Which battleship hosted the 1945 signing of Japan’s Instrument of Surrender?

USS Missouri hosted the 1945 signing of Japan’s Instrument of Surrender.

The ceremony occurred on the battleship’s deck in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. Missouri was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned by the United States Navy in June 1944. Its location in the bay provided a highly visible Allied setting for the formal conclusion of the Pacific War.

General Douglas MacArthur presided over the ceremony, and representatives from Japan and nine Allied powers signed the document. The surrender deck was later marked with a plaque, and Missouri became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It is sometimes confused with other famous American battleships, especially USS Iowa and USS New Jersey, because all three served in major twentieth-century conflicts. Missouri is also notable as the last battleship commissioned by the United States.