The Iowa Class Battleships were the largest and final great battleships of the US Navy. They included the BB-61 Iowa, the BB-62 New Jersey, and the third ship, the famous BB-63 Battleship Missouri. These ships, which boasted an amazing 212,000hp allowing a 33 knot top speed, were armed with massive 40.6cm main guns. The Iowa Class ships stretched 270.4m but were relatively thin, with only 33m max width, enabling them to pass through the Panama Canal. Being commissioned in June 1944, the USS Missouri took part in many operations during the Pacific War including bombardments on Japanese mainland and capital. On September 2, 1945, the treaty for the unconditional surrender of Japanese forces was signed onboard the deck of the historic USS Missouri. With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 the USS Missouri was deployed again with the other Iowa Class Battleships for fire support. The USS Missouri was relegated to reserve duty in 1955, but became subject to complete renovation and modernization in 1986 when she was fitted with the latest in electronic weapon systems, cruise missiles and other improvements. In 1991, the USS Missouri was deployed to fight in the Gulf War. Finally, in 1993, after about a half-century of service, this historic Battleship was at last retired.

Camouflage Schemes of the Missouri

During WWII, the USS Missouri wore 2 different camouflage schemes. When completed in June 1944, this battleship was painted in what was called Measure 32/22D camouflage which consisted in splashes of three colors applied all along the ship. In 1945, this was change to Measure 22 camouflage which consisted of dark gray for almost all the hull and light gray for the remaining vertical surfaces. The kit includes a color sheet displaying the camouflage schemes, showing both sides of Measure 32/22D camouflage. You can enlarge it by 120% to use it as a template to paint your model.