, so military ceremonies on the aft deck would not see the memorial.
Since then, Mighty Mo has kept watch over the remains of Arizona, both ships symbolizing the beginning and end of the Second World War for the USA. In 2009, she was moved to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for a three month overhaul for hull repairs and the installation of a nex anti-corrosion system. In 2018, her superstructure was restored. She earned three battlestars during World War 2, five during Korea and three more during the Gulf War.
Namesake : Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Missouri river named itself after “Missouria”, a Siouan-language tribe. French colonist adapted a form of the Illinois-language name for the people “Wimihsoorita” (One has dugout canoes). It is bordered by Iowa in the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to the south and Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska to the west. It is the 19th most populated state with over 6 million residents. The state has received several nicknames across its history. "Mother of the West", the "Cave State", and the "Show Me State"
The first traces of human occupation in the region date back as far as 9.000 BCE. The Mississipian culture, which emerged around the ninth century built cities and mounds before declining in the 14th century long before European settlers arrived. The land that would become the state of Missouri was part of numerous territories with often indeterminate borders and different names following the Native American tribe or the European settlers.
For the first half of the XVIth, the Mississippi’s western bank was mostly uninhabited, acting like a no man’s land which kept peace between the Illinois tribes on the east banks and the Osage and Missouri Indians of the lower Missouri Valley. The first settlers arrived around 1750, creating the town of Sainte-Geneviève and trading furs with the natives. The region was named “Louisiane” (Louisiana) as it was part of the Mississippi Valley. Meanwhile, French Canadians called it “le pays de l’Illinois" (the country of Illinois). To distinguish settlements from the lower Mississippi Valley to those in the Middle Mississippi Valley, the region was called “La Haute Louisiane” (High Louisiana/Upper Louisiana. Many of these settlements included African American slaves, exploited in agricultural and fur trade sectors. Because of this, Sainte-Geneviève became a thriving agricultural center trading with Lower Louisiana.
The city of Saint-Louis was founded by fur traders Pierre Laclède and his stepson Auguste Chouteau and soon overtook Sainte-Geneviève, notably with the invention of the steamboat. After a brief period under the Spanish Viceroyalty, Napoleon Bonaparte gained Louisiana with the secret treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800 with power passation taking place only in 1803, the territory was then acquired by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase and renamed “Missouri” so it could be differentiated from the Lower Louisiana which became Louisiana. A border state, Missouri became soon nicknamed “the Gateway to the West” as all famous trails (Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails) as well as the postal service Pony Express began here. The region was rocked by the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes. Fortunately, due to the sparse population, the casualties were few.
In 1921, Missouri was admitted as a state under the Missouri Compromise with the capital temporarily established in St. Charles. It was permanently relocated in 1826 at Jefferson City. Mormon migrants from the northern states and Canada began settling near the city of Independence, triggering conflicts with the old settlers, who mainly came from the South. In 1839, Governor Lilburn Boggs gave an “Extermination Order” which expelled the Mormons from Missouri, but that was just the beginning as tensions with Iowa began to rise over slavery with both states raising militias along the border.
With migration increasing from the 1830s to the 1860s, Missouri’s population increased substantially. While most newcomers were American-born, many were Irish and German immigrants, with most being Catholic, setting up their own institution. The Germans created the wine and beer industry along the Missouri River and St. Louis, and were anti-slavery. Unlike them, the Irish pro-slavery, fearing that freeing African-American slaves would create a vacuum of workers as they practiced subsistence farming. If most had fewer than five slaves, the richest planters could have 20 or more and were located in the area known as “Little Dixie”, in the central part of the state. In 1860, enslaved African-Americans made up almost 10% of the population.
Shortly after the Southern States seceded in 1861, the Missouri legislature called for the election of a convention on secession. The convention voted against and expressed its support to the Union. But Governor Claiborne F. Jackson, pro-South, had his own ideas on that. Thus, after the capture of Fort Sumter by the rebs, he secretly requested their support for the militia he was training in St. Louis. General Nathaniel Lyon, upon the discovery of his betrayal, captured the state troops and, to send a message, decided to march them through the streets of St. Louis. Pro-South citizens subsequently rioted, leading to the Camp Jackson Affair. These events eventually set the state’s divisions on fire. Governor Jackson appointed Sterling Price, president of the convention, as head of the new Missouri State Guard but in face of General Lyon’s rapid advance, he and Price were forced to flee on June 14 1861 to Neosho. Losing no time, Jackson called for the state legislature for secession. It worked and the Confederacy recognized Missouri’s secession on October 30.
Meanwhile, the state convention was reassembled and installed pro-Union Hamilton Gamble as new governor. President Lincoln’s administration recognized his government as the legal Missouri government, prompting him to raise volunteer regiments for the Union Army and pro-Union militias. Fighting soon ensued. If the rebs were victorious at first at the battles of Wilson’s Creek (10 August 1861) and Lexington (13 to 20 September 1861), they were soon forced to retreat to Arkansas and Texas after suffering casualties elsewhere and in the face of the advance of a reinforced Union Army. Subsequent fighting for the next three years would mainly consist of guerilla warfare with Captain Quantrill, Jesse James among the most famous - the latter being portrayed as a modern Robin Hood by historians. Vigilante activities by the gang of the Bald Knobbers in the 1880s were an unofficial continuation of this guerilla long after the war had ended and are a favorite theme in the city of Branson.
From the 1890s to the 1920s, Missouri went through the Progressive Era where prominent leaders attempted to end corruption, modernize politics, government and society. One such man was Joseph “Holy Joe” Folk. Elected in 1904, he promoted the “Missouri Idea”, to turn the state as a leader in public morality. Antitrust prosecutions were conducted, free railroad passes for state officials were ended, election laws were improved and Sunday-closing law was enforced (just to name a few). Missouri also transitioned from a rural economy to a hybrid industrial-service-agricultural economy with the Midwest’s quick industrialization. The railroad’s arrival into Kansas City quickly turned the city into a transportation hub within the nation. Texas’ cattle industry growth, combined with the refrigerated boxcar’s invention only accelerated the city’s expansion. The XXth century’s first half was Kansas City’s golden age with its downtown becoming a showcase for Art Deco skyscrapers.
Sadly, all good things have to end. During the mid 50s and 60s, Kansas City, St. Louis and many other Midwestern cities suffered deindustrialization. 1956 saw St. Charles becoming (or claiming) to be the site of the first interstate highway project. The construction of these highways allowed middle class citizens to leave the city for the suburbs. Nevertheless, it would take decades for these cities to adjust to the economical change and readjust accordingly to demographic changes.
In 2014, Missouri received national attention for the protests and riots following the shooting of citizen Michael Brown by a police officer from Ferguson. Governor Jay Nixon subsequently called out the state’s National Guard while a grand jury refused to indict the officer and the US Department of Justice concluded that officer legitimately feared for his safety. However, a separate investigation uncovered that the Ferguson PD and the City relied on unconstitutional practices to balance the city's budget through racially motivated excessive fines and punishments and disproportionately targeted African-American people. The municipal court also “emphasized revenue over public safety, leading to routine breaches of the citizens’ constitutional guarantees of due process and equal procession under the law”. Student protests at the University of Missouri followed in 2015.
On June 7, 2017, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People issued a warning to African-American traveling to Missouri. I was the first time such a warning covered an entire state. According to a report from 2018 by the Missouri Attorney General’s office, African-Americans, Hispanics and other people of color have been disproportionately affected by stops searches and arrests over the past 18 years.
In 2018, the USDA announced it would relocate the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA) to Kansas City. With the KC Streetcar project and construction of the Spring Center Arena, KC’s downtown has attracted investments in new offices, hotels and residential complexes. At the moment, Kansas City and St. Louis are currently undergoing a rebirth in their downtown areas with the new Power & Light (KC) and Ballpark Village (STL) districts and the renovation of existing historical buildings. In 2019, it was announced that the MLS expansion team in St. Louis is driving even more investments in the western area of the city's downtown.
Four US Navy ships have been named after the state of Missouri :
- USS Missouri (1841), a sidewheel frigate, destroyed in a fire accident.
- USS Missouri BB-11, Maine-class pre-dreadnought battleship. Was part of the Great White Fleet and served in WW1.
- USS Missouri BB-63. Currently treated in this concept.
- USS Missouri SS-780. Virginia-class submarine currently in service.
Additionally, the Confederate States Navy commissioned the gunboat CSS Missouri. Never saw action, had desertion issues and was surrendered to the US Navy in June 1865. A number of merchant ships bore the name “Missouri” as well.
Stats : Missouri’s stats are similar to her sisters New Jersey and Iowa with a superb Firepower (S), excellent anti air defenses (A) and HP pool (S). She sports a decent speed (B) but her evasion is mediocre (D).
Personality : If Iowa is the diplomat, Missouri is the soldier. While she does follow the same path as her elder sister, she has a no nonsense and far more stricter personality. She is much more prone to the use of “gunboat diplomacy” - her title of “Peacekeeper” goes both ways. She also shares a very close relationship with Arizona and has made a point of honor to protect her. However, behind her strong facade lies a woman weary of the war. Still, she keeps going, hoping that, from the ashes of this war, a better world may finally emerge.
Acquisition : USS Missouri, hull number BB-63, reporting. I served in numerous conflicts all along my career. [Sighs] I was hoping to rest at the turn of the century but it seems fate decided otherwise. Nevertheless, my firepower is at your disposal, Commander.
Secretary (Idle 1) : I saw the sun setting over the Pacific before seeing it rise once more. Because of my role in that, I’ve been called “the Peacekeeper”.
Secretary (Idle 2) : Wars are to be avoided at all costs, but sometimes they’re better than a half baked peace, especially against tyrants. Give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. Hit them, and hit them hard.
Secretary (Idle 3) : Preemptive strike ? I prefer the term “gunboat diplomacy”. You gotta raise your voice when dealing with bullies.
Secretary (Idle 4) : Arizona is a good friend. Sadly she’s traumatized by what she’s been through. You should try to make her smile too - Penny and I can’t be here for her at all times.
Secretary (Idle 5) : Battleship ? [Chuckles] Yeah it was a fun movie. Got to stretch my legs too.
Return from mission : Will this ever stop… ? (Post Oath) We’re not done yet, we have to prepare for the next fight.
MVP : There is no substitute for victory. Either you win, or you lose. There’s no middle ground.
Touch : Sorry, I was thinking of something else. What’s the matter ?
Special touch : [Grabs your hand] Don’t. (Post Oath) When we’re off duty.
Low HP : Let’s get up close and personal !
Defeated : Get back on your feet, girl. [Grits her teeth] They ain’t gonna sink this battleship !
Defeated when sortied with Arizona : Damnit, are you alright ?
Affinity (Disappointed) : You don’t enter a war if you have no will to win. You have shown none of that. Get out.
Affinity (Stranger) : Your real valor as a Commander will not will not be determined by how much you win, but how fast you get back on your feet after getting knocked down.
Affinity (Friendly) : War is like a disease, passed down from generation to generation. Stand strong, Commander, for this storm has only begun.
Affinity (Like) : We tell our children there’s a monster under their bed who will come and take them if they misbehave. So they act nice to not stir it up. Sadly the monster comes for them nonetheless. I’m sorry if I sound gloomy, I… No. Forget it.
Affinity (Love) : I stood strong when the Second World War raged. Then it was Korea. Then the Cold War. Then the Gulf War. And now this. I’m tired of standing strong, Commander. Can you lend me your shoulder ? [Takes off her headgear] Thank you. I have a soft spot for children. Their laughs give me the strength to keep going and the hope that someday we can bequeath them a world based on tolerance, freedom and justice. [Smiles] And so are you.
Oath : There’s this dream... It’s gone when I wake up. The monster never dies, no matter how many times you kill it. It just sheds skin and changes form. This title, “the Peacekeeper”… I’ve been carrying it ever since the end of World War 2. It’s my pride, it’s my burden. I’ll carry it one last time, then I shall rest with you to make that dream a reality.
Sortie with Iowa : Go, I’ll follow your lead.
Sortie with New Jersey : Lower your voice, my ears hurt.
Sortie with Wisconsin : There comes a time where you have to take the gloves off eventually.
Sortie with Arizona : Wipe those tears and dry your eyes, I’ll protect you this time.
Sortie with Enterprise : Once more unto the breach, Grey Ghost. (If you have oathed Enty) You look happier than last time. I see. That’s good to hear.
Sortie with Enterprise CVN-65 (Noblesse311) : Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade into History and enter the legend.
Sortie with Essex : We’re old, not obsolete.
Sortie with Nagato : There is no shame in admitting defeat. The main point resides whether we have done our duty.
Sortie with Akagi : I know an excellent way to get you reunited with your sister : a short fall followed by a quick stop.
Sortie with Musashi : I have withstood many storms before. This one won’t be different.
Sortie with Bismarck : Nothing can stop your march indeed… except superior industrial and logistical capabilities, manpower and ethics.
Sortie with Monarch : Fight for a real cause before playing the glory hounds.
Sortie with OFS Kestrel (Noblesse311 or my own rendition - part 1 part 2) : And yet we don’t seem to see the end of it. (Post oath) I know. Lend me your wings, Raven.
Sortie with TCG Yavuz (Noblesse311) : Playing both sides won’t always make you come out on top.
Sortie with SN Kirov (Battlecruiser) : The last time a nation boasted about their flagship’s power, said flagship ended up at the bottom without virtually accomplishing anything.
Misc. quote (only plays if Arizona’s Affinity is at Disappointed level) : You can fuck with me all you want Commander - I’ve had my fair share of incompetent officers, but if you put Arizona in danger, I will fuck you up.
Misc. quote (only plays when Arizona’s Affinity is at Love level then Oath) : Just a quick word before we go back to work, I would like to thank you for taking care of Arizona and freeing her from her nightmares. It means a lot to me.
Design : Missouri is depicted as a woman in her mid to late 20s who stands at around 2m08. She has long pink hair turning red midway reaching down below her hips. Sidelocks and red eyes complement her fair features, along with a headgear shaped like horns and a protective plate on her forehead. Her attire is like more formal Iowa’s and takes the form of a sleeveless military uniform with the upper buttons undone to reveal her upper breasts - her bodysuit also sports a cleavage window - and a pencil skirt with hip vents. Unlike Iowa or New Jersey, the lower part of the vents can be unbuttoned to provide her a better freedom of movement in combat. Two anchors and winches are strapped to her hips and can be used to grapple the enemy as melee weapons or perform clubhauling maneuvers in combat. Gauntlets and white shoes round up her attire. Finally, Missouri has a white longcoat with red lining and straps decorated with partial epaulettes.
Missouri’s rigging is similar to Iowa’s, with a gate-like structure surrounded by the main guns and the secondary batteries, complemented with red lighting. Unlike New Jersey and Iowa, Turret 3 - the one at waist level - is on the left side, rather than the right, thus mirroring their rigging.