The most powerful US battleship ever built was the USS Missouri. The Missouri was commissioned in 1944 and saw action in World War II, the Korean War, and the Gulf War. She was decommissioned in 1992 and is now a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The Missouri was armed with nine 16-inch (406 mm) guns, eighty 5-inch (127 mm) guns, forty Bofors 40 mm guns, and twenty Oerlikon 20 mm cannons. Her armor plating was up to 22 inches (560 mm) thick in some places. She had a crew of over 2,700 officers and enlisted men.
The Missouri’s main battery could fire 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) shells over 20 miles (32 km). Her secondary battery could reach out to 9 miles (14 km). She could also launch Tomahawk cruise missiles from her deck.
In her career, the Missouri earned eleven battle stars for her service in World War II, Korea, and the Gulf War.
