USS Missouri
begins 20-day trip
to Hawaii

The captain of the tug
towing the battleship expects
to make 133 miles per day

By Gregg Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

The Mighty Mo is finally on its way to Hawaii and its final home port at Pearl Harbor.

It began its 2,639-mile Pacific voyage yesterday afternoon as tugboats eased it out of the Columbia River after a weeklong stay in the Oregon resort city of Astoria. More than 125,000 people there went to see the Missouri, leaving behind $7 million in new tourist dollars.

About 57,000 of them got to tour the the three-war veteran.

Associated Press
The USS Missouri is escorted from the dock at Astoria, Ore.,
yesterday, to begin it's Hawaii trip.

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The Missouri is being towed, and the journey is expected to take 20 days, bringing the battleship into the islands during the week of June 22.

Capt. Kaare Ogaard, skipper of the Sea Victory tug towing the Missouri, hopes to cover 133 miles a day, depending upon sea and weather conditions.

The Missouri left the Puget Sound Naval Station, where it had been part of its mothball fleet for the past five years, May 23 for a week's stay in Astoria for hull cleaning.

It cost the Hawaii-based USS Missouri Memorial Association $200,000 to take the vessel to Astoria.

Roy Yee, the association's president, said it received more than $35,000 in unsolicited donations from people boarding the ship.

Another $133,000 was raised by the sale of Missouri memorabilia -- part of the profits will be split with the Astoria Children's Museum and the Astoria Court Appointed Special Advocates.

After months of refurbishment, the Missouri will become a floating museum berthed at Ford Island near the USS Arizona Memorial.

An official grand opening is planned for January.

Follow the USS Missouri online as she heads for home at: http://www.ussmissouri.com or http://starbulletin.com