On Sunday morning, 2 September 1945, representatives of the warring nations gathered aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay to formally end World War II. General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, opened the proceedings at 9:02 am and Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu stepped forward to sign the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government. General Yosijiro Umezu followed as representative of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters. General MacArthur then stepped forward to accept Japan’s surrender on behalf of all the Allied Powers and Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz signed as witness for the United States. Representatives of the Republic of China, United Kingdom, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand each signed. Twenty-three minutes later, the Second World War came to a close.

The Surrender Plaque, installed in October 1945, marks the spot where the surrender table was located and also indicates the ship’s coordinates in Tokyo Bay during the ceremony.

DID YOU MO?: USS Missouri was chosen as the site of the Surrender Ceremony by President Truman, former Missouri Senator whose daughter had christened the ship at her launching in 1944.

This is the formal cabin and sleeping quarters for the ship’s Commanding Officer while the battleship was in port. It is one of three cabins the Captain used while aboard, the other two being small working cabins called “At-Sea” cabins. This In-Port Cabin was used to host formal dinners, for operational meetings, and for Captain’s Mast in which members of the crew were called before the Captain for disciplinary action. The table can currently seat up to 12 people and is still used today for formal events.

DID YOU MO?: Captain Kaiss was the last commanding officer of USS Missouri and the last to command a battleship. He was also the only commanding officer in the Navy to ever commission (1986) and de-commission his ship (1992).

This secondary battery shielded, dual purpose, twin mount was used to engage surface and aircraft targets. Ammunition is semi-fixed, consisting of a 55 lb. projectile and 29.5 lbs. of a brass or steel cartridge case containing primer and propellant.

5"/38 Caliber Gun Mount Specifications:
Rate of fire: 15-20 rounds per minute, per gun
Maximum range: 9 miles (14.48 km)
Maximum vertical ceiling: 37,300 ft (11,369 m)
Required crew to operate: 26

DID YOU MO?: USS Missouri was commissioned in 1944 with ten 5"/38-caliber dual mounts. During modernization in the 1980s, two aft and two amidships mounts were removed to make room for the Tomahawk and Harpoon missile decks. The battleship now has six dual 5”/38-caliber gun mounts.

Any guest that requires assistance to the Surrender Deck is welcome to use the lift located on the starboard side of the ship. To use the elevator hold the clear toggle switch up or down. Switches are located inside and outside of the lift. Doors will not open unless the lift is all the way at the top or bottom. Please no more than two adults, or one motorized scooter and rider at a time. This feature was added by the USS Missouri Memorial Association to assist our guests and would not have been on board during her active service.