USS Missouri BB-63

From Flash Movie by Warren Willis CW04 USN Ret. "SEA POWER"

This image was taken somewhere off the coast of California around June 1986 time frame.
USS Missouri is on left - USS Kitty Hawk is center - USS Kawishiwi on right.
The photo was taken shortly after the Missouri was recommissioned in San Francisco.

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To help determine which battleship appeared beside KAWISHIWI, Jim Barton sent the 1986 photo at left, taken during RIMPAC 88. NEW JERSEY is the forward ship followed by MISSOURI.
Click photo for large view.

Jims Words-5-5-06:The ship in photo above has twin Phalanx weapon systems port side forward and starboard side aft which is consistent with the conversion of the Iowa-class battleships. The four Iowa-class battleships were converted in the 1980s to Tomahawk and Phalanx was added for defense. Iowa (BB-61) was converted and recommissioned in 1984 and became an Atlantic Fleet asset. New Jersey (BB-62) was converted and recommissioned in 1982 and became an Atlantic Fleet asset. Missouri (BB-63) was converted and recommissioned in 1986 and was a Pacific Fleet asset. It participated in Desert Storm and was present in Pearl Harbor for the 50^th anniversary celebration in 1991. Wisconsin (BB-64) was converted and recommissioned in 1988. It also participated in Desert Storm.

Therefore the top photo was taken post 1982 because of the conversion. That means Kawishiwi was a TAO when the photo was taken.

So, where was top photo taken and when? It is hard to say. I’ll bet Kawishiwi operated with all four battleships at one time or another between the conversion of the first one in 1982 and Kawishiwi’s decommissioning.

All four battleships saw deployment to the Persian Gulf after conversion. Given the Nimitz-class carrier and Aegis cruiser in the background, the picture was taken either as a part of a Pacific exercise series (like RIMPAC) or on deployment in the Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf. Kawishiwi participated in RIMPAC 88 with New Jersey and likely many others. My best guess is this might be an Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf photo:

On 5-7-06 Vern received email from photo originator: Warren Willis CWO4 USN Ret. Notes around photo were then revised.

This is Missouri in 1950 of Wonsan Korea. 4 years later, Vern set foot on her while stationed in Norfolk. a classmate, Lyle was stationed aboard.
He remembers walking around the forward turret to the starboard side and entering her bowels. He used the head which had a long trough with running water.