Why the USS Missouri has been described as the most famous battleship ever built

Laid down in January 1941, the USS Missouri was the last Iowa-class battleship to enter service, and was actually christened by then-Sen. Harry S. Truman's daughter, Margaret Truman.

Source: US Navy, The National Interest

As an Iowa-class battleship, the most powerful class of battleships, the Missouri was armed with nine huge 16-inch guns, 20 five-inch guns, 80 40mm anti-aircraft guns, and 49 20mm anti-aircraft guns.

The Mighty Mo's 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 guns fired 1,900 and 2,700 pound projectiles up to 24 miles away.

In fact, the guns were so powerful that they recoiled four feet when fired, with the blast pressure pushing the water out, creating the illusion that the ship was moving sideways.

Source: US Navy, Business Insider

The warship was also incredibly fast, with a top speed of 33 knots, or about 38 mph, about 6 mph faster than the older South Dakota-class battleships.

During World War II, the Missouri supported the landing at Iwo Jima with her 16" guns, the bombardment of Okinawa and the island of Hokkaido, and more.

Source: US Navy

In April 1945, the Missouri took one of its only known hits when a Japanese Kamikaze pilot evaded the Mighty Mo's anti-aircraft guns and hit the battleship's side below the main deck. But the impact caused minor damage.

Source: US Navy

In fact, just a few months later in September 1945, World War II officially came to an end on the deck of the Mighty Mo, where the Instruments of Surrender were signed by the Allies and Japanese in Tokyo Bay.

The Mighty Mo sailed the Mediterranean in 1946 in a show of force against Soviet incursion. Four years later, in September 1950, the battleship joined missions as part of the Korean War.

As the flagship of Vice Adm. A. D. Struble, who commanded the 7th Fleet, the Missouri bombed Wonsan, and the Chonjin and Tanchon areas in October 1950. For the next three years, the Mighty Mo would bombard several other areas too, including Chaho, Wonsan, Hamhung, and Hungnam.

The Mighty Mo was later decommissioned, for the first time, in February 1955 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Source: US Navy

But in 1986, with the Cold War still raging, the Mighty Mo was brought back to life as part of the Navy's new strategy that sent naval task groups into Soviet waters in case of a future conflict.

The Navy also modernized the Mighty Mo as part of its recommissioning, removing some of its five-inch guns and installing Harpoon and Tomahawk cruise missiles, Stinger short-range surface-to-air missiles, and Phalanx close-in weapons systems.

Source: US Navy, The National Interest

And these new weapons were put to use during the Gulf War, where the Mighty Mo fired at least 28 cruise missiles, as well as several hundred 16" rounds, on Iraqi targets.

In fact, the Mighty Mo had a fairly close call on Feb. 23 when it was firing 16" rounds in support of an amphibious landing along the Kuwaiti shore.

The Missouri's loud 16" guns apparently attracted enemy attention, and the Iraqis fired an HY-2 Silkworm missile at the ship. But the British frigate HMS Gloucester came to its rescue, shooting the missile down with GWS-30 Sea Dart missiles.

Source: US Navy

In 1992, the Mighty Mo was decommissioned for the second and last time. The battleship was removed from the Navy's reserve list in 1995, and moved to Pearl Harbor as a museum and memorial ship in 1998.

Source: US Navy