Aboard which U.S. battleship did Japan sign the Instrument of Surrender?

Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri.

The Iowa-class battleship hosted the ceremony in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. Missouri had entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1944 and served in the Pacific during the final months of World War II. Its location also carried a personal connection for President Harry S. Truman, who was from Missouri.

The Japanese delegation boarded the ship in the morning and signed the document on its forward deck. General Douglas MacArthur opened the proceedings as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, and Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz signed for the United States.

Missouri later became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. A marked area on its deck identifies the place where the surrender was signed. The ship is often called “Mighty Mo,” a nickname associated with its name and imposing size.