Weeda Stamps: News


FOX TALES ON STAMPS Edition #544 Friday, May 11, 2012
Visiting the Mighty Mo
	The USS Missouri (BB-63) battleship served in three major American wars in the 20th century (WWII, the Korean War and the first Gulf War). She presently acts as a National Memorial, anchored in Pearl Harbor. To go to the official Missouri Battleship Memorial website, click on http://www.ussmissouri.com/ Also in Pearl Harbor are a number of other important National Monuments and museums. These include the Arizona Monument, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Here we can see the Missouri anchored at left, the control tower for the Ford Island Naval Air Station at centre and the Arizona Memorial at right. Standing on the dock, the massive superstructure of the Missouri is indeed quite impressive. During WWII, she would have been bristling with anti-aircraft guns of all calibres. With her modern refit these close-in weapons were replaced with a handful of radar guided Phalanx gatling guns. You can see one about halfway up the side of the ship. Also, note the numerous battle ribbons and commendations on the side of the superstructure just forward of the Phalanx gun. The Wikipedia entry for the USS Missouri explains the meaning of each of the different ribbons. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Missouri_(BB-63) Here is a closeup of the Phalanx unit. If you have any doubt as to the efficacy of this weapon system, go to the Wikipedia link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS. The original main armament of the Missouri was nine 16-inch 50 calibre Mark 7 main guns set up in three turrets of three guns each. When firing broadside, they could deliver nine 2,700 lb shells a distance of 22 miles. The process of mating projectile with propellant was complicated and potentially quite dangerous. The internal workings of the turret extended far below decks. The main turrets on the Missouri are incredibly massive. They are held in place in the turret ring by their weight alone. They were designed this way so that if the Missouri capsized in battle they would fall away from the ship, thus lightening the hull and giving the sailors a better chance at survival. If the Missouri was after me I would make darn sure to stay 23 miles away from it at all times. Here's the hoist for the smaller 5-inch turret. The spot on the deck of the Missouri where the WWII Japanese surrender was signed is clearly marked and memorialized. The Missouri was not the most popular choice of ships upon which to sign the surrender. Also in Tokyo Bay at the time was the USS West Virginia, sunk at Pearl Harbor, raised, repaired and returned to service. A large number of naval personnel thought that the West Virginia was a far more fitting platform upon which to sign the papers to end the war. Here MacArthur signs the instrument of surrender. This document was also signed by all the Allies as well as Japanese military and diplomatic authorities. In a case on the deck of the Missouri is a facsimile of the instrument of surrender document. If you look at the lower part of the right hand panel you will note that the signature of the Canadian representative is not where it should be. Upon closer inspection you will see that Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave (the Canadian representative) got a bit confused and signed on the wrong line. This is understandable since he was blind in one eye and as a relatively junior officer must have been incredibly nervous considering the ranks of those surrounding him. During WWII the Missouri had a crew of over 2,700 personnel. When it was refurbished in 1984 it was crewed by slightly over 1,800 sailors and marines. All these people need to eat and sleep somewhere. We found the full service below decks "city" that is the Missouri to be a fascinating place to wander through. Even though no food was being served, this cafeteria was a good spot to take a break. President Harry Truman is very much linked to the story of the USS Missouri. The facts that his daughter christened the ship and that Truman's home state is Missouri are considered to be the leading factors as to why the Japanese surrender was signed on her decks. President Truman also travelled on the Missouri on several occasions, always insisting upon eating below decks with the crew. Hence, the "Truman Line". Breakfast for 2,000, anyone? While the dentist office looked fully up to date with state of the art equipment, I don't know if I would want to have dental surgery with the deck rolling beneath the deck of my dentist. This is the office of the command master chief. The command master chief is a petty officer and is the most senior enlisted sailor in a US Navy unit. He is the primary liaison between commissioned officers and enlisted sailors. They are the ones who tend to really know what's going on with regards to morale and battle readiness. Officer's quarters, while still noticably spartan, have more amenities and privacy than the vast majority of sailors on board. These are the deluxe marine bunks reserved for the USMC unit assigned to the ship. This small and barred wicket was the only physical opening available during Post Office operating hours. If you note the hours of operation as listed on this Post Office sign, duty as a postal clerk was probably one of the least stressful tasks on board ship. With literally thousands of homesick and lovelorn sailors and marines to service, the clerks in this office needed to be both industrious and organized. Contrary to some of the notions that fans of the TV series JAG might harbour, this is what the lawyer's office on the Missouri looked like. As you can see in this photo the USS Missouri has been carefully placed to stand watch over the sunken USS Arizona and the sailors entombed within.
Answer to Last Week's Salvation Army Quiz
	We received eleven correct answers to last week's stamp identification quiz. That means a $11.00 donation to Salvation Army. Here's the portion of the stamp we asked you to identify Here's the answer - Canada #1431, the 1992 Canada Day Newfoundland issue.
The Salvation Army Quiz
	We show you a minute portion of the design of a postage stamp. You have to determine which stamp it is. Send us an email with your answer. We hold a contest almost every newsletter. For every correct answer we will donate $1.00 to our favourite charity, the Salvation Army. Click here to go to the The Salvation Army International Home Page to see what services they offer to communities around the world.