USS Missouri Comes Home: A Battleship’s Triumphant Return to Norfolk, April 1951

April 27, 1951, was a day awash in anticipation and pride on the waterfront in Norfolk, Virginia. A thunderous welcome reverberated along the piers as the mighty battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) steamed home, her steel hull burnished by salt and smoke from war’s latest ordeal: the Korean Peninsula. As sailors in dress whites lined her decks and cheering families gathered onshore, the “Mighty Mo,” America’s most storied battleship, returned from another chapter of conflict—her legend deepened, her legacy undiminished.

The Return of a Legend

USS Missouri was already a symbol when she first voyaged to war. Launched in 1944 and serving as the stage on which World War II formally ended, Missouri was the last battleship ever commissioned by the United States Navy. When North Korea’s surprise invasion of the South hurled the world back into war in June 1950, Missouri was swiftly ordered from peacetime reserve to the frontlines of battle—her guns, her crew, and her reputation called into action once more.

Into the Cauldron: Missouri in the Korean War

Departing from the Atlantic, the Missouri made a globe-circling journey around South America to join the Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific. From September 1950, she provided vital naval gunfire support during key United Nations operations, including the dramatic landings at Inchon and the withdrawal at Hungnam.

For months, “Mighty Mo” shelled enemy positions along the Korean coast, silencing artillery, destroying supply lines, and hammering troop concentrations. The thunder of her nine 16-inch guns—echoing with memories of the Pacific War—instilled awe and dread on every shore she touched.

The battleship also saw her share of danger. She weathered air attack, treacherous seas, and the ever-present risk of mines and submarines. Her crew, hardened by war yet driven by duty, performed their tasks with the same resolve that made the Missouri famous in WWII.

Homecoming at Norfolk

And so it was, after nearly a year of relentless deployment, that the USS Missouri steamed into Norfolk on April 27, 1951. She cut a majestic figure on the approach: 887 feet of fighting steel, bristling with gun turrets, crew assembled at quarters in crisp lines—a drama of power and pride beneath the fluttering stars and stripes.

Crowds massed along the piers and Navy Yard, waving flags and banners, straining to catch a glimpse of their loved ones and the ship that had become something almost mythic. Navy band music drifted on the breeze; officials, officers, and ordinary citizens merged in a patriotic celebration.

For thousands of sailors aboard, some seeing American soil for the first time in a year, the return was deeply personal. Letters had chronicled the hardship, loss, and monotony of war, but nothing matched the relief of seeing Norfolk’s wharves swing into focus—the promise of reunion, rest, and home.

Scars and Honors

The “Mighty Mo” bore the traces of war—weathered paint, scars from storm and battle. But she also returned victorious: her bold actions had been recognized with battle stars, and her reputation further burnished in the annals of naval history. The bustle of her crew on deck was a living testament to months of watchstanding, gunnery drills, and the shared effort that had seen her safely home.

Behind the celebrations, there were more somber moments as well. Some sailors did not return; some departed Missouri’s decks forever before reaching port. The homecoming honored their memory just as surely as it feted the survivors.

Symbol of More than War

Missouri’s arrival at Norfolk was more than a military event; it was an American homecoming. For a nation that had stood watchful during the uncertain months of the Korean War, her safe return embodied hope, freedom, and resilience. Newsreels and newspapers carried images of her looming hull, sailor’s joyous embraces, and families reunited after long absence—a moving tableau of the costs and triumphs of service.

After Norfolk: An Enduring Legacy

Following much-deserved shore leave and peace-time refit at Norfolk, Missouri would be called to duty once again before her final decommissioning in 1955. In later decades, she would be reborn yet again as a symbol and a museum, her decks still echoing with the footsteps of those who served.

Today, visitors stand on her decks at Pearl Harbor, gazing across history—from the scars of World War II to the far beaches of Korea—finding themselves in the long shadow of a ship that always came home.

The Day Mighty Mo Returned

April 27, 1951, remains a proud chapter in the USS Missouri’s saga. Her triumphant return to Norfolk was not only a celebration of one ship and her crew, but a testament to the courage, endurance, and spirit of all who serve—and all who wait—when America’s ships go to war, and then, blessedly, return home.