The USS Missouri is known as the "Mighty Mo" to many who served on her and was the last of the great battleships to be completed by the US Navy. In 1995 she was removed from the Navy's ship registry, clearing the way for the battleship to be donated by the US Navy for preservation as a memorial museum. The Battleship Missouri Memorial opened to the public on January 29, 1999, the 54th anniversary of the launching of the ship.