Battleship Missouri

The Battleship Missouri.  This ship was really quite impressive.  The size alone was astounding but the history that went with it was even more so.  It is permanently docked in Pearl Harbor as a museum.  Again our day for this could not have been better.  As we approached this massive war ship we got that feeling of anticipation and awe, knowing what this ship has been through.  Her last mission was the Gulf war.  I have a friend whose dad served in the gulf war and I remembered how worried she was at the time of deployment so I was all ears as our guide went on to describe her victory.  As she talked about how this ship is fast but her technology is old, my thoughts went straight to the movie "Battleship"  How they had this ship that non of the soldiers knew how to operate because the systems were too old.  So they had the old veterans come aboard and run the ship.  (that was my favorite part of the movie.)
 My mother instilled in us a very proud sense of patriotism growing up probably because her father served in  WWII as a photographer.  He was stationed in Iwo Jima.  His job was to sneak behind enemy lines to take pictures of their camps then smuggle himself back over to give his intel.  It was partly because of him that they were so successful.  He ended up with a few war wounds but his legacy lived on.

the beautiful teak decking

Back to the Missouri.  I was surprised to learn that the deck was made of teak.  Not for aesthetics but because the teak would not allow sparks to  ignite the ammunition.

the bow

sea mine

One thing extremely notable about this ship is that Japan surrendered on its deck.  This is notable because Japan had never surrendered before.
We spent about 3 hours on this ship reading. learning, and exploring. Scott checked out the dental office and contemplated what it would be like to work there, as he almost joined the military for his schooling.
All in all I had a good time aboard the Missouri.  I don't think I could ever live aboard a ship because I would get stir crazy but I am grateful for those that do to protect our country.

the surrender spot

captains quarters 

Gotta love a man in uniform.
these guys were getting ready for an event and were kind enough to pose for me.
I loved that they were so respectful and treated me like a lady.

close quarters

I couldn't believe how thick this door is.  Its about 2 feet thick.