The famous American battleship USS Missouri is now sailing the United States Postal Service mailstream as a Forever stamp. In celebration of the ship’s 75th commissioning anniversary, the stamps were dedicated today on her deck pier side at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu.
In a press release, the Postal Service recognized the USS Missouri as one of the “most famous Naval battleships” to ever sail the sea, and voiced their pride in adding it to their roster of commemorative stamps.
“As a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, I had the honor to serve in the United States Navy and I recognize the importance this great ship brings to American history,” said USPS enterprise analytics vice president, Jeffrey C. Johnson. “And this Forever stamp will continue to help tell that vital story.”
The USS Missouri, nicknamed “Mighty Mo,” was first commissioned in June of 1944, and joined U.S. military efforts in the Pacific Ocean during the last months of World War II. On Sept. 2, 1945, military officials from the Allied powers and imperial Japan gathered on the ship’s deck, and signed the documents confirming Japan’s surrender, thus ending the war.
In the new stamp created by Greg Breeding and Dan Cosgrove, the battleship is shown from a low vantage point, cutting through the water as if it were entering or leaving port. It will be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.