News from the Mighty Mo Curator

The Collections & Archives Department offers a rich and expanding resource of materials in support of the Battleship Missouri Memorial’s mission. If you have a story to share about the USS Missouri please contact Collections & Archives.

Life at sea in the USN always requires a sense of humor. Aboard MISSOURI during WWII, Robert F. Kennealy filled that bill nicely with an ink-drawn cartoon character named Boswell.

The Army’s Sad Sack, published in YANK magazine, may have had a world-wide following during World War II, but the battleship Missouri had Boswell, the droll little sailor who regularly greeted the crew in the ship’s Missourian newspaper.

Fireman 1c Kennealy, of A Division, from St. Louis, Missouri, modeled the character after the face he saw in the mirror each morning…or so he said.

Kennealy was 19 years old when he served aboard Missouri, and prior to enlisting in the Navy he’d studied mechanical engineering and mechanical drawing, his only drawing instruction.

Unlike the Army’s Sad Sack, Boswell was not down-trodden, but the triumphant bluejacket. He was sly, poised, and imperturbable, always three jumps ahead of the officers, the sailor that says to hell with the dull letter of the law and does things as he pleases…but sensationally.

He was a wonderful little gnome who gave the crew a much needed laugh in the midst of war, when they were far from home and family.

On Nov. 11, 1918, the world rejoiced as an armistice was signed that finally ended “The War to end all wars.” On that day one year later, “Armistice Day” was set aside as a day to remember the service and sacrifices of veterans of World War I, and by remembering, to ensure a lasting peace.

It wasn’t until 1938, 20 years after the war ended, that Congress established Armistice Day as a federal holiday of remembrance. And yet a year after that, German forces invaded Poland and World War II began.

Norman McLafferty joined the Navy soon after. At Great Lakes Naval Training Center, they used a mock up of the battleship Oklahoma in training. Shortly after graduation, he found himself assigned to the battleship herself.

“Mac,” as he became known to one and all, was a deck seaman. He reveled in life at sea, but deck work, after a time, lost its charm, and he set his sights on becoming a ship’s storekeeper.

By the time USS Oklahoma arrived in Hawaii, he had achieved his goal and was in charge of stores, working below decks for the most part, and content.

Mac talked of these and other things as we sat around his dining room table, his wife busy in the kitchen, a little before midday on Veterans Day recently past.

He met us at the door, his bright blue eyes peering through the screen. A broad smile welcoming us, inviting us to enter.
We had met him for the first time at the Battleship Missouri Memorial during recent filming of the upcoming Universal Pictures production of BATTLESHIP. Mac had been hired to play the part of an “Old Salt.” When I first met him, dressed in oil-stained dungarees, he certainly looked the part. I tapped him on the shoulder, he turned, smiled, and I asked: “I heard you served aboard the Oklahoma.” He grinned: “Yes I did, until July 1941...” He started to say more, but others were eager to take photos with him and he was happy to oblige.

Norman McLafferty wasn’t new to movie making. Back in the 1960s he’d met the “Duke” himself during filming of IN HARM’S WAY, the acclaimed World War II film. He’d had a speaking part in that film as well, saying “It's for you bud,” or words to that effect, as he handed a phone to Burgess Meredith.

But behind the blue eyes and the bright smile, there is another story, a memory of a tragic day he will never forget.
“Mac” fell in love with Hawaii in the summer of 1941, and met a girl. She lived on Duval Street in Kapahulu. He asked for shore duty and some time later he got his wish. The Captain called him over and said, “Mac, there’s an opening ashore if you want it, but problem is, there’s two of you who want it. But seeing as you asked first, we’re going to toss a coin and you call it.”
“Heads,” Mac called, and his shipmate stayed aboard.

Mac was assigned as storekeeper for a Naval patrol squadron on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor; hard work, but good duty, just what he wanted. He didn’t notice a notation on his orders, however, indicating he was subject to further transfer.
Before he had a chance to settle in as storekeeper, he found himself aboard a vessel bound for Palmyra Atoll, some 900 miles south of Hawaii.

It was there, soon after, on Sunday morning, the 7th of December 1941, that they got the word over the radio: “This is no drill.”
As he remembered that day, his smile slowly faded. It was hard, even now, remembering that feeling, of knowing that Battleship Row was being attacked, that his ship, his shipmates, were in the midst of it. He thought of that coin toss; thought of those he left behind.
On Veterans Day, we talk of the need to never forget the service and sacrifice of our veterans, of those who fought for our right to be free. Now sitting across the table from Norm McLafferty, as he remembered that “date which will live in infamy,” thinking also of our other veterans of war, veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and now … so many sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, returning veterans of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan … it struck me that it needs to be more than simply not forgetting; we all need to learn, we need to understand, we need to honor their service, we need to always remember.

After a few moments, Mac looked up and smiled and we continued. We asked about life aboard Oklahoma. “What did you eat on board?” I asked. He chuckled, “Everything.”

I asked if he remembered any of your shipmates, anyone in particular. “Oh yes,” he said.

His smile slowly faded again as he told us of a fellow storekeeper, a big man, always smiling, joking around, hard worker, a third-class by the name of Eakes. Mac said he heard later, from others, that when the ship was capsizing, pitch black inside, water rising quickly, that Eakes found a porthole, opened it, shined a flashlight and hollered to his shipmates “This way” and helped them through, one by one, to safety. There were others too that did the same thing, big guys, too big to get through the portholes themselves. They all stayed behind and showed the way to safety; their names are on the markers of the USS Oklahoma Memorial.

Mac was again silent for a time, then he smiled and we talked about golf and his wife came with apple juice and chocolate left over from Halloween. They talked about their first meeting, about the war years and their long life together, about their children. Mac spoke again about being an “Old Salt” in BATTLESHIP, smiling, his blue eyes bright and cheerful again, and finally it was time to say goodbye.

We remember.

Note: Today, the Battleship Missouri is moored at Pier Foxtrot-5, which sits atop the site where USS Maryland and USS Oklahoma were moored on the 7th of December 1941.

On Sept. 2, 2011, the 66th anniversary of the formal surrender of Japan and the end of World War II, our Battleship Missouri Memorial Research Center opened to the public.

From the moment that Battleship Missouri Memorial opened her doors to visitors in January 1999, it was clear that curiosity — and the satisfaction of finding answers — would always be, and rightfully should be, at the heart of every visitor’s experience of Battleship Missouri.

Everyone who comes aboard already has, or very soon will have, questions needing answers about the Mighty Mo, about her history, her design and technology, about life at sea, or simply, “Where do we begin?” Everyone wants to know how the guns work, how many crew served aboard her, how fast does she go, how high, how deep, how thick, how heavy, what’s this, what’s that? The questions are wonderfully endless, and every day, even those of us who work, live and breathe Missouri, learn something new, something different, something we didn’t know yesterday.

And then there are the other questions, the ones that come from family members of veterans and former crew … the questions whose answers mean so much to all of us.

They tell us, my uncle — or my brother, my husband, my father, my grandfather — served aboard the USS Missouri. Can you tell me, can you show me, where he worked, what he did, where he slept? Do you have any photographs of him? Do you know where I can find out more about him?

Those questions, more than anything else, and our basic responsibility to learn, to know and to share all that there is to say about the Mighty Mo — about the history that surrounds here, the officers and crew that served aboard her, the science, design and technology that makes her function, the full, complete story of this last great battleship — are the inspiration, the reasons why the Research Center has come alive.

We knew prior to opening that this center would be an ongoing endeavor, that the questions would never cease and our knowledge would only expand, and that the work would probably be overwhelming.

We have been happily inspired by the flow of visitors who have arrived daily, ringing the bell, peering in, happy to be invited inside, to be shown around, to browse through the 600-book library, to be introduced to research projects underway, asking questions, sharing perspectives of the lessons of war and peace, curious to learn, share, and join in our excitement as we work to become more knowledgeable tomorrow than we are today.

We have much to do, so much to learn, but we are thankful for the enthusiasm of our visitors and the support and encouragement we have received from all points of the compass, whether they be scholarly researchers, students, teachers, or simply everyday people curious to know more than they did yesterday.

The Battleship Missouri Research Center is open by appointment from noon to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Inquiries and suggestions are encouraged.

To contact the Research Center, call (808) 455-1600 ext. 256, or e-mail our curator at curator@ussmissouri.org.

Soon after Battleship Missouri Memorial opened to the public on January 29, 1999, two veterans of World War II happened to meet onboard the battleship near the site where a Kamikaze attack occurred on April 11, 1945, during the Allied Invasion of Okinawa, the last major battle of World War II.

The attack is recorded in a dramatic photograph that shows the aircraft at the moment of impact.

(Caption: A Japanese Kamikaze strikes MISSOURI on April 11, 1945 during the Battle for Okinawa)

As fate would have it, the remains of the pilot of the “Zeke” were discovered among the wreckage of the aircraft onboard MISSOURI. Upon hearing of this, MISSOURI’s commanding officer, Captain William M. Callaghan ordered the remains of the pilot be recovered and given a formal burial at sea.

(Caption: April 12, 1945, the pilot’s remains are buried at sea)

The two World War veterans discussed the attack and the significance of the burial at sea and then wondered: “Who was he?”

That question sparked a strong and lasting friendship and spurred the founding of the Battleship Missouri Memorial Historical Research Committee.

For the next several years, the Committee met weekly with the curatorial staff and focused on researching the circumstances of the attack and the identity of the pilot, among many other research topics under inquiry.

The two World War II veterans, the founding members of the committee, were Sato Kensuke, a former Japanese Navy petty officer who had served aboard and survived the sinking of the great battleship MUSASHI, and Chairman of the committee, Edwin Kawahara, a former member of the famed US Army Military Intelligence Service (MIS) and instructor at the Military Intelligence Serve Language School (MISLS).

(Caption: Edwin Kawahara, founding member of Battleship Missouri Memorial Historical Research Committee)

Edwin Kawahara talked often of his visit to a secluded POW and Internment camp during the war, located in Honouliuli Gulch near Waipahu, in central Oahu.

He told of driving through the fields and down the winding road into the deep, isolated gulch. He described the layout of the camp, with the POW section situated to one side and apart from the camp holding Americans of Japanese ancestry and Japanese nationals, those determined to pose a security risk based on their race or other factors.

(Caption: Honouliuli Camp as it looked during World War II)

Edwin Kawahara told of his interrogation of Korean laborers at the POW camp, prisoners taken during the Allied invasion of Tarawa. From what he learned, he was able to advise the Command of the significant strength of Japanese forces on Ponape, and based in part on that information, the island was by-passed, resulting in many American, Japanese and Ponapean lives saved.

While at the camp at Honouliuli, Kawahara also became aware of the barbed wire enclosure on the other end of the gulch, and those held there. Peering through the barbed wire fence, he recognized a familiar face, that of his Japanese-school Principal, one who had inspired and taught him, and who had instilled a strong sense of patriotism in him for the country of his birth, the United States.

Edwin Kawahara spoke to his superiors and was successful in having his school principal released from captivity.

His story was intriguing. With directions marked on a Topographic quad map of the area, Edwin Kawahara encouraged my interest in finding the location of the camp site some ten years ago. The gulch was silent, hot and dry, overgrown with Keawe and Halekoa trees, and it was easy to imagine the feelings of isolation that must have been a constant companion for those held here during the War. Since that time, there has been a determined effort involving a number of individuals and organizations to document this historic site and to preserve it as a memorial park.

Most recently, archaeological students from West Oahu College participated in continuation of a site survey of the camp site using historic photographs and maps, GPS coordinates, metal detectors, picks, shovels and plenty of sweat. The students were able to locate and uncover several key features among the overgrowth and to gain a clear orientation of how the camp was situated in the gulch.

(Caption: Archaeological students, professors and volunteers from West Oahu College, participating in site survey of Honouliuli Camp)

Offered the opportunity to return to the gulch and join them in their work, I carried a photo of Edwin Kawahara as a reminder, sharing his story with the professors and students as we searched for the foundation of a guard tower that had overlooked the camp.

Edwin Kawahara was soft-spoken, dedicated and determined. He was not an obvious earth-shaker, but he nevertheless moved mountains.

Edwin Ichiro Kawahara
1917-2011

Restoration and preservation of Battleship Missouri is more than a full-time job for the staff and volunteers dedicated to the task. It is curious that a job so massive and overwhelming can also center on the tiniest details. But it is often those details that provide focal points and make the ship come alive, offering a glimpse of life aboard the Mighty Mo.

Such was the case in recent months as work commenced in earnest to expand our visitors’ access to the second deck. The work involved extensive cleaning, prepping, painting and display of more than 20 individual compartments, passageways and crew living spaces, including Warrant Officer staterooms.

When the Missouri was in mothballs after decommissioning in 1992, all of the interior doors were painted with a green square stenciled with the words: “Leave Open For D/H” (Leave open for dehumidification). As current restoration and display of the Mighty Mo are focused on her final period of operation, these reminders of the mothball period are unnecessary and were removed.

In the process of removing the green squares from the doors to the Warrant Officer staterooms, as the paint was scrapped away from one door in particular, there came a glimpse of other colors beneath the green … many other colors.

Working slowly and carefully, a faint image and letters began to emerge beneath layers of green and haze-grey.

In large letters, “DANIEL” emerged under a carefully rendered, multi-colored flying dragon. A scroll was emblazoned across the dragon with words, barely legible, finally deciphered as “A GANG.” To one side of the image, in small script the name of the artist and a date: “1987.”

A quick search of the “A Division” roster in the 1987 cruise book turned up Chief Warrant Officer Dwight Daniel. And thus, an empty unidentified stateroom came alive. The bunk, the small desk, the telephone, the locker, the sink and mirror … all of it now belonged to someone — to CWO4 Dwight Daniel. A glimpse of life aboard had been revealed.

In the weeks that followed, other artwork was revealed beneath other doors, but none as striking as that of the flying multi-colored dragon on Chief Warrant Officer Daniel’s door. With care and patience, the original artwork was restored, repainted and brought back to life by curatorial staff.

Coming Back to the Mighty Mo

It had been more than 65 years since Jerry Pedersen had been aboard the Battleship Missouri, and he was now lost in thought, remembering a starry night at sea in the summer of 1945.

It was Aug. 6, and the ship’s loudspeaker had just announced:

“Now hear this. We have received a report that American bombers have dropped a special kind of bomb on the city of Hiroshima … city of two-hundred-thousand … total devastation”

Initially he had been stunned by the news, then he had joined in the celebration as “swabbies” and Marines rejoiced, “It’s over!,” “We’ve won!,” and “We’re going home!”

But when confirmation of the devastation came, along with estimates of the loss of life, he had come to the bow of the ship to be alone with unfamiliar thoughts.

“It was quiet,” he recalled, “with only the sea smacking the ship as it plowed through the water. It was dark, only the stars shining in the sky. I was alone and overwhelmed,” and he thought: “What about the value of life; the sacredness of life whether they be friend or foe? And: “Is this what happens to people in war?”

It was a life-changing experience for Jerry Pedersen, who had been prompted by the events of Dec. 7, 1941, to join the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17, right out of high school and ready, as he recalled, “to make the world safe for democracy.”

The reality of World War II had been somewhat different than he’d imagined. He found himself aboard a transport ship steaming across the Pacific, stopping briefly at Pearl Harbor and then on to Guam where he learned all about rain, red mud, mosquitoes and Spam, and then waited. As the weeks and months passed, he grew impatient; he began to wonder: “Where is the glory? Where is the romance? Where are the girls?” Then one day, out of the blue, a buddy presented him with an offer he couldn’t refuse.

He said there was a Navy ship in port, needing recruits for its Marine Detachment.

For Jerry, the idea of a dry sack to sleep in and three square meals sounded too good to miss. Despite having freshly absorbed the Marine Corps tradition of hating anything Navy – its ships, its “swabbies,” everything, he had to admit when he first set eyes on the “Mighty Mo,” he thought, “Wow! What a boat!” — a term he quickly learned not to use aboard ship.

Now, all these years later, walking the teak decks, climbing up and down ladders, over knee-knockers and through the once familiar passageways of Missouri, the memories, the smells, the sights and the sounds of life aboard came flooding back.

On the second deck forward, portside, by the barbette of turret no. 1, he pointed to a triple stack of coffin racks and said, “There! That’s where I slept!”

Curatorial Assistant Michael D. Waugh is seen here replacing a missing pressure gauge on the throttle board in Missouri’s Engine Room No. 4.

Mike’s enthusiasm for history and passion for preservation of the Mighty Mo made for a natural transition from his previous position in the Facilities Department to the Archives & Collections Department, where he will be spearheading the development and operation of the new Battleship Missouri Memorial Research Center aboard ship. Mike can be contacted at 808-455-1600 x256 or mikedw@ussmissouri.org.

Excerpts from the wartime diary of ship’s baker, “Buster” Campbell.

On November 9, 1944, ship’s baker “Buster” Campbell opened a small black book and began to write:

“Events of interest that happened after our shakedown.”

Campbell continued adding entries, sometimes daily, until August 9, 1945, ending with:

“…we all have high hopes of being home for Christmas, sure hope so.”

Among all the “events of interest” that Buster Campbell would experience in the long months that followed, there is one incident that stands out, that could never be forgotten:

“Wednesday April 11

1400: Well this day will live forever in my memory as the most exciting incident I’ve ever experienced.

Pat and I were in the Photo Lab.

1404 the “Air Alert” was sounded and we both ran up to the bridge [08 level] and broke out our cameras. I used the K-20 as always and Pat the F-56.

Well we saw a bit of firing on the horizon, then the Jap planes entered our area and all the ships in our Task Group opened up. We hit one and he exploded, I got a few shots [photographs].

While we were shooting this one, another came up off our stern.
I got him in the sight of my K-20 and started shooting shots.

He kept coming in through the greatest ack-ack I’ve ever seen.
5”, 40’s and 20mm; about 100 yards off the starboard quarter he was hit slightly but kept coming.

I keep shooting pictures.

He then banked toward the ship about 25 ft above the water.
I had taken approx 10 shots since I picked him up.

He then came direct at the ship and hit us on the starboard quarter on the main deck, burst into flames.

I was shaking but felt relieved after he hit.

I took a beautiful shot of him as he hit and several as he came burning all along the starboard side till he ended at [5”] Mt. #1. All in all I got 18 shots. Poor Pat was in back of me and couldn’t get a thing.

They put out the fire and believe it or not, we didn’t have a single casualty, not a person was hurt. This I really believe is a miracle as I’ll get the pictures to show just what happened.

It only lasted about 5 minutes but it sure was something to see.”

“Buster” Campbell never forgot what he experienced aboard USS Missouri. The dramatic image he captured during the Battle for Okinawa has been reprinted and published countless times in the decades since, the photograph identified by its National Archives catalog number 80-G-315811 and recognized simply as a “US Navy photo”.

Cambell was never acknowledged as the photographer, by his own wish, as noted in his diary a month after the attack:

“Tuesday, May 15
Was talking to Pat today. He said the “Exec” told him the picture of the plane hitting the ship, was said to be the greatest picture so far of any action on a ship to be taken in this war, and to think I took it. Of course no one knows I took the picture except for my friends, as I told Pat to take the credit. I don’t care much.”

While some historians may not, as yet recognize “Buster” Campbell as the photographer who captured this dramatic event on film, his diary and photo collection speak for him.

NOTE: The diary and photo collection of “Buster” Campbell, as well as a collection of letters and documents were generously donated to the Archives & Collections of the Battleship Missouri Memorial, by his son Daniel.

The Battleship Missouri’s Ward Room now has a Kapiolani Boulevard address. The crew of CBS’ new series “Hawaii Five-0” has recreated the Ward Room at the former Honolulu Advertiser building for a scene to be featured in an upcoming episode that will also involve the entire ship. As part of its re-creation, the Missouri lent several items to the TV production, including a 10-inch Missouri model and the ship’s dishware. Watch Hawaii Five-0 to catch a glimpse!

This month’s collection showcase item is the Battleship Missouri herself — out of water for the first time in more than a decade for maintenance and preservation work. Read all about Battleship Missouri curator Mike Weidenbach’s experience as one of the first to walk UNDER the ship in 17 years. He shared his experience with the Associated Press after descending to the floor of Drydock 4 following the Missouri’s entry.

‘Mighty Mo’ undergoing $18M preservation (Washington Post / AP)

USS Missouri (BB-63) Association Annual Reunion

Over the Labor Day weekend, Weidenbach and vice president of development Sarah Tenney traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, for the annual reunion of USS Missouri veterans, hosted by the USS Missouri (BB-63) Association. They were honored to join this valiant group and their families as they mark the anniversary of Japan’s surrender and remember those we have lost but will never forget.

A Visit to National Archives

After attending the reunion, Weidenbach visited the MacArthur Memorial Archive and the National Archives to conduct research into all materials available related to the USS Missouri. The purpose for doing so was to identify, locate and view all available materials related to the ending of World War II; all of the surrenders that occurred throughout the Pacific/Asian theater; all materials related to the surrender ceremony aboard Missouri; materials related to post-war Japan; and materials related to kamikaze attacks in general and in particular those that impacted USS Missouri.

Pictured are Weidenbach with USS Missouri Plank Owner / WWII crewmember Ernie Thompson and Daniella Romano, director of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Archive, following an oral history interview with Ernie.

Over the Labor Day weekend, Battleship Missouri curator Michael Weidenbach and vice president of development Sarah Tenney traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, for the annual reunion of USS Missouri veterans, hosted by the USS Missouri (BB-63) Association. They were honored to join this valiant group and their families as they mark the anniversary of Japan’s surrender and remember those we have lost but will never forget.

After attending the reunion, Weidenbach visited the MacArthur Memorial Archive and the National Archives to conduct research into all materials available related to the USS Missouri. The purpose for doing so was to identify, locate and physically view all available materials related to the ending of World War II; all of the surrenders that occurred throughout the Pacific/Asian theater; all materials related to the surrender ceremony aboard Missouri; materials related to post-war Japan; materials related to kamikaze attacks in general and in particular those that impacted USS Missouri.

Pictured are Weidenbach with Plank Owner/WWII crewmember Ernie Thompson and Daniella Romano, director of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Archive, following an oral history interview with Ernie.

Bernard Chu visited the Battleship Missouri in 2002, stood on the Surrender Deck and thought about his father, Chu Chi Ping. His father had been a war correspondent for the Chinese newspaper, Ta Kung Pao, and was witness to the surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Bernard Chu looked at a photo displayed nearby and searched in vain to glimpse his father’s face.

During China’s post-war Cultural Revolution, all photos of Chi Ping Chu taken during the war-years had been lost or destroyed. He had been imprisoned and his reputation only recently restored. Bernard Chu was hopeful that a photographic record of his grandfather’s presence aboard the Battleship Missouri could be located.

He contacted the Battleship Missouri Memorial’s curator and together they began a detailed search among the many photographs taken that day. After pouring over the memorial’s photo collection, peering at each face under a magnifying glass, one finally emerged from among the many in view — a young man standing with notepad in hand, smiling and watching Admiral Chester Nimitz stride onto the deck prior to the ceremony.

An enlargement was made and sent to Bernard Chu who happily confirmed with his family that it was indeed his grandfather. That photo became the cover of a biography published by his former newspaper, Ta Kung Pao, to mark their 100th anniversary.

Excerpts from Chu Chi Ping’s 1985 reflections on that historic morning aboard USS Missouri follows:

HOW THE STORM OF WAR ABATED IN THE CALM OF MORNING

Forty years ago, I witnessed the formal surrender of the Japanese aboard the USS Missouri in a peaceful Tokyo Bay. .

.

As a war-time correspondent for Ta Kung Pao with the US Pacific Fleet, I boarded the USS Missouri at 7am on September 2, 1945 . . .

The 4500 ton flagship of Admiral William F. Halsey resembled a closely guarded island from a distance. Its tower and guns stood erect against the cloudy sky and its new coat of grey paint added even more solemnity to the occasion . . .

Even the band was silent as the Japanese delegation arrived in a light boat. Only the sound of flags whipping in the wind overhead broke the silence . . .

…Shigemitsu lurched forward dragging his stiff left leg. He set down his hat and cane, seated himself at the table, removed his gloves and picked up the documents. He scanned them for a minute or so, pulled out his fountain pen and affixed his signature on both documents on behalf of the Japanese Empire and government . . .

…The ceremony concluded at exactly 9:18.

The time struck me as exceedingly ironic. For the Chinese, the number had come to signify the (September 18) Shenyang incident of 1931, when Japan overran Manchuria . . .

…For more than 1000 years, friendship has been the dominant theme in Sino-Japanese relations. The war between the nations was an unfortunate digression from that lasting friendship. History has taught us that friendship benefits both nations and hostility brings only misery to both. The governments and peoples of both countries should cherish this lesson . . .”

One of the many sidebars of USS Missouri history is a special relationship with the Hansen’s disease settlement on Molokai’s Kalaupapa Peninsula.

When the USS Missouri (BB-63) arrived in Hawaiian waters on Father’s Day 1998 following her long transit under tow from her mothball berth in Bremerton, the residents of Molokai’s historic Kalaupapa Settlement were the first to see and welcome the Mighty Mo to Hawaii.

This passing was not without precedent and specific intent.

Under tow by the powerful ocean-going tug Sea Victory, commanded by Captain Kaare Ogaard, they followed the route taken by President Theodore’s Great White Fleet during their visit to the Islands in 1908.

Among this fleet of sixteen steam-powered, steel-hulled battleships that made up the Great White Fleet was the earlier USS Missouri (BB-11).

Upon approach to Hawaii, the fleet was ordered by President Roosevelt to alter its intended course in order to steam past the isolated settlement at Kalaupapa.

The presidential order was made in response to a special request by Brother Joseph Dutton, successor to Father Damien at Kalaupapa. Dutton was a Civil War veteran of the Union Army who had requested this passing for the benefit and honor of the residents of Kalaupapa.

As the great white armada passed Kalaupapa, their flags were duly dipped as a show of respect for the residents of the colony.

This noble gesture was repeated nearly 80 years later by the newly recommissioned USS Missouri (BB-63) on Sept. 19, 1986, as she departed Pearl Harbor to continue the first leg of a new circumnavigation of the world, the first undertaken by a U.S. Navy battleship since the cruise of the Great White Fleet just under eight decades prior.

As the USS Missouri (BB-63) passed the settlement, her crew manned the rails and saluted as a show of respect. Some of the residents of the settlement who had been welcomed onboard Missouri as special guests to witness this event described it afterward as a “trip of a lifetime.”

It was only appropriate that a dozen years later in 1998 the decomissioned Missouri, under tow to Hawaii to become the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Pearl Harbor, should also pass Kalaupapa peninsula enroute. As she passed Kalaupapa, Captain Ogaard dipped the flag of Sea Victory in honor of the settlement’s residents on behalf of the “Mighty Mo.”

Some of the greatest gifts our Collections/Archives Department receives are the memories of experience of former crewmembers and others inspired by the presence of Battleship Missouri.

One of those memories is that of Wendell Allen, a young civilian worker during World War II, whose patriotism took him from his home state of Missouri to the locks of the Panama Canal.

The cut through the Isthmus of Panama was first started in 1878 by French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal. The original project floundered amid tropical heat, disease and engineering failures. President Theodore Roosevelt revived the project with a sense of urgency at the turn of the century. Finally, on January 1, 1915, after more than 182 million cubic yards of land had been excavated by steam shovels, dredges, dynamite and the hard labor of 45,000 workers struggling across 50 miles of jungle, swamp and mountains … the freighter Ancon became the first vessel to transit from Atlantic to Pacific Oceans across the newly cut isthmus.

On July 15, 1915, the USS Missouri (BB-11), our battleship’s predecessor and a member of the Great White Fleet, was given the honor of being the first battleship to take the new shortcut to the Pacific Ocean.

The subsequent USS Missouri (BB-63), designed and constructed to fit — just barely — through the locks of the Panama Canal, passed through the canal for the first time on November 17, 1944, en route to war in the Pacific.

The Mighty Mo eventually passed through the canal eight times, twice in World War II, four times during the Korean War, once when headed for decommissioning in 1954, and the last time in December 1986 as the newly modernized Missouri returned from her historic round-the-world cruise. The process was always memorable.

With only inches to spare on either side, it became standard procedure for all scuppers to be removed prior to passing through the canal, and for lengths of 6-inch hawsers to be draped over the sides to try to keep the steel hull from scrapping along the concrete walls of the lock.

Former crewmember Herb Fahr recalls that

“the friction at times was so great that you could see smoke coming up from the burning rope.”

But there is one account and one transit of the lock that stands apart. No written record exists to verify whether this account is as factual in detail as it is in memory, but as Wendell Allen vividly recalls:

The war was over and I had my plane reservations and tickets for my return to the U.S. I suddenly learned that on the day I was to depart, the USS Missouri would transit the canal. There was no way I could miss that. So I delayed my departure until the following day.

All of the operators on the locks knew I was leaving. Since most all the lock employees were middle-aged, and I was the youngest among them, they were very paternal toward me.

When I told them I was delaying my departure because of the Missouri, I also told them it would be the last ship I would ever see transit the locks . . . and to make it perfect for me!

Their many years of experience came into play, and the men handled the 58,000-ton ship as deftly as a surgeon handles his scalpel.

The Battleship Missouri was slowly being pulled through the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal by the locomotives (called “donkeys”), on its way to the Atlantic Ocean and home! (after the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay)

They delicately pulled the Missouri through the few inches of available space without once touching the walls!

The ship’s beam is 108 feet, 3 inches. The locks at their widest point are 110 feet. To make it even more difficult, there are places where the concrete walls of the locks have warped, making them less than 110 feet wide.

This literally means that this massive battleship was being maneuvered, with at best, 10 inches of space on each side!

The lockage of the Missouri on that day was perfect. At no time did it touch the walls of the locks. Was this unusual? You bet!

Unless they read this, historians will never record that perfect lockage. For all they will know it was routine. Nor will they ever know it was perfect because the old-timers wanted to give a young man from Missouri the gift of this unique historical event, albeit anonymously.

Sometimes we have the opportunity to welcome aboard a returning member of the crew, as was the case when former PFC Maynard Turow, a member of the Missouri’s Marine Detachment from 1949 to 1951, recently returned for the first time after more than 50 years.

As we walked the decks his memories came flooding back and he stopped frequently to say, “I’ve got a story for you; got a minute?”

He was anxious to visit MARDET berthing, which in those days was located forward on the second deck.

When we were standing in the midst of modern coffin racks where the MARDET’s open bay of fold-up canvas racks once existed, he looked around, smiled and began:

“Me and my buddy were walking past the [Warrant] Officer’s Mess [just aft of this location] late one night and looked in and no one was there, but there was this whole ham sitting on one of the Mess tables. We looked at each other and my buddy grinned and before you know it we’d decided to steal it. My buddy said he’d run in when no one was looking and throw it to me.

So, that’s what we did, but when he picked it up and threw it to me, this big greasy ham hit my chest and slipped out of my hands and fell on the deck and starting rolling around under all the racks; and I was chasing after it, trying to be quiet but waking everyone up and so forth. But I finally secured that ham. So we went and washed it off in the head over there and then we all ate it.

Now, every morning the MARDET is up early for muster; all wearing our skivvies. For some reason that night, I forgot to change out of my greasy skivvies. So next morning at muster the Top Sergeant picks me right out: “Turow! Front and Center!” and says, “ Face the Marines!” So I turned and I could hear snickering in the ranks. The Top Sergeant came around and looked at me and says: “ Turow! How did you manage, between lights-out and now to cover yourself in grease?!” So I had to tell him the whole story about stealing the ham and he’s just staring at me and I’m figuring, I’m in for it now. When I finish telling him, he comes close and says: “Turow! You mean to tell me that you stole something from the US NAVY!?” I said, “Yes Sir!” thinking I’m in the brig for sure now. He’s pointing his finger right in my face and I’m waiting for the other foot to drop and he says: “Well, good for you, Turow! Return to ranks!” and he almost smiles, and that was that. And I can still see that ham.”

While we often think of history in broad strokes, former PFC Maynard Turow reminds us that history is always a very personal experience.

The attached photo is of former US Missouri Marines PFC Maynard Turow (Left) and his buddy “Smith”.

In the days immediately following the Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) on Sept. 2, 1945, the ship set course for Pearl Harbor. On Sept. 20, enroute to Hawaii, she was officially designated the flagship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Subsequently, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz held a reception on her deck at Ten-Ten Dock, the former mooring of the pre-Dec. 7, 1941 fleet flagship, USS Pennsylvania.

During the stopover in Hawaii, the officer’s and crew enjoyed Hawaiian hospitality to the utmost. And, while they were ashore, the joiners, millmen, shipwrights and boat builders of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Shops 63 and 68 got to work onboard, repairing and preparing the ship for her formal “welcome home” during Navy Day on Oct. 27 in New York City.

Those who worked on the ship in Pearl Harbor were especially proud to do so, and as the opportunity arose, they kept a token of their efforts in the form of this small folded card with a tiny slice of teak decking removed from the “Surrender Deck.” (Provided courtesy of Bette Larrabee of Waianae, Hawaii)

The 1952 USS Missouri cruise book, unlike cruise books of earlier and later years, offers almost no identification of crewmembers pictured, or what duties or activities in which they are shown participating. Luckily, one of the ship’s photographers, Robert A. Scarsciotti, was able to lend his assistance. Scarsciotti worked as a ship’s photographer in the Operations Department’s K Division from 1952 to 1954. He had broad access to the ship and crew and has been able to identify who, what, where and why photographs were taken. In short, he has enabled these historic images, this record of life at sea aboard the Mighty Mo, to tell their stories.

Scarsciotti is pictured working at his photo enlarger in Missouri’s photo lab — and keeping out of trouble for a brief period. We are fully indebted to Mr. Scarsciotti for his very special contribution of photographs and for the knowledge and insight that he has willingly shared.

We are excited to launch the opening of the new "Crew's Room", a special area on the ship dedicated to showcasing personal items and collectables from MightyMo crew members. The items in our Collections are a remembrance of service aboard MISSOURI. Each item is precious, providing us a window into the living history and personal experience of her crew. Now, visitors will be able to experience more items. To set up a special visit of the Crew's Room, call 808-455-1600 x235.

aft diesel "Many of the items in our Collections are simply a remembrance of service aboard MISSOURI recorded on a "snap shot". Each image is precious, providing us a window into the living history and personal experience of her crew.

Herb Fahr, former President of the crewmember's USS Missouri Association provided this view of himself and shipmates at their duty station below decks in "Aft Diesel", circa mid-1950's.

Pictured are:

Harold P. Alston, EN3; Roy J. Hartman, FN; Donald Moler, EN1; William Nugent, ENFN; Lynn Decker, EN3; Gerald F. Anderson, EN3; and Herb Fahr, END2, A Division's, Aft Diesel crew, circa: '53 - '55."

September 2008 - Bronze Eagle Award

Our historical restoration efforts onboard MISSOURI are aimed to reflect the living history and experiences of those who served aboard. When MISSOURI arrived in Pearl Harbor in 1998, the onboard office of MISSOURI's last Command Master Chief, Master Chief Personnelman (SW) Timothy C. Hofman conatined a desk and file cabinets and little else. Our restoration of this key location onboard relied almost exclusively on three photos from the 1991 ship's cruise book and the recollection of Senior Chief Hofman, now living in Tasmania.

When everything was completed as accuarately as possible, the bronze eagle remained conspicuously absent from the setting. Then one day recently, the Eagle landed, and arrived on-site among bubble-wrap and other reminders of service aboard, from former Command Master Chief Hofman himself.

A bronze eagle may seem like a minor detail of authenticity among the increidble and ovoerwhelming historic details of Battleship Missouri, but we must never forget that history is an individual experience. As we glimpse the personal reminders of individual experience by Senior Chief Hofman, we are given the opportunity to better understand and appreciate the contribution of all those who serve - and to always remember.

August 2008 - Halsey Message

The following is an excerpt from the three page transcript of Admiral Halsey’s message to the Officers and Men of the Third Fleet. Sent on August 15, 1945 following the official word that Japan had surrendered:

“The war has ended. You in conjunction with your brothers in arms of all services have contributed inestimably to this final result…Your names are written in golden letters on the pages of history—your fame is and shall be immortal. Wherever you have met the foe, on the sea on the land or in the air, you have been supreme…Because of your fighting qualities and the fighting qualities of our brothers in arms of all services our beloved land has not known the ravages of war, our dear ones at home have not been endangered.Give praise to God Almighty for this and give humble and grateful thanks that He saw fit to use us as His instruments.Victory is not the end. Rather it is but the beginning. We must establish a peace. A firm, a just, and an enduring peace; a peace that will enable all decent nations to live without fear and in prosperity; a peace that will glorify the inherent dignity and nobility of mankind….I wish it were possible for me to meet, greet, and know each officer and man of our fighting Third Fleet…You will always occupy a special and honored space in my mind and heart…To those of our brothers that have given their all—who made the supreme sacrifice—hail! Rest with God. The memory of you will never die. Your names and your deeds will rest with and be an inspiration to all decent mankind through all ages…To all of you belongs the credit. And I shall do all within my limited powers to see that you receive it. Again and again God bless you and well done. Halsey”

The photograph is from the Campbell collection.Admiral Halsey (center)confers with Admiral H.B. Rawlings of the Royal Navy (left) and Admiral John S. McCain (right). Several who attended are not visible in the picture. The date is August 11, 1945 as word is arriving that the Japanese will surrender, though not yet announced officially.

July 2008 -- Dental Restoration

Among the many artifacts and archival materials in the USS Missouri Memorial Association’s Collections, none other is more important or imposing as Battleship Missouri, the ship herself.

While we tend to think of the Mighty Mo as a special place to be visited and explored rather than as a museum “artifact”, from the curatorial perspective every passageway, every compartment, every piece of equipment or furnishing is part of a vast and vital inventory of items that are part of, and combine together to become our primary artifact - Battleship Missouri.

Accurate restoration of that primary artifact in all her details is an equally vital aspect of the job we do.

Piece by piece and compartment by compartment the USS Missouri Memorial Association is striving to accurately restore and maintain Battleship Missouri to reflect her operational appearance.

Restoration of the ship’s dental facility is one of the special projects currently underway.

By research, use of available images taken during her operational period, the recollections of her former dental officers and dental technicians; and with the special cooperation and support of active Naval and our civilian dental community, great strides have been made in restoration of these facilities.

The completed project will reveal to visitors fully restored dental facilities that include the dental office, two operatories and an X-Ray room, a prosthetics lab, supply room, patient waiting area, dental officer’s staterooms and the living area of enlisted dental and medical personnel.

The restoration will be accurate to Battleship Missouri’s final period of operation, consistent with restoration efforts throughout the battleship. Combined with other restoration projects previously completed or currently underway, the broad view and proud legacy of life at sea aboard Battleship Missouri continues to evolve.

June 2008 -- Sword

Last month, A. Bruce Jensen, Jr. donated a unique item to the USS Missouri Memorial collections - a Japanese Imperail Army officer's sword.

The sword was recovered from the Japanese garrison on the island of Kosrae ("ko-shry") in the closing days of World War II. Though no major battles took place on Kosrae, the local inhabitants did occasionally rise up against their Japanese occupiers, as was the case with this particular garrison. The sword remained in the hands of two local residents until they passed it on to an American residing in the Marshall Islands in teh 1970's. Mr. Jensen received the sword in 1973.

These exquistely crafted swords are wonderful to behold and we are honored and humbled to have this particular one in our collections.

May 2008 - Scrapbook

We were honored when retired naval officer Taylor Keith donated his father’s scrapbook to our organization. His father, Captain Taylor Keith, was Commanding Officer of the Missouri from April 1 – September 18, 1954. The scrapbook contains a wealth of wonderful photos, news clippings and other memorabilia from the Captain’s tenure at the helm of the Mighty Mo.

In the summer of 1954, the Missouri conducted a midshipman training cruise during which time the ship visited several European ports including Cherbourg France which was celebrating the 10th anniversary of the city’s liberation in 1944 following the Allied landings in Normandy.

Also on hand for the festivities was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth. Captain Keith sent a letter greeting Churchill with the words, “It is my privilege to send to you the most respectful greetings of the officers, Midshipmen and men of the United States Ship Missouri…Your example of unstinting and unselfish service is an inspiration to each of us.”

The great Prime Minister’s reply can be seen in the attached photo. Also shared was a photo of Captain Keith standing with Admiral Chester Nimitz next to the surrender plaque.

book letter

April 2008 - Photograph & Letter

The Scally Collection features a rare circa-1904 photograph and two-page, hand-written letter from USS Missouri (BB-11) former crewmember J.P. Starr. These items were found in an old farm building in the U.S. Northeast by donors David and Tracy Scally and are some of the few artifacts and archival materials in our collection from the predecessor of the USS Missouri (BB-63).

scally

BB-11 was a member of the Great White Fleet, whose 16 battleships famously circumnavigated the world in a grand show of the United States’ naval presence during the presidency of “Teddy” Roosevelt. The fleet stopped in Honolulu Harbor in July 1908, nearly a century ago. BB-11 was also the first Navy vessel to transit the newly completed Panama Canal. A museum-quality model of BB-11 is on display near a model of her BB-63 counterpart in the Ward Room at the Battleship Missouri Memorial.

Click here to read the transcription of the letter by J.P. Starr, Jan. 3, 1904, USS Missouri (BB-11)in full.

March 2008 - Boyle Items

Commander Lee D. Boyle hailed from Carlsbad, California. Commander Boyle was the first Supply Officer aboard the newly commissioned USS Missouri and one of the few senior officers who we have had the opportunity to interview for our Life History Program.

Prior to his passing, former Commander Boyle donated a large collection of personal items, ship’s newspapers, and other materials that have greatly increased our knowledge and understanding of life at sea aboard USS Missouri during World War II. Commander Lee D. Boyle, (SC), USN, Class of 1930 Naval Academy graduate, was a line officer for five years before transferring to the Supply Corps.

He headed the department that fed, clothes, compensated the crew, and procured materials for the upkeep and operation of the ship. In addition, his department operated two ship’s stores, a soda fountain, barber shop, cobbler shop, tailor shop, and the ship’s laundry.

February 2008 - Truman signed Postcard

The collections item for this month is a card expressing “Best Wishes to the Royal Judge” signed by President Harry S. Truman, Mrs. Truman and their daughter Margaret Truman.

From our collection

The “Royal Judge” addressed in the card is that of former Navy Chief Hugh Bellar, a Chief Metalsmith onboard MISSOURI during the Truman’s return voyage from Rio de Janeiro following a conference in September 1947. The card expresses appreciation by the Truman family for their treatment aboard during their participation in the traditional “Crossing the Line” initiation as they crossed the equator for the first time. Chief Bellar had the honor of pronouncing sentence on the hapless Pollywogs as they suffered the insults necessary for them to earn the title of (trusty) Shellback.

The Chief Hugh Bellar Collection was donated by his son, John Robbins, and is especially notable for its many photographs of shipboard life, ship’s newspapers and personal keepsakes.

January 2008 - Nazi Flag

Traced back to the German Embassy in Tokyo, this WWII-era flag is a reminder of the once powerful and notorious influence of the Third Reich. The Nazi party flag was recovered September 5, 1945, by U.S. airmen of the 13th Troop Carrier Squadron — just three days after Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Their signatures can be viewed around the swastika. The date is written on the upper left hand corner.

Donated by Randall Brown** of Fort Worth, Texas.

**Randall Brown’s father was a member of the 13th.

December 2007 - Kamikaze Related Letter Opener

This letter opener was donated by the son of a navy baker, “Buster” Campbell, who served aboard Missouri during WWII. Campbell also moonlighted as a ship’s photographer and took the famous image of an attacking kamikaze “Zeke” aircraft on April 11, 1945 as it struck Missouri. The letter opener was made from a recovered fragment of the aircraft wreckage.

Also pictured are the photo of the kamikaze attack taken by Buster Campbell, as well as a photo of Buster Campbell (taken at the 08 level bridge vantage point from where he took the famous photo).

USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 879, Aiea, Hawaii 96701
Phone: (808)423-2263
Email: bigmo@ussmissouri.org
Web: www.USSMissouri.org

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