Missouri strengthened its ties to its namesake this week.
A trio of state and local officials made a historic donation to the Battleship Missouri Memorial on Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor.
At a private ceremony in the USS Missouri's captain's cabin, they presented an original silver place setting used by officers aboard the Mighty Mo after World War II. Cole County Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman; Tony Bamvakais, military executive for the Missouri National Guard Office of the Adjutant General; and Hal Dulle, chair of the USS Jefferson City Submarine Committee, made the presentation.
"We brought this silver home to the state of Missouri after the ship's decommissioning in 1992," Bushman said, "and now, 25 years later, we are delighted to come full circle and bring this important piece of history back to be displayed at Pearl Harbor."
Missouri appropriated $10,000 in 1947 for the creation of the 281-piece silver set. It was delivered to the ship while it was docked in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1948. Previously housed in the Harry S Truman Presidential Library and Museum, the silver place setting includes 16 individual pieces, including forks, knives, spoons, plates, a goblet and a salt and pepper shaker. It will be displayed in a custom display case in the battleship wardroom.
"This will be a long-term loan, and in return, the Battleship Missouri Memorial Association will share special exhibits with the museum at the State Capitol and the Missouri National Guard Military Museum back in Jefferson City," Bushman said. "The military museum at the Ike Skelton Training Center recently received two 16-inch shells that have been used on battleships such as the Missouri, and they will go on display in the near future."
Bushman said it was a wonderful coincidence he oversaw the return of the silver service to Missouri in 1992 when the ship was being decommissioned and now helped return part of the service back to the battleship.
Since opening in January 1999, the Battleship Missouri Memorial has attracted more than 7 million visitors from around the world with a tour showcasing the USS Missouri's unique place in history - beginning with the "day of infamy" and sinking of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and ending with Japan's formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945.
The USS Missouri had an impressive career over five decades and three wars - World War II, the Korean War and Desert Storm - after which it was decommissioned and donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association, which operates the Battleship Missouri Memorial as a historic attraction.