Mighty Mo Makes Good Progress

Tue., May 26, 1998

From Staff

The USS Missouri continued to make good progress Monday in the first leg of the battleship’s voyage to Hawaii.

Towed at about 6 knots by the Crowley Marine tugboat Sea Victory, the 887-foot dreadnought was 26 miles off Grays Harbor Monday morning and was expected to reach Astoria, Ore., about 9 a.m. today after crossing the Columbia River bar, said Bob Wernet, a spokesman for the USS Missouri Memorial Association.

On Saturday the Mighty Mo left the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, where it was a tourist attraction for decades, to become a floating museum beside the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor.

Wernet said many spectators had come in fishing vessels and pleasure craft to see the 45,000-ton ship on which the Japanese surrendered to end World War II in 1945.

The $800,000 move of the ship includes an eight-day stay in Astoria so fresh water from the river can kill barnacles and other marine organisms on the hull.

The Missouri is expected to reach Hawaii about June 23 and be opened to visitors early next year.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.