Why did the Japanese Surrender Take Place on USS Missouri?
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- There were a lot of potential places for the signing of the surrender documents at the end of World War II, why was Missouri chosen instead of another ship or place?
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"Apologies for the sounds of grinding going on, we have people working on the decks here" - Apologies? Dude... hearing the sounds of metal work and activity on board a battleship is a beautiful sound! Let's me fantasize that they are getting her ready for reactivation!
A much more compelling and satisfying answer than "Pres Truman is from Missouri"! Kudos to you.
Short quick Answer: President Truman was from Missouri, his daughter christened it. He favored 'his' battleship and was the reason Missouri was not mothballed post war when all the other BBs had left the fleet.
It was also the newest BB in the fleet. And therefore the most “impressive.”
It sort of reminds me of the Napoleonic era where French regiments would carry gold eagle flags touched by the Emperor himself. In WWII, wars were ended on Battleships christened by the daughter of the President. Creates a personal national connection.
Thanks.
More like it was the one that was left over after other admirals had their choice
RIP James Francis Hourigan CPO 1st class the. MIssouri
Ryan: My father was a Missouri plank owner and present for the surrender. I've studied the history of the Missouri, her sisters and the rest of the Navy for most of my life. I really felt your passion for history and the true purpose of battleships when you were concluding this segment. Well done.
Why did the Japanese Surrender Take Place on USS Missouri?
Because, as everyone knows, Missouri loves company.
Missouri, the " Show me state " ,
Show me how to surrender.
An aircraft carrier would have been a target for a vengeful Japanese pilot.
I wished the surrender would have been on USS Nevada BB-36, and after reading: Silver Ship Dreadnought, The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada. You would learn all of her crew expected the surrender to occur aboard her. As being the ship which attempted to escape during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Representing america's resolve to fight even during the countries darkest hour. Since she would mark the beginning of the war for the US and being the ending. Representing to Japan how attempted to sink her at Pearl and by Kamikaze that the US will get back up and continue to fight.
I agree the “USS NEVADA BB-36 should have the been the ship chosen for the “SURRENDER of the Japanese Empire!”
The other battleship row survivors are no less deserving.
I'm glad it was Missouri because its my home state but you are correct, any of the Pearl Harbor Battleships would've been better. The Nevada caught a break as it had boilers in operation by chance as the attack occurred.
@@WALTERBROADDUS two were unavailable, though...
I agree with you, though if I had to pick a Pearl Harbor survivor, I'd choose between Nevada and Pennsylvania.
I agree. Much more poetic and symbolic.
My Great Uncle Ralph Pilkington was a radar operator on the USS Missouri during WW2. He watched the surrender from the tower area. I have a letter and envelope he mailed my grandfather the day the Japanese surrendered on the Missouri. I framed it and it’s now hanging on my wall.
I got 9 sixteen inch good reasons why you should sign that treaty Mr emperor.
Hirohito wasnt there. Nipponese Secretary came aboard ,with his cane, and signed for Japan. I think the raised 16" guns were highly symbolic
Everybody, including my parents and uncles , who remember those times, said Missouri was chosen because she was named after President Truman's home state. I agree with their assessment. I think it would have been New Jersey, if not for that fact. I have kept my eyes on the Iowas since I was little. They are all great and historic ships. New Jersey was always my favorite and , in my opinion, the most historic among them. Take good care of that ship!
If the site of the surrender were to have been chosen by the merit of the ship's actions during the war, it would have been signed on the USS Enterprise. But since politics is more important than merit (look at the names given to so many ships in the last 20 years) it was the USS Missouri.
@@Mishn0 Enterprise would have been a good choice, but (1) she was on the other side of the Pacific, (2) we didn’t want to risk sending fleet carriers and their crews into a confined area since we were worried about surprise kamikaze attacks, and (3) nothing says “Be very afraid” like some 16-inch guns looming over you. I think one of the Pearl Harbor battleships would have been the most fitting, but they didn’t really have the deck space and weren’t as impressive.
@@bluemarlin8138 Agreed. The greatest combat power the US Navy had was not even in Tokyo Bay .... as for being "less impressive" .... having the surrender on a smaller, older ship that had been sunk in 1941 by the years dead Kido Butai .... with a nigh brand new, bigger, faster BB watching over from alongside? That's intimidating..... "the Karma, it BITES."
I think it would have been Iowa if FDR survived
New Jersey wasn't there at Tokyo Bay she was at Okinawa that day . let another ship have some Glory too.Missouri was Halsey 's Flagship !!!!
My dad was there on the superstructure of the Missouri, watching the surender. He was a Navy 20mm gunner on the bow of the USS Santa Fe CL60.
My grandfather served on Missouri in the 50s and was on when they decommissioned her in the mid 50s as a cook.
I think Missouri being the last completed/commissioned battleship was the most defining factor in selecting her. Its almost poetic in a way, The United States entry into the war with the destruction of the battleships at Pearl Harbor, and now the conclusion of the war taking place on the newest battleship in the Navy. Also having the ship named after the state which the President was born in is just like icing on the cake, or rubbing salt in the wound depending on how you want to look at it.
👍 Agree!
one good reason to have the ceremony on an Iowa class battleship might be, beyond the simple numbers game of deck space: those ships have a PRESENCE, being a symbol of superior power. the big carriers needed to be out at sea, but having a couple of Iowas dominating Tokyo Bay must have sent home some message to the Japanese....
Discovered this youtube channel a few months ago and basically went back and watched a majority of the videos. Got to give credit to Ryan, he has come a long way doing these, he is starting to look like a natural in front of the camera.
Although the sailors have fond memories of this event, I think the sound of planes flying overhead would have scared the hell out of everyone in Tokyo.
I was thinking the same thing. Especially how they started with the B-29's.
Funny how you mention that. I had the privilege of meeting the man that led the B-29 formation at a Christmas party a few years ago. I was probably more amazed that he kept actively flying until he was 84 and only stopped because he couldn't keep up with a controllers instruction. He passed away back in February at age 102 or 103
I wouldn't imagine there would be much of anybody left in Tokyo, it had been bombed worse than Hiroshima.
I'm Canadian so forgive me, I'm not familiar with the 'correct pronunciation', but I love when people call her "Missourah."
As an Iowan, I can assure you that the correct pronunciation is "Misery". At least, that's what we like to call the state.
@@plustgraaf As a Missourian, I would be indignant at your comment, except we also call her that ourselves at times, you know, the days we have thunder snow, tornadoes, blizzards, and flash flood warnings all at the same time.
The amount of accents and pronunciations are the cause of that.
We have Governors and Senator's that pronounce it both ways. I'm from the Northwestern part and it is Missouri. The southern half tends to add the ah.
I am more familiar with Missouri 😂
Even though I can't visit - this channel has definitely raised my awareness of the USS New Jersey. Thanks so much!
My great uncle was onboard the Missouri for the signing of the Japanese surrender. I've seen the pictures he took and I was blown away!
South Dakota did not participate in the sinking of the Kirishima, other than to draw her fire. Once Washington knew that her guns were trained on a Japanese ship and not the South Dakota, she launched broadsides of 16 inch shells from 5800 yards and turned the Kirishima into scrap metal and contributed her iron to Iron Bottom Sound. The reason the USS Washington was not at the surrender ceremony was that after having had a busy time in the Pacific War, she was sent to Bremerton for a refit. After the refit and the surrender, the Washington was sent on Magic Carpet Duty bringing the boys home. It is too bad that the US battleship that single handily won the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was not made into a museum ship to be displayed at Bremerton.
Thank you for bringing this history alive. I was three years old when the surrender took place. My father came home (he flew B-25 bombers) from the war and never talked about it.
Truman had not been a governor for Missouri. He was a US Senator.
Out of all ships I think the USS Enterprise CVN-6 would have been fitting. Way more room on deck to host the ceremony. The most decorated vessel of all time and was in nearly every major engagement. You bring up power projection and I think having The Gray Ghost pull up would do that. I get the reasoning, but if I served on the Big E, I would by like WT man. You figure in every engagement the CV was always the #1 target.
Great video... thank you
She was in Washington state on the other side of the Pacific getting repaired. She couldn’t have been there, but it would have been cool.
It's too bad she wasn't available because it might have increased the chances she would have been preserved as a museum ship to this day
You need an epic intro like Drach has. Love the daily content!
Excellent video Ryan, I learned more about the surrender in Tokyo Bay and the decisions that led to the Missouri selection for the signing.
Keep up the good work your, videos are always interesting!
Outstanding!
Always, well done.
Thank you, Ryan, and Crew.
Semper Fi...!......
Great video and thank you. I never thought about the location of the surrender before.
The reason for USS Missouri being chosen was she was the last battleship to be built. She laid down 6 January 1941, launched 29 January 1944 and commissioned 11 June 1944. She was built to avenge Pearl Harbor (as Don Marsh from KTVI, Fox 2 in St. Louis, MO stated at the 50th anniversary ceremony of Pearl Harbor). She was also the last battleship to be decommissioned on 31 March 1992. It was fitting and proper that the Japanese Surrender took place on board her. It is also fitting and proper that her final resting place is in Pear Harbor near the USS Arizona.
I saw the plaque on the deck.
Awesome that history took place on that very spot.
Supposedly there was a special tub for the President on one the Battleships for his stay on the ship. A good friend of mine's dad owned a Fiberglassing company and my friend worked for his dad so he sent his son ( My Friend ) to Re-Furbish the tub that had been in a state of disrepair. He told me that it was not fun to work on it because of the Value of the Tub as History and he had Guards around him the entire time watching his every move reminding him of how special the Tub was and he had better not mess it up.
put on the Iowa for FDR Oct 1943 ,his trip across the Atlantic to meet with Churchill &Stalin .
Just noticed you hit 30k congrats! See you at 100k
I read a book in a military history course that asserted the The Missouri was chosen to show and impress to Japanese, especially those reticent about surrender, the military and industrial might of the United States.
The Japanese were crippled in production, shortages of manpower and here is the United States with a new battleship, all shiny and ready to kick ass.
debatable. The Japanese were being shown daily the military and industrial might of the US by the B-29s.
Enemy aircraft overhead and none of yours in sight will definitely make you question things.
That's what I had always assumed she was chosen because awe factor
@@blaircrocker9845 I remember reading all the enlisted men involved in the ceremony were selected for their height. To intimidate the Japanese MacArthur insisted on men over 6'2" tall being assigned to the ceremony that day so the Japanese officers had to walk to the signing table in between two columns of "giants"
30 K subscribers! Congrats Big J!
Thanks!
Personally I thought it would have been more fitting to have one of the surviving battleships from Pearl Harbor. How fitting it would have been to end the war on one of the deck from which the war had started.
My point would be that as Battleships were chosen it made sense that any nation would use them as a protracted display of power. In my opinion, another reason that the USS Missouri was chosen (among reasons already mentioned) is that it displayed the might of the US economic ability to produce massive, new technologies almost at will.
My dad was on the battleship USS Washington. He told me many times that Truman made the decision because his home state was Missouri. That’s what came down through the ranks. The end.
That sounds about right. That. Truman. Wanted it. .
I remember hearing somewhere that there was plan to have the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Enterprise, but the damage she sustained at Okinawa and subsequent repairs kept that from happening.
I wish that had happened.
That could have saved Enterprise . One important ship that was lost to the scrappers
@@bentley4446 If there was one US warship that fought in WW Two that deserved to be preserved and saved it was the USS Enterprise CV-6 .
cv-5 > cv-6
@@marshfield01 for most of us,
CV 6 >>> CV 5
22:39 a rare sighting of the pool. great analysis, and wonderful contribution to history.
Great video. Thanks
Rumor has it Iowa was supposed to host it. She just came from an overhaul in California where she was outfitted with the latest communications equipment for 1945 and also had her square bridge installed. It was also the flagship for the fleet but again Truman being from Missouri probably had something to do with it. What is true is that while Missouri hosted the ceremony, Iowa was anchored 500 yards away and broadcasted to the world that WWII was over.
Personally I would’ve love if it had been WEE VEE would have been very symbolic as the war for the US coming full circle. ( West Virginia since Enterprise isn’t a option and Wee Vee was also in the bay)
Another possible reason for Missouri being chosen, Nimitz wasn't happy that MacArthur was chosen to conduct the surrender ceremony and oversee the occupation of Japan; he felt that the Navy and Marines had done more to win the Pacific War than the Army.
Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal proposed that the surrender be signed on Missouri; this compromise of course was met with Truman's approval.
As a side note: I read somewhere that when the Missouri entered Tokyo Bay a Japanese DD that was escorting her in was supposed to be pinging for submarines and was not.
Repeated orders from Missouri were made and the Japanese destroyer didn't comply. Finally the 16" guns were trained on the DD and the destroyer started pinging so hard it could be heard through Missouri's hull!
Pinging for what purpose? I understand how sonar works but i don't understand in this context. Funny story though.
@@Lucas12v The DD was supposed to be looking for any rogue subs that might try to sink any of the Allied ships entering Tokyo Bay.
@@saintswillwin1013 i thought that but i wondered why they didn't use an American dd. Im sure that there was some reason.
What if it pinged but didn't report the sub?
@@alanstevens1296 Good question; I wonder what the reaction would have been if the Japanese DD had taken off like it had found a sub!
Excellent review
Wonderful and precise analysis as always Ryan. I really enjoy all the archive movie you display supporting your words. Only part was hard to understand a little bit was the interview with the veteran from Missouri BB, I think sound is a little bit poor and I missed details this veteran was saying. Other than that detail thanks again. Can you cover the bombing of Kure bay at the end of the war? I think is when the imperial navy lost almost all of their remaining ships, including the BB Ise, BB Haruna and BB Hyuga. Can BB New Jersey hold same punishment as the one suffers by these ships at Kure bay? Greetings for you and the crew.
It may have just been convenient to all... Good presentation Ryan, thank you.
Love Ryan commentary!
Don't even worry about the grinding sounds... my desk fan sounds like a 75 Chevy C10. I can't even notice.
Ryan, you are a gentleman & a scholar
Well articulated.
My father was nearby, on the deck of a submarine, which was tied up to a sub-tender (along with at least one other boat...possibly two). He has a small B&W photo he took of the Missouri (in the distance) when these proceedings were underway. Not the same as being aboard the USS Missouri, but not everyone could be there. My father is my hero and friend. I'm proud he (and so many others) risked everything to help keep us all free.
You possess a unique and special bit of history in that photo. Additional view of the actual event (albeit from a distance) that nobody else has ever seen!
Ryan, I love your stuff! It has been great to see you evolve with these and become more comfortable. You have taught me so much and made me curious about many things naval. I want to visit New Jersey and I live far from there!
It appears these videos are helping your cause, too - which must be both a relief and pressure. Because of that, because I'm also a content creator, and because I've navigated the perilous challenge of weighing scripted vs extemporaneous in the face of the content hole, I'd urge you to heed the lessons of this video. I gave up after 5 minutes of errors and lack of research - and I love your stuff! Senator Truman, Armistice versus the Treaty of Versailles, Cornwallis' absence from the surrender - all that stuff and leads you could have run down. Slow Down. Review your process. Get an unpaid intern to help with fact-check/research. Find an editor/unpaid feedback team for post-production review. Most of all, trust your audience is rooting for you to make quality content and will wait for it.
My father served on the USS Cotten and was in Tokyo Bay during the surrender, and has great recollections of that time.
I know that the USS North Carolina wanted to be the host of the ceremony. This is very present at the museum today. Even you mention the Missouri while visiting you will be some stern looks and be pulled over to be given a warning. I believe that she would have been the best choice. She was in the first new battleship to enter Pearl Harbor after the attack and ended up becoming the most decorated battleship of WWII.
I totally agree. Should have been North Carolina "The Showboat"
she was outside Tokyo Bay that day guarding the carriers , didn't come into the bay until 3 days later with Indiana ,Alabama . &Wisconsin ,N.C. Left next day to pick up servicemen and bring them home to the US .
Great content
I remember reading that as McArther was SCAP, he let Nimitz pick where the ceremony would be HD & he chose Missouri.
@Battleship New Jersey: I know Ryan has mentioned it previously, but exactly how much do the 4 Iowa Museums communicate with each other regarding the ships? Being all similar, I would imagine if an issue or unforeseen incident is found or occurs at one ship, would the others be told to either check or correct the issue? I also know that the Iowa museum posted on Facebook regarding what a particular piece of equipment was that they couldn't identify. Is that something that is shared between the ships?
Thank you for the videos and updates I find them very interesting.
Ryan hosted a video with the Iowas Curator and on it they say they talk all the time so I’m sure any issue would quickly be communicated
Love your videos and your ship! Keep up the fantastic work.
No, the Armistice was signed in the railroad car at Compiegne. The Treaty of Versailles is called that because it was signed at the Palace of Versailles.
@@SearTrip Thanks! :)
Does anyone know if there is any surviving photo's of all the ships in Tokyo Bay during the Ceremony? That must have been really something to be able to witness. Thanks for all of these videos to keep me sane and entertained during my time in self isolation now for a full year.
Good stuff, good Sir.
The 4 Iowa sisters together for the only time in their life @ 20:00.
They were together again in June of 1954.
@@manilajohn0182 That is from 7 June 1954 off the Virginia Capes, so like I said it's the only time they were all together at the same time. One might find pictures or other clips from different angles, but it was the only time they were all together.
@@rbarger71 Ahhh, many thanks. From the video, I concluded that the film was taken off of Tokyo Bay sometime just prior to the surrender. I didn't even know that the 1954 event was filmed. My bad, and thanks again.
Excellent topic that set the battleships in context of world history.
On Topic - if the Allied commanders at the time were concerned of a trap by the Japanese, then it makes sense to send your shiny NEW BBs in that are a bit less experienced in case they are lost; whereas the experienced ships - and more so the carriers - are holding back just in case. All the intimidation factor, but with a balanced approach to C.Y.A.
Off topic - The sound of the grinders adds a nice touch, long as we can hear you all clearly Im happy with it. I will suggest as a minor technicality that Ryan might not wanna have his shades on next time; as it was having all sorts of fun with the green screen renderer.
Its good background to hear maintenance work in progress on New Jersey. It does not detract one bit!!
Over all thank you for a fantastic documentary and commentary.
Sorry just to correct one error you made about Australia.
Australia obtained its independence from the UK in 1901. It recognized that by the 1930s that it could not rely on the UK for its survival. It pursued its own foreign policy including formalising an alliance with the US - which still exists today. The Aust govt ordered the return of two divisions from the Middle East to the Pacific, against Churchill's wishes.
In the halls of U.S.S. Pearl Harbor at R.T.C. Great Lakes, hangs a large photo of the Japanese dignitaries standing together on U.S.S. Missouri. I passed it every day for a week during boot camp
I was always led to believe that Supremacy allied commander for the Pacific Douglas MacArthur requested the Biggest Battleship the US Navy had at the time and that was the USS Missouri.
"You can sail a battleship into a harbor". Ryan, I wouldn't try it if Birger Eriksen was commanding one of the forts.
The closest to a battleship was the Lützow (ex Deutschland)
Agreed: Tokyo Bay was a giant maze of minefields .... mines and torpedoes were BB weaknesses.
I was on the Missouri June 28 & 29 when the Navy was doing a big video of the ship and the Navy plus they were doing much sand blasting metal grinding and painting the ship they told me much up keep goes on this ship every day.
She is a huge great battle ship.
Did you know that one of soldiers and sailors in Tokyo Bay at the time was the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. At the time, he was on his assigned ship, watching the surrender ceremonies via a pair of binos.
I was told during a tour of the USS Arizona (back in the early 1980's) museum by veterans hosting the tour, the battleship was chosen to be the place of surrender because the battleships were the target of the Perl Harbor attacks. The Missouri was chosen because she was the newest battleship.
It was chosen to agravate McArthur.
@@jamesvance8456 - Interesting comment; Can you explain what you mean by the decision to use the U.S.S. Missouri to conduct the surrender ceremonies would have particularly aggravated General MacArthur?
Missouri was Truman's home state, plus he hated `macarthur and wanted to get back at him because of the "Wake Island" incident
I think it would have been fitting to have the surrender take place on USS Pennsylvania sister ship to USS Arizona.
Amen
Thinking the same thing. PA was in need of serious repairs at the time though.
If not Pennsylvania, then Nevada (itself a remarkable ship from the Pearl Harbor attack, and sister to Oklahoma).
Pennsylvania was also the flagship of the Pacific fleet by the attack on Pearl Harbor, so she might have had enough room to host the surrender. But, she was getting repaired after being hit by torpedos.
Although I don't remember the details, I'm fairly sure there was another signing which also took place. I remember the topic being discussed while Serving on the Mo, but I have no recollection as to the where, when, and why of the matter.
Such a great piece of history to witness
my father-in-law was aboard the U.S.S. South Dakota as damage control officer. He had many great stories about the ship and his years aboard her but never heard him comment about the the fact that the surrender was not held aboard her.
One good reason: there were a lot of important people on board. It would be best to be on a very well armored platform with the best chances of escaping in case it was a trap.
Ryan, can I assume that you have read Ivan Musicant's "Battleship at War" about the Battleship Washington? As I remember the book there was some mention of the "Johnny Come Lately" ships getting all the attention in Tokyo Bay.
My father, who served aboard the Washington, referred to the Iowas as “combat virgins”, as did many of his buddies through the 80s when they were reactivated.
World War 2 for the United States, began on the decks of a Battleship. It also ended on the deck of a Battleship. This is very symbolic.
Really interesting
I didn't realize that the Enterprise wasn't in the harbor. If any ship deserved to be there she was one of them. She was the IJN's personal bogyman!
Truman was a Senator, not a Governor before becoming Vice President.
5:15 love the two dudes in the porthole above Commodore Perry’s flag.
I've read many books and I've read that she is famous and legendary for many reasons across history and WW2
1.She was a very strong and powerful Iowa class battleship during the war against Japan
2.She was used as a sign of strength invincibility and power and fear
The final battleship hit open water and enter the war
very interesting
Just curious were was the Wisconsin during the signing?
Definitely no reason to say "sorry about those scratching noises". I think it's so amazing that we can hear one of the same audio-archaeology artifacts that many of the New Jersey's sailors probably also complained about.
I wonder why Ryan says "Missourah" instead of "Missouri". I've noticed this before, but now when there's an entire video centered around the ship it really stands out
Regional accent.
I’m not going to say accent I’m from Missouri but it’s is pronounced with a ah at the end
MacArthur was there because he was the Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area, and was the US Commander assigned to officially accept Japans surrender.
Nimitz was Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Nimitz was subordinate to MacArthur, and only commanded Naval Fleet Operations.
The surrender occurred on the Missouri simply because it was the Flag Ship of The US 3rd Fleet, it was impressive, and it had a huge Deck.
The only other ship considered was undergoing battle repair in Oregon.
"The USS Enterprise!"
All other US Aircraft Carriers were standing Protection Duties just off the Japanese Coast.
18:20 WOW!! the chains (which are like 1000 pound per link) waved around after the gun fired....
.
ive seen the water "ripple" and stuff like that..... but to be that far away.... and slightly behind the muzzle
yet still have that "blast wave" make a MULTI TON!!!! chain sway..... just WOW!
.
thats a literal TON of energy (if not a literal FUCK TON!!! of energy)
World War 1: The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors which was the sight of the declaration of the establishment of the German Empire at the end of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
I am not sure if it is always necessary to turn an aircraft carrier into the wind to launch aircraft. If an aircraft can make it off the deck depends on a few other factors, too. A carrier has to go into the wind and travel at great speed to launch heavily loaded and fully fueled aircraft. I think it is very much possible to take off and land off a stationary carrier in a very light aircraft, though.
They were all tail wheel planes which are murder with anything other than a headwind during takeoff. Catapulting was slower in those days, the plane’s wings were wire-roped to a bridle on the catapult. It was only done with light wind.
If I remember correctly, Enterprise was in drydock stateside after a kamikaze hit.
If I were to choose some ships to represent the US Navy there, I'd pick all the available survivors of Pearl Harbor, plus Washington, and the Essex-class carriers that were named after lost ships.
Truman...I have to believe the Commander in Chief made that decision for Nimitz.
I always thought it would have been a certain level of irony to have held the peace proceedings on the West Virginia. To have the war end on the same ship that it started with would have been a very, very powerful message. I'm of course slightly biased, but nevertheless, there would have been no doubt afterward of absolute victory.
Around 18:26 all I was thinking about was all the stuff going on inside the turret in between the firing.
21:01 Funny thing was, nobody told the Japanese there was going to be a flyover. People got a little nervous that the planes were back.
For an event that was all about "ceremony", it's strange that all the officers are in dress Khaki (their cleanest working uniform) and not Dress Whites. The only ones that seemed to be in any sort of formal attire were the Japanese diplomates.
I believe that was done on purpose so as not to show respect to them for their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
IIRC,MacArthur wanted to show that the men were still hard at work and ready for battle.
@@jwilder47 especially seeing as the Japanese had a nasty habit of faking surrenders.
I wonder if Missouri's relative lack of combat honors was another reason it was chosen. While the surrender was a large production to show everyone that the US had won the war in the Pacific, it was also the opening steps towards peace and rebuilding together as allies, or at least no longer enemies.
Given the Japanese view of honor, perhaps not forcing them to sign a surrender on a ship that was responsible for killing thousands of their soldiers and countrymen was also a consideration.
What ticks me off is 5 years later , the Korean war starts up. Like, WW2 only ended 5 years earlier.
Should of picked " Big J."
She had lots of experience at fighting.
U.S.S. Missouri possibly, and most likely had less or no visible battle damage than other ships in the U.S. Battleship inventory. Japanese Coming aboard a damaged U.S. Ship to sign a surrender would have a quiet satisfaction in seeing this damage.
And now she watches over the sailors of uss Arizona the beginning and the end of the war. Even though I would be lying if I didn't say I wish it was uss West Virginia. Pearl Harbor is an awesome sight I hope I get to see one day.
I have. I wish everyone American could. Very sobering.
@19:25 - Ryan's band, the Sailorz, warming up.
1000% should have been done on Enterprise!!!!!
Unfortunately the Enterprise suffered serious damage in May 1945 when her forward elevator was lost to a bomb strike, and had only just finished repairs when the war ended. Another ship considered was the battleship Pennsylvania, sister of the ill-fated Arizona, but she had nearly been sunk on August 12th from a torpedo strike and was still limping home for repairs.
Yea, if Enterprise hadn't been damaged prior to Japan's surrender I believe that it should've been held on her
Something to consider in the selection - what if the surrender was an ambush? Had some of the other ships mentioned have been selected, then the damage inflicted would be even more significant as far as symbolism. Missouri was more "expendable".
Also a much harder target...
The very idea of the surrender being held on a Navy ship was a compromise. Nimitz and McArthur were at odds over who was the Supreme Allied Commander. They were as much an enemy to each other as were the Japanese. The compromise was that McArther would sign as the Supreme Allied Commander but would do it on board a Navy Ship. From there, it became a question of which ship.