Despite the fact that the war of battleships is already a thing of the past, we continue to admire these beauties of steel, who for a long time bore the nickname "masters of the seas". Appearing in the second half of the 19th century, these iron monsters inspired fear and awe for several decades in a row. One of the last such ships that left a noticeable mark on naval history was the battleship Missouri.
This giant was laid down at one of the New York shipyards at the beginning of the formidable 1941, and launched in January 1944. Already during the construction, the battleship project underwent very significant changes, which is associated with the peculiarities of the conduct of hostilities by the German and Japanese armed forces. In particular, considerable attention was paid to the protection of ammunition and turret guns, which was associated with a very real threat from German and Japanese aircraft. The maximum thickness of the ship's armor reached one and a half thousand millimeters, which made itvirtually invulnerable.
The Missouri battleship had a powerful firing fist, which was based on three 16-inch cannons. Neither before nor since did any warship of the United States possess such weapons. In addition, the ship carried twenty 25-mm cannons and 100 anti-aircraft guns to protect against air attacks. The maximum speed of the ship was 35 knots, making it one of the fastest in its class.
Battleship "Missouri" proved to be excellent not only in a collision with Japanese ships and aircraft, but also in the assault on ground fortifications.
So, the crew of this steel monster covered itself with unfading glory in the battles for the islands of Iwo and Okinawa. Moreover, with a simultaneous salvo from all the main battery guns, a vacuum bag formed around the ship and inside it, so that for some time it was impossible for the sailors and officers to breathe normally.
The Missouri battleship went down in world history not only for its military exploits, amazing technical characteristics, but also for the fact that it was on board that the last page of this monstrous catastrophe was turned. On September 2, 1945, it was here that the act of surrender of Japan was signed, which was accepted by the American commander-in-chief D. McArthur.
Battleships of the Second World War proved that at that time they determined the main directions of confrontation in the ocean. However, as time went on, the role of ships of this type gradually decreased. Many of them have completed theirdays at the docks, being cut into pieces. In this regard, our hero was lucky: despite his advanced age, he had a chance to participate in several more companies. In particular, in 1991, the battleship Missouri was one of the few battleships from which missiles were fired during the bombing of Iraq. Having fulfilled his military duty to the end, the proud conqueror of the ocean spaces went on a well-deserved rest. Now, completely different ships are on duty in the seas and oceans, but without the experience of their heroic ancestors, there would be no navy today.
