PEARL HABOR, Hawaii — “Officers Country,” the 13 staterooms where the officers on the USS Missouri lived while at sea, have been restored to their original state on the battleship, now berthed as the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Pearl Harbor near the sunken USS Arizona.
The $57,000 restoration has returned the quarters to “inspection ready” condition, and they appear as they did for the USS Missouri’s final mission on Dec. 7, 1991, when it arrived at Pearl Harbor prior to its final decommissioning on March 31, 1992.
The walls, desks and filing cabinets have been repainted to the exact color when the Missouri was on its final mission. Furnishings, fixtures and flooring have been polished, repaired or replaced to convey their actual condition.
In addition, the Battleship Missouri Memorial’s curator enhanced the presentation of each stateroom with the careful placement of equipment, maps, books, uniforms and other accouterments to show how they appeared when occupied.
“We’re constantly working to improve the visitor experience aboard the Missouri,” said Michael A. Carr, president and COO of the Battleship Missouri Memorial. “We want guests to see and understand how officers lived when leading our naval forces into battle around the world.”
Launched on January 29, 1944, the USS Missouri participated in World War II, the Korean War and Operation Desert Storm.
