Still harbor ill will over USS Missouri departure? It was time for 'Mighty Mo' to go

PEARL HARBOR — This summer, I crossed a good chunk of the world's mightiest ocean to set foot on a longtime Bremerton treasure.

OK, in truth, I was on vacation. But in my mind, no trip to the Hawaiian island of Oahu would be complete without a visit to the former warship USS Missouri.

The "Mighty Mo," the fabled Navy battleship where World War II officially drew to a close with the Japanese surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, has been moored in Pearl Harbor for more than two decades. But anyone familiar with Bremerton in the latter half of the 20th century will recall Missouri was for years the city's most popular attraction.

Until it was gone.

Its departure, on May 23, 1998, left many longtime residents of Bremerton bitter. The ship, with its teak deck open for tours on Sinclair Inlet, was a relic of the war that Bremerton, with its shipyard and base, had worked so hard to help win. The Missouri stood sentinel at a time when Bremerton's downtown was gutted, its title as Kitsap's retail core having been taken by the shopping malls and wide parking lots of Silverdale.

The 'closet' affair: Harry Truman’s war of words with a Bremerton mayor

But the Navy — after a fight in Congress over where the Missouri should go —  finally decided on Pearl Harbor. And when it sailed out of Bremerton, it was one more nail in the coffin for a struggling town of surging crime and empty storefronts.

It wasn't long after the Missouri left that I came to Bremerton for the first time. And all these years later, hearing from many residents, I had also come to the conclusion that Bremerton was robbed of an heirloom.

But on a beautiful blue sky day in July, I finally stepped onto Ford Island for my chance to go aboard the warship. And I quickly came to a realization that may not be popular with my fellow residents.

I believe now that we had to let go of Mighty Mo. Here's why.

Our politicians and military leaders increasingly call this the most volatile time in the Pacific since World War II. I happened to step onto the Missouri the same day as U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Pearl Harbor en route to Taiwan, leading to an enraged response from the Chinese government. Worldwide, there's no shortage of tensions, from Vladimir Putin's heinous invasion of Ukraine to new war exercises occurring this week on the Korean Peninsula.

Hundreds of thousands of people tour Pearl Harbor each year. They don’t just visit the sight of the watery remains of the USS Arizona, destroyed on that infamous day Dec. 7, 1941. Also available to visit is the preserved diesel submarine USS Bowfin, “the avenger of Pearl Harbor, “ as well as sub and flight museums. But the experience is bookended by the presence of the USS Missouri: a hallowed ship where our military leaders met with Japanese forces to end a terrible war only a few weeks after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The experience is holistic, the conclusion unanimous: we are a nation that rose to defeat evil, but it came at incredible cost and sacrifice that we should all hope we don’t have to repeat again.

The Missouri plays a critical role in that grand history lesson. And given the richness of the experience, the museum ship's fundraising can keep on supporting a staff of more than 120 people. After all, maintaining an 887-foot-long warship in saltwater does not come cheap.

"When the USS Missouri Memorial Association was going through the application process with the U.S. Navy to be named official caretakers of the historic USS Missouri, this strategic placement of the bookends of WWII was a huge selling point," points out Mike Carr, president and CEO of USS Missouri Memorial Association. "One of the key influencers to this decision was the late Senator Daniel Inouye — who recognized that the ship could have a successful and sustainable business if located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii."

Now, back to Bremerton: the city is growing again, and new restaurants and neighborhoods are springing up. Parks have been revitalized. The Navy, inextricably linked to the city since the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard was founded in 1891, is planning billions of dollars in investments to help maintain the aircraft carriers and submarine fleets of the future. In sum, Bremerton has an eye on its future.

That isn't to say we should forget its past. But as a military town, we still enjoy many monuments, such as the sail of the cold war submarine USS Parche. Did you know it's the most decorated vessel in Navy history?

Granted, there'll always be discussion and controversy over legacies to preserve, and what has to be sacrificed. The Navy, for instance, is ready to scrap the iconic hammerhead crane, to help build a new dry dock. That will be a painful pill to swallow.

But the Missouri was never lost, only moved. And where it is now, Mighty Mo has maximized its potential as a museum ship.

The USS Missouri: A timeline

Jan. 29, 1944: The USS Missouri is christened by Margaret Truman, daughter of future President Harry S. Truman.

Early 1945: Mighty Mo joins the Third Fleet in the Pacific and participates in engagements at Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Kyushu.

Sept. 2, 1945: Surrender documents are signed at 9:04 a.m. aboard the Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II and establishing the Mighty Mo's place in history.

1950-1953: Mighty Mo serves two battle tours in the Korean War.

Sept. 15, 1954: The battleship arrives at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton for mothballing; in 1957 it is opened to tourists.

Jan. 7, 1963: Ex-President Harry Truman, himself a native Missourian, says keeping the Mighty Mo in Bremerton is like keeping the ship in a "closet" where not enough people can visit it.

May 10, 1986: The ship is reactivated as a Navy vessel and temporarily based at Long Beach, California. Five years later it enters the Persian Gulf to join in Operation Desert Storm.

March 31, 1992: USS Missouri is decommissioned again. Numerous cities begin requesting to host the ship as a museum.

Aug. 21, 1996: The Navy awards the Mighty Mo to Hawaii's USS Missouri Memorial Association. About six months later, a report indicates the Navy changed the selection criteria at the last minute and boosters from Bremerton file a protest.

July 10, 1997: The U.S. Senate votes 53-46 against keeping the Missouri in Bremerton.

May 23, 1998: USS Missouri is towed from Bremerton, months after taking on its final visitors in the city.

Jan. 29, 1999: The Battleship Missouri Memorial opens at Pearl Harbor for the first time.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: USS Missouri's Bremerton departure to Pearl Harbor was right