05/15/08

HONOLULU (AP) _ The historic Battleship Missouri is getting
ready for a change of scenery. But it won't be going far.

Operators of the ship memorial that was the sight of the 1945
Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay are getting the ship ready for
major work in the Pearl Harbor dry dock.

The work on the nation's last battleship is to include
sandblasting, repainting and teak deck replacement. Cost for all
the work is expected to be anywhere from around $10 million up to
close to $30 million.

Officials say the dry dock at Pearl Harbor will last from two to
three months.

While the work is being planned over the next several months,
the Missouri will remain open to visitors at its mooring opposite
the sunken USS Arizona.

The Missouri has been operated as historic attraction since
1998.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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