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Battleship Missouri Starts Retirement Duty

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About 3,700 admirers trooped through the Missouri last weekend when America’s most celebrated battleship opened as a tourist attraction in Honolulu’s Pearl Harbor.

The ship, where Japan formally surrendered to Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Allied forces in World War II, is moored just 300 yards from the sunken remains of the battleship Arizona, bombed along with other U.S. warships in Japan’s 1941 Pearl Harbor attack.

The massive Missouri also saw action in the Korean and Persian Gulf wars before being retired in 1992. It was mothballed for six years before the Navy turned it over to the Honolulu-based nonprofit group that runs the tours.

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Guided tours of the battleship ($14 adults, $10 ages 4-12) last about 75 minutes. For $10 adults, $6 children, you can also wander the decks on your own.

Shipboard highlights include a video, maps, artifacts, military uniforms, the wardroom, officers’ quarters (viewed through plexiglass), the bridge, the area where Japan surrendered and the flying bridge, with panoramic views.

Half-day and full-day tours, with lunch and round-trip transportation from Waikiki hotels, are also available. The Missouri is open 9 a.m to 5 p.m. daily. Information: toll-free telephone (877) 644-4896.

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