USS Missouri - The World At War (1944-1950) 

My grandfather served on the Missouri and is still alive today. He will be 98 this year

My dad was a gunner on the USS Missouri and witness first hand is surrender signing and I remember him telling me stories about the weebles in the bread I'm proud and honored to have a dad that served this country God bless this great United States

Anyone else remember when the History channel used to play great shows like this instead of garbage reality? Great video!

She made a visit to Victoria in the 1980's on what I believe was her final voyage. It was monstrously beautiful.

As an American and a retired US Army Infantryman, I’m proud of our Navy, they’ve always answered the call when asked. I had a friend when I lived at NAS Pt. Mugu while living in base housing in 97-99 who was the Command Master Chief of the base, Kenny Orick, he once told me something that best describes our Navy; ‘Men belong on ships, ships belong at sea, land is a navigational hazard that should be avoided at all times!” Well done to all Sailors who find this.

I live in Arizona and the USS Arizona was one of my favorite ships. Battleships have always impressed me and the Super-Dreadnought was a Classic battle ship. When the Iowa Class started coming out it didn't take long for them to impress me either. The Missouri now stands guard over the Arizona, and all those men, who deserve a peaceful rest.

God bless all these men,may their sacrifices,and memories never be forgotten.

Congratulations and thank you for your service to all those who served on the USS Missouri. I'm an ex air force type and in my retirement, I've been closely involved with military documentaries. Also, one of my civvie jobs was as a film and TV critic. I've got to commend all those who made these two absolutely excellent documentaries on 'The Mighty Mo'. These were no Navy Public Affairs productions; with respect, they were much more personal, direct and genuine with no 'PR-speak'. In the first documentary of this two-part series, when I first saw Wes Carey, I was convinced he was a professional narrator/broadcaster etc. His speaking voice is perfect for that kind of work. I was amazed when I read the end-credits of this video to learn he was the former First Lieutenant on the Missouri and that he was a career naval officer. I was deeply touched by the personal stories of those former crewmen who had the privilege of serving on such a magnificent ship. The visuals, along with Wes Carey's narration, unfolded an intensely personal saga of the exploits of this famous vessel. The footage of the Japanese surrender ceremony is also, personally, special to me as it showed brief glimpses of General Sir Thomas Albert Blamey, C-i-C Australian Military Forces who signed the surrender document on behalf of the people and Government of Australia. For more than 12 years, a colleague and I have been researching General Blamey's life and career as, perhaps, the most controversial and famous soldier in Australia's history, along with General Sir John Monash, who had Thomas Blamey as his Chief of Staff during WW1. General Blamey was the only Australian soldier to be appointed a Field Marshal, by the former King shortly before Tom Blamey’s untimely death in 1951. General, Blamey worked closely with General Douglas MacArthur during his time in Australia and New Guinea. The two men had a somewhat 'stormy' relationship during WW2; however, it was MacArthur who invited General Blamey to be on-board the USS Missouri on her 'surrender deck' that historic day in Tokyo Bay. This did not go down well with the, then, Australian Prime Minister, Ben Chifley who, for petty political reasons, didn't like General Blamey; in fact he was to later strip him of his C-i-C AMF position and force Blamey into a retirement he didn't want. The Australian government did nothing to assist in getting General Blamey to Japan. Upon hearing this, General MacArthur made a personal gift of a B-24 Liberator to Blamey. He used this aircraft well for it enabled him to travel from the USS Missouri, via the closest airfield, to personally take the surrender of the Japanese 2nd Army at Morotai 7 days later, on September 9, 1945. Like MacArthur, General Blamey refused to sit at the surrender table with the Japanese commanding general then, after signing on behalf of the Allied powers, General Blamey made one of the most scathing speeches of WW2; stating in no-nonsense language that he did not respect the Japanese Imperial Forces, then briefly listed what he referred to as Japan's war crimes and brutal atrocities. It's a speech well worth reading at: www.TheBlameyEnigma.com.au (see the NEWS EXTRA section for an original reproduction of his speech document). Thank you so much Señor Alec Thompson for uploading these two great documentaries on the world's best known and, very likely, greatest battleship. Kind regards, BH

My Grandfather was a Brigadier General in the Army and was present at the surrender ceremony. Those present were given a commemorative wallet card attesting to their being present. I have his framed and often look at it and wonder what it must have felt like being there. Unfortunately he passed away when I was to young to know enough about the war to have meaningful conversations about it. But I am very proud of him, and my father as well who served in the NAVY in Europe. The people of their generation were and are a special breed. This documentary helped me understand a little bit of what it must have been like to be there. Thank you‼️ 🇺🇸

If you ever get a chance to visit an Iowa class battleship (Missouri, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Iowa) walk all the way to the bow and look back at the most beautiful lines on a ship. The slope on the rails, the 6 big guns etc. They really are amazing ships!

The first person account of the surrender ceremony by the Chief Carpenters Mate was an amazing bit of history.

In around 1967 my Dad was one of the Boy Scout Master's who took our Group to Bremerton Washington Naval Base where the Missouri was Moth Bailed and we got to take a Tour of the Mighty MO as she was called. Looking back now I realized what an honor it was and still is to have been aboard such a great part of our Countries history that gave us today our beloved freedom and saved our lives as Americans in this beautiful Country we call the United States . Don't Tread on us. God Bless America and all we stand for! Love it or leave it. I Love America. Steven Bond USNR.

My neighbor who just passed a month ago, served on the Missouri. He was on deck during the Surrender in Tokyo Bay. Truly the Greatest Generation.

I forgot how much the 16 inch barrells weight, but they are so massive that they never get replaced, only the rifled liner gets replaced. when firing the rifling extrudes out the muzzle and has to be sawed off with a hacksaw. Gunnersmate Chief retired.

The young guy standing in the back (39:44) is 25 years old, my dad! I found this totally by accident when I was just looking at this video because of my interest in the Missouri. Dad died in 1994, but I will always remember our talks when myself and my family would come to visit them on Long Island. Needless to say, I was very proud of his time on the Missouri serving our country!

This is just great.. They should show this in High Schools I did Security at this local High School for my retirement job and none of the kids knew anything about WW2.. Real sad.

I went aboard her in Bahrain at the end of Desert Storm. I went to the ships store to get a mug, but they were sold out so I settled for a ball cap. It was great to see her alive and well. The first time I saw her was in moth balls in Bremerton WA. While we were in Bremerton the NJ parked next to us when she came back form "Nam.

We toured the Mighty Mo at Pearl when my son was stationed there. Our tour guide was top notch. He said that MacArthur ordered to have all the biggest and tallest sailors they could find to line the pathway the Japanese delegation would take while walking to the surrender desk. The guide said it was one final show of strength. Looking at some of the footage, I'm inclined to believe it. BTW, if you get the chance, you have to take the tour, spend the extra $$ for the top of the line tour package. You get to tour the engine rooms, fire control, turrets, etc. Amazing tour. Plus when you leave, you smell like a battle ship. It has a very unique smell, kind of a mix of bunker fuel, steel, paint, history. I hated having to wash my shirt.. I'd take the tour again without hesitation.

It's nice to hear the story from the standpoint of `ordinary guys' who were actually there at the time, and not just academic talking-heads...

I graduated from Salem HS in Salem, MO and joined the US Navy becoming a helicopter crewman and rescue swimmer. During PacEx 89 my hello flew to the USS Missouri and I got to step on deck. I made my way up the starboard side to assist a PM into a Gumby suit so he could take photos of the Mighty Mo shooting those 16” guns. It was an unforgettable event. Even though I failed to recognize the Admiral when he asked how things were going. My reply was terse and when I stood up and turned around to see the 3 stars on his lapel I apologized for my disrespect. He told me to carry on as I was in the midst of doing my job. I look forward to one day going to Pearl Harbor to stand upon that deck again and pay my respects to my shipmates on the USS Arizona.

My dad was a radarman on the Missouri in Korea. He had many stories.

World War II history will never get old to me. Because I get to hear the people that did it all speak to me about what they experienced. I can listen to veterans talk all day about what they did. As someone who has in the army right now, I want to make those Better and smile and be proud

He was describing trying to sleep in a rack during a typhoon on a battleship. Try it on an LST with tanks in the hold and 450 Marines just coming from a combat zone. I was with 3/9 in 1969 when we were pulled out of Vietnam. We went thru 2 typhoons in the 7 days it took us to get to Okinawa. That was an experience to remember. SEMPER FI Brothers and Sisters

Interesting hearing about/seeing Radio 2. Dad's home away from home in 1948-1949. Dad was a lowly ET then but loved that ship. His job was maintaining the RADAR repeater in the Admiral's Cabin for most of his time on-board. He would have been there for Korea but the Navy said he needed to go to Great Lakes for more training. Then they kept him there as an instructor till 1953. He tried hard to get back to it but never did. A picture of the MO hangs on the wall here.

Was really nice to see this.my grandpa was a gunner on turret 2 through all this. Makes me proud to know I was watching him.

Great video! Your Fight was not vain boys!!! Many Americans have thrived because of your great sacrifices aboard the USS Missouri!

Reminds me when my Father told me when he was on a ship in a convoy from New Jersey to Europe in a storm during World War 2. He said everybody was sick as a dog, throwing up. I am glad I joined the Army so I was a veteran like him.

The pic of the shells leaving the main guns was one i never saw. Thanks for posting.

I proudly served on the U.S.S. Missouri BB-63 during the Gulf War. Lt. Carey was head of my division. Good job Wes!

Whoever posted this.....thanks!!! What a great way to learn about history; through the eyes of the men that were there!! To me, the Iowa Class Battleships are beautiful yet powerful ships that for the day had no equal. They should've put racing stripes on her hull instead of their regular camouflage. I mean 35.2 knots (1968 USS NEW JERSEY) is in-fucking-sane for ANY combat ship, much less a 58,000 ton battleship!!!

Seeing her launch from the drydock put a tear to my eye.

I have always been fascinated with our country during WW2 and to hear and see the veterans who served on the ship during that time in American history makes it all the more interesting.

Royal Australian navy's 75th birthday, 1986 BB63 spent some time in Sydney and I spent two hours walking around her decks. I'll never forget that as long as I live.

I had a boss who was an officer that was involved with targeting the enemy on Halsey's flagship. He said that coming into Tokyo Bay was the only time he was ever scared in the war. There were large shore guns that defended that harbor. The Japanese had been ordered to cover those guns with canvas to make them visible in case the battleship had to fire at them. He said it was a terrible feeling going in in single file. But he also got to see the surrender.

My Wife and I went on to The Missouri last year, a great ship.

Amazing documentary. Thanks for posting.

Yup! A WELL DESERVED "Welcoming Home"!! All we got in '67 was being called "Baby Killers"! We were asked, (for our own good) to NOT wear our uniforms as we disembarked from the plane! It wasn't until 2005, at my local church in Blue Ridge, Ga., that our Pastor asked for all the Nam era vets to please stand, and FORMALLY said "WELCOME HOME", and went around and shook each one's hand. Yeah, I cried. Thanx Pastor Rene.

Watching this makes me yearn for something great again. I am obsessed with this ship. My grandfather served on it as a Baker. I would love to find photos of him aboard. If anyone has early photos or documents, please reach out.

The table used had to be chased down later as it had been returned to the messdeck and was back in use:)

There is no question in my mind this is the greatest Generation to ever live. Millennials you have a lot to learn from these men.

This has to be the best documentary I ever watched. I love history, and ww2 is my favorite along with the civil war. This documentary would have been nothing without these really classy guys who were stationed on the Missouri. They are prime examples of the people referred to as the greatest generation. I don’t know how long ago this was filmed, but it definitely was quite a while ago. If they are still living I hope they are well. If not, I hope they, and all former veterans are resting in peace. They all deserve so much respect and admiration from all of us.

During WW2, my dad worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and worked on building “Big Mo”. Later years, he told me a lot about the ships he worked on including repairs on the French battleship Richelieu. The Mo was way ahead of the times and was third of the last great class of Iowa BBs. Decades later, I was sworn in as a police officer in New York. During field training, my FTO requested “Big Mo” to haul a crashed ten wheeler from an accident scene. I asked him what he had requested and he replied that it was our biggest tow truck. She got her name when the new truck arrived behind Vehicle Maintenance Bureau building. One of the cops said, “wow, looks like the Big Mo”, thereby naming the truck and that name is still being used even after the truck was replaced several times and the nickname has survived to this day.

these two men are the most beautiful men,( besides my stepfather), I have ever seen and listened to. thank you guys (men). D Cameron

I am a Baby Boomer, this year I turn 62 years of age this year. For the first time this week, I felt really old when the naming of the graduating class of 2019 is called the Z generation. These kids were not even born when 9-11 happened. I am proud to be a son of the Greatest Generation.

The guidance provided by Tom McKenna is spot on and very well detailed. I knew the man and he was a great gun mechanic. Fair Winds and Following Seas.

Thanks for this post. It made slugging through the click-bate crap you see on RU-vid worthwhile. I was aboard the the Mighty Mo in 1972 when she was in moth balls in Bremerton and have a photo of the surrender plaque, it was quite a moving experience.

The best way to understand is from those who lived it. This video will span the test of time. Great job!!!! #GENERATIONUNSTOPABLE

Absolutely fantastic doc. God bless the fighting men of these battleships. Let the Mighty Mo and The New Jersey Iowa Class battleships be a reembrace for all history buffs.

Very cool. Thanks for bringing it to us.

That moment when you realize this video plays on the *_USS Missouri’s Virtual Tour Website - in the Gun Turret_* ...

So beautiful. THANK YOU!

This documentary is beyond excellent. Fantastic to hear the veterans' stories.

These mobile artillery platforms are amazing. Interesting how she was built with one function in mind and then transitioned to another which greatly extended her life. It is too bad that the" Mighty Mo" wasn't involved in the two Battleship on Battleship campaigns in the Pacific. They were the Guadalcanal Campaign and the last Battleship on Battleship action in the Surigao Strait during the Leyte Gulf campaign. It would have been interesting to see the USS Missouri take on the Yamato. With the advanced radar-guided fire control systems on the USS Missouri, it would have been an interesting battle between these two giants. My money would be on the USS Missouri. She could have sat in the rain squalls that shielded the retreat of the Jeep Carriers and just pounded away on the Yamato. With the Yamato's crude radar system she would have been firing almost blindly while Missouri zeroed in on her.

This is really cool to hear these old sea dogs relate their personal experiences.

Miss you Wes! Great Job on this Video. My kids went crazy when you mentioned my name in the Desert Storm segment. - Joe Raskin

My uncle was aboard SHAW (DD-373) at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and served aboard the rebuilt ship until early 1945 when he was transferred to MISSOURI. So he was in at the beginning and at the end, to see the Japanese surrender. He was quite a guy. I once asked him about all,the actions, and his experiences, during the war, and after a moment of thought, he said, ‘Well, I guess the best thing to say about all of that was the chow was a lot better on the battleship.” They were different men.

Really nice to see our History...from our brave who fought in this War!

What a great ship with so much history serving in ww2 to the dessert storm war.

This was such a great video. Glad I got to see it and the history. I’ve been aboard this beautiful ship here in Hawaii. My granddaughter was on this ship also. Just not with me but i got the picture.

I love these big ships! So majestic and powerful!

When it was docked in Bremerton WA I took a tour of the ship. I stood at the plaque where the war was ended. Really cool feeling. I didn't know it was struck by a kamikaze and probably walked past that spot without even knowing. Thought about what it must've been like back then. Was great experience

I was on that battleship when I was a kid it was in port in Bremerton Washington in 1970s sometime

I had a friend who served in the Navy during the Korean War.. At the landing at Inchon the tide went out and their transport ship was stuck on a mud flat. They were taking small arms fire from a house on a hill. Alfred started the story with "you are not going to believe this". They radioed the Beach Master, explained their problem. With one shot with one of the 16" guns the Big Mo took the house off the map from 23 miles away. I said Al I'll be your best witness. Al said how you weren't there. I said "no but I worked with the gunner. Bob Bland, Bridgport , Ohio. Bob started the story with " You are not going to believe this but at Inchon we were asked to take out a house on the beach 24 miles away. With one shot I took the house off the map.

Thanks for this Great telling of a Great ship in history....

I saw this great ship in Sydney harbour in the 80's . Huge ! Remember the men of the USN .

I'm doing research on the steamship SS West Texas (freighter and passenger ship) that was built in 1919 on the great lakes in Superior, Wisconsin and was in civilian service from Philadelphia to Houston twice a week until it was needed by the War Department in 1943. It was part of the Liberty Ship Merchant Marine fleet and survived the war only to by sold after the war in 1946 to China, and then finally scrapped in Taiwan in 1955. Thanks to whoever posted this video - amazing footage and personal stories.

My brother, John Ziesemer, was stationed on Missouri during the first Gulf War.

At 40:37 the comment is made that the first of five pens used by MacArthur was presented to General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell. That is incorrect as British General Arthur Percival received that pen.

Wonderful. Well done and with the personal touch. We could never build a ship like the Missouri again.

As an ex army ex sailor. it warms my heart a 16 " broadside does

Every American school kid should be required to watch the whole World At War series before they graduate from high school. i watched it when it was broadcast on TV in 1974. You cannot really appreciate the sacrifice of the greatest generation until you do. My father's two older brothers were killed in the European theater, a week apart, a month before the war ended in 1945.

May we never forget the sacrifices of ALL our service men and women both then and now. We lose so many of our WWII veterans every day, and soon there will be none. Honor them whenever you can. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

My grandpa captain William B. Newhart USMC was standing on the surrender deck when the Japanese signed the surrender.

I don’t know why but it hit me deep when the crew buried their deceased enemies remains at sea respectfully and humanely.... even though he brought destruction to the Missouri. Anyone else feel that?

My father served aboard this ship during the Korean War. 17 years old, supporting his mom and siblings after the death of his father. He sent home all his pay and washed other's clothes, polished shoes for his spending money. He retired after 25 years and didn't tel anyone but me. We would go on drives until his secret was unsustainable. The military was all he ever did during his entire adult life and he had no idea how to become a civilian. It terrified him.

7:07- "They're still there." Sobering.

My dad served in the Royal Navy and did joint manoeuvres with the 6th fleet as it was then and the missouri was flagship at the time, more i cannot say apart from it was after the war and pre 53 when my dad left the navy. He always said what an impressive ship she was and always had a love for the battleships and was so sad that HMS Vanguard wasn't saved for tha nation in the way so many USA capitol ships were. I really enjoyed this video, it brought back memories of my dad and his love for the navy life.

Absolute brilliant memory so historical

It was a true honor for me serving aboard the Mighty Mo.

This is the best !!! I love history 😀😀😀😀😀😀👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Thank you for the video. I am a volunteer on the IOWA.

nice one, Not seen this Doc before, will share it with my World of Warships Clan

GREAT VIDEO !!!

i miss my grandad ... he had lots of stories from ww2 in the navy .... my grandad from my dads side never talked about it ... he was in the army ... both him and his twin were proper heros . i herd some stories from my family ... not alot . but the places they were . i respect them more than anyone now ... just wish i had talked to them more . as far as i know .. my great uncle was part of the "desert rats" the pre-cursor for the SAS .....

I’d love to go see this historic ship

"Taking water over Turret 2" Damn that's a storm.

She’s a glorious ship. These men must be proud to serve on her.

Outstanding video!

Spent 30 years as a union Millwright building industry on land but I always wished I could have spent a few years building war ships and subs as a shipwright. Amazing builds!

How wonderful to hear first-hand accounts from those who were there. Much better than any scripted account.

A very informative and exellnt video. Greetings from Sweden and thx America for saving us all fom the horrible enemies!

That is very excellent . ...the people telling the story really made it feel true.

My dad officially retired aboard the deck of the Missouri in November of 2016

Powder bags for the big guns and parachutes thats what the silk drives were for mainly women's silk stockings.

Spent 2 years on Battleship Wisconsin BB-64 Marine Detachment 88-90. Incredible experience! Semper Fi! 🦅🌎 ⚓

In the gun firing description (25:43) nothing was said about setting the fuse on the projectile.

I had the honour to tour and walk the decks of the Mighty Mo---------truly an Awesome ship..............@ Pearl Harbor 2001

The Missouri Was A Great Warship Saw Her In 76 In Washington St Will See Again I Hope

It is a good experience to visit the ship now in Pearl Harbor. Now I know what I saw on deck.

God bless the USS Missouri and to all those who served on this remarkable Battleship.