Battleship Missouri: A Guide to the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor

An 887-Foot Battleship

The USS Missouri is 887 feet long, Her teak deck covers 53,000 square feet. She was launched on January 29, 1944 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard before a crowd of 20,000 to 30,000 people. Today she sits on Ford Island, and the Missouri says the Battleship Missouri Memorial has attracted more than 10 million visitors since she opened as a museum ship in 1998, when the USS Missouri Memorial Association received the donation of the vessel.

Visitors can follow three self-paced routes on board: Main Deck, Below Decks and Above Decks. Families with children can pick up Chuck's Quest, an activity with 14 stops around the ship. Food is available on the pier at Slider's Grill, open 10:00am to 2:00pm seven days a week, plus a shaved-ice and quick bites stand.

Eating on board the ship itself is not allowed, though re-closeable drinks are encouraged.

September 2, 1945 on Her Deck

On September 2, 1945, representatives of Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender on the Missouri's quarterdeck, and the war that began at Pearl Harbor was over. The ceremony itself moved quickly. General MacArthur boarded at 8:43am, and the Japanese delegation led by Mamoru Shigemitsu arrived at 8:56am.

By 9:30am the Japanese emissaries had departed. The whole signing was over in a matter of hours, on a deck now known as the Surrender Deck. When you visit today, you stand at the spot where those signatures were made, marked on the main deck of the ship.

Standing there, it is hard not to connect the two ends of the story: the harbor water below you is the same water the attacking planes flew over less than four years earlier.

Why She Sits Beside the Arizona

The Missouri and the USS Arizona bookend World War II, in the words of the Missouri's own site. The Arizona was destroyed in the attack that brought the United States into the war, and the Missouri was where the war ended, with her name on the surrender document signed in Tokyo Bay. The two ships now sit within sight of each other at Pearl Harbor, so the beginning and the end of America's war sit side by side.

The remains of many of the Arizona's crew are still inside that hull, which is why the white memorial above it is treated as a grave. From the Missouri's deck you can see the Arizona Memorial across the water. Many visitors plan their day so that they see both, which the Missouri's site calls the best half-day plan at Pearl Harbor.

Tickets for the Arizona Memorial boat are a separate matter from the Missouri, and the Pearl Harbor tickets guide explains how those free reservations work.

Hours, Tours and Time to Allow

The figures below come from the Missouri's own ticketing and visit pages. The ship opens daily at 8:00am and admits the last guest at 3:00pm, an hour before closing. A 35-minute guided tour of the main deck stops is included with admission and runs from 8:00am to 3:30pm in four languages, with no reservation required.

The longer upgrade tours are physically strenuous, with steep ladders, and the ship does not recommend them for visitors with mobility constraints. One named upgrade route, Chuck's Quest, covers 14 stops around the ship for children and families. Most visitors spend 1 to 2 hours on board, though the ship says visits range from 30 minutes to five hours, and advises arriving at least one hour before closing to see the highlights.

Unlike the Arizona Memorial boats, the Missouri says she never runs out of tickets, so walk-ups are possible. Admission prices are not listed on this page because the Missouri is sold inside the tours here, from the $156 Arizona and Battleship Missouri Tour to the $214 Pearl Harbor Heroes Deluxe Tour.

Getting There: the Free Ford Island Shuttle

The Missouri and the Aviation Museum both sit on Ford Island, a secured military base that civilian visitors cannot drive onto. The Ford Island bridge next to the visitor center is for military personnel only, so if you drift onto it by mistake, turn around. Free shuttles leave the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center every 15 to 20 minutes from 8:00am daily.

The loop stops first at the Missouri, then the Aviation Museum, then returns to the visitor center. The last shuttle leaves the Missouri at 4:05pm and the Aviation Museum at 5:00pm. The Missouri advises allowing about 30 minutes each way for waiting, boarding and the ride, and the shuttle adds roughly an extra hour of transport time to a full Passport itinerary.

Bring a government photo ID, because guests may be asked for one at the shuttle, and foreign visitors should carry a passport. The bag policy applies to everyone riding the shuttle, and no photography is permitted on board. Taxis and ride-shares cannot drop off at the Missouri or the Aviation Museum, so they must drop you at the visitor center first.

The Ford Island guide covers the base in more detail.

Tours That Include the Battleship Missouri

Every tour below boards the USS Missouri. The two Arizona and Missouri days run 6 hours and cost $157 and $156 per person. The two full-day options run 9.5 and 10 hours and cost $214 and $208, with every admission included. The Star of Honolulu deluxe coach also reaches the ship on its 8 and 9-hour options, which are priced as upgrades in the listing. Figures come from the tour listings on the booking platforms. Times and prices can change, so check the listing before you book.

Note that the 6-hour tours list the USS Arizona Memorial as subject to availability or as part of the program, but no tour can promise a landing when Navy operations close the boats. Prices are per person.

Which One to Choose

If the Missouri and the Arizona are the two sites you want, the 6-hour days are enough. The Arizona and Battleship Missouri Tour at $156 uses 16 Waikiki pickup points, while the Small-Group Arizona and Missouri Tour at $157 caps the group at 25. Pick the small group if you prefer a tighter bus.

If you want all four Pearl Harbor sites, the full days cover the ship, the USS Bowfin, the Aviation Museum and the Arizona in 9.5 to 10 hours for $208 to $214, and the Heroes Deluxe adds lunch and a docent on the Missouri. For more ways to pair the ship with the memorial, compare the full range of Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu on the homepage.

The Surrender Deck

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed on the Missouri's quarterdeck on 2 September 1945, ending World War II. The ceremony itself moved quickly. MacArthur boarded at 08:43, the Japanese delegation led by Mamoru Shigemitsu arrived at 08:56, and by 09:30 the emissaries had departed.

The ship and the USS Arizona bookend the war in the Pacific, because the Arizona marks where the United States was pulled into it and the Missouri marks where it ended.

Decks and Routes

Self-paced visitors follow three marked routes on the Battleship Missouri Memorial: Main Deck, Below Decks and Above Decks. The included guided tour lasts 35 minutes and covers the main deck stops, with guides offering tours in English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and no reservation required. The upgrade tours dig deeper but are physically strenuous, with steep ladders, and are not recommended for anyone with mobility constraints. Families with children can try Chuck's Quest, a 14-stop route around the ship.

Access is limited in places. An elevator runs from the Main Deck to the Surrender Deck and there is a ramp at the aft brow, but the lower decks, the flying bridge and most interiors are not wheelchair accessible. Only the Wardroom is. Complimentary wheelchairs are offered at the main entrance, and the Ford Island shuttle fleet includes at least one wheelchair-lift vehicle.

Food and Practical Points on the Pier

Eating on board is not allowed, though re-closeable drinks are encouraged. Food waits on the pier instead: Slider's Grill serves from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. seven days a week, and a stand sells shaved ice and quick bites. Most people spend 1 to 2 hours on board, though visits range from 30 minutes to five hours.