Remembering Sept. 2, 1945's signing on USS Missouri that ended WWII 75 years ago
1northcoin
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The below pictured USS Missouri was the site of the signing of the document that ended World War II on September 2, 1945. Japanese officials boarded the ship as it was moored in Tokyo Harbor on that date.
Yesterday, September 2, 2020 the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper joined by Hawaii's Governor David Ige, Admiral Davidson and a number of World War II veterans joined together on the deck of USS Missouri, now moored in Pearl Harbor, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of that historic event. The ceremonies and speeches from each were accompanied by a flyover parade of World War II aircraft known as "The War Birds" that had gathered in Hawaii for the occasion.
Pictured below are my photos taken of the USS Missouri at the end of this past year.
As coin collectors each of us can share in being a part of that historic year that saw peace replace war. Most Lincoln Wheat Cents minted from 1944 to 1946 have a unique metal composition of 95% copper and 5% zinc which is attributed to their having been made from "up cycled" spent copper shell casings used for war ammunition, making a 1945 penny the most likely in that time frame to have been so made. Thusly, holding a 1945 Lincoln Wheat Cent in one's hand is both a penny from that historic year as well as a piece of World War II history itself.
Other pocket change that sailors aboard the USS Missouri could have had as minted in 1945 include a Jefferson Nickel, a Mercury Dime, a Washington Quarter, and a Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Such a five coin set can be easily assembled as a meaningful way to be a part of history and commemorate the sacrifices of those members of "The Greatest Generation" to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for brining peace to a war torn world.
Comments
Great pictures. For those who have never stood on the deck of a battleship... Do so!! It is awesome. And the history that transpired on the the deck of Big Mo can be felt when visited. Cheers, RickO
Excellent photos.
Great post. I visited Pearl Harbor in 2001, and was on one of the first boats to the Arizona Memorial after 9/11, which had happened the week before. After that, we visited the Missouri, where they have a plaque on the spot where the surrender was signed. It's difficult to describe the feeling of being in the place where World War II began and at the spot where it ended, still being in shock from what happened the week before on 9/11.
Adding to the above, here is a unique photo I was able to take deep below deck within the USS Missouri on a special tour that allowed access to restricted portions of the USS Missouri. The location is designated "Broadway" and is a corridor that extends from one end of the ship to the other with an overhead rail from which munitions and other heavy items can be hung and transported.
The location as pictured was used as a set for the movie "Pearl Harbor" in a scene as the bombs fell on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Reportedly the producers paid over a million dollars to have asbestos removed prior to the filming so they could shoot the scene. The same location was also used for an interior battleship scene in a recent Godzilla film.
And here is a screen shot of the above described scene shot in the "Broadway Corridor" of the USS Missouri from the movie "Pearl Harbor." (Note the included movie "blooper" that I discovered. On the left is a piece of movie making equipment (likely a light box) that failed to get edited out.)
General MacArthur accepting the Japanese surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri
http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2014/01/japanese_surrender-1-P.jpeg
U.S. SIlver Certificate "Snorter Note" (not mine, just sharing info)
"This particular note is a scarce HAWAII WW2 dollar note Series 1935A red seal silver certificate. It has several signatures on the back of US GI’s who ended up in the Pacific during WW2."
https://civilwarshop.com/shop/rare-wwii-short-snorter-hawaii-dollar-bill-with-multiple-signatures/
Keeping this coin related;
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@oih82w8 ---That's actually a brown seal note.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Yes, it is, but I did not want to change someone else's "quote" description from the civil war shop that has it listed.
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OK, I just located my screen shot still photo from the above referenced recent Godzilla movie which was also filmed in the same "Broadway" corridor deep under the deck of the U.S.S. Missouri:
toured the battleship in Wilmington NC. MASSIVE.
Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. - Bastiat
From Tokyo Bay...
I visited Pearl Harbor and also did the "Heart of the Missouri" tour.
There is still WWII and later artwork done by the sailors throughout the ship.
And somewhere on the ocean bottom near the stern of the USS Missouri is one of my "JBK WAS HERE" coins as shown in my icon.
Very interesting! Thanks for including here.
Very cool.
To anyone here visiting Mighty MO I definitely recommend the referenced tour as it is IMHO well worth the added cost and time. Hope they continue to offer it despite the confined spaces, accessibility issues, and limited number of persons that can be accommodated.
Awesome history I like
The letter was written by my mother's uncle.
My friend and I had to laugh about the advance warnings about confined spaces. There were plenty of those on the Missouri, but the submarine Bowfin in Pearl Harbor had even smaller passage ways and no warnings. We almost got stuck a few times.
I think this might fit here. An eyewitness to the event.
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
Great item. I believe that it is was technically illegal to postmark that bill without a postage stamp, as postmarks can only be used to cancel stamps, but I won't tell.
Never forget
Never been to Pearl Harbor, something I need to do at some point. Read that letter, a small piece of history that only a few have read.
Everyone needs to go to Hawaii and Pearl Harbor at least once.
Pearl Harbor has so much history. Hawaii is unlike any other state. And you can learn about America's own Royal Family.
Anyone here have 5 coin 1945 Set assembled to include the 1945 Lincoln Wheat Cent made from spent copper shell casings as an actual piece of World War II history?