Long Beach Loses Battle for USS Missouri

Ending an unusual sweepstakes in which four cities vied for ownership of the decommissioned USS Missouri, the Navy announced Wednesday it would offer the famed battleship to Honolulu as a tourist attraction.

Honolulu beat out Long Beach, San Francisco and Bremerton, Wash., which had all entered bids to tow, moor and maintain the ship.

Throughout the Pentagon’s deliberations on the bids, officials from Honolulu’s competitors expressed concern that Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), who holds a powerful spot on the committee controlling the Navy’s budget, would use his influence to prod the ship toward his home state. The Navy’s decision comes over the objection of the National Park Service, which said the Missouri would overshadow the Arizona.

Honolulu plans to anchor the vessel, where Japanese military leaders surrendered to the U.S. at the end of World War II in 1945, next to the USS Arizona Memorial commemorating the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, offering visitors a chance to see symbols of the beginning and end of American involvement in the war.

“I’m genuinely sorry the Navy doesn’t have a USS Missouri to give to each of these cities,” Navy Secretary John Dalton told reporters.

Boosters from the rival cities did not hide their disappointment.

“It’s an interesting decision,” said Ret. Capt. Donald M. Budai, who spearheaded Long Beach’s bid. “This means the least number of Americans and schoolchildren will see it.”

Budai said he does not plan to appeal to decision.

“We gave it our best shot. There’s no sour grapes here.”