Long Beach : Missouri Leaves Port
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The battleship Missouri, its two-year, $475-million refitting complete, sailed out of Long Beach Monday for a Saturday recommissioning ceremony in San Francisco, its home port beginning in 1989.
San Francisco won--and Long Beach lost--a mild bidding war to become the home port of the 42-year-old ship, which, with support vessels, will pump an estimated $400 million into the local economy.
Bay Area environmentalists and peace protesters, however, continue to object to the Missouri’s nuclear-capable missiles and to dredging of the battleship’s future berth, which they say will be costly and stir up toxic materials in bay sediment.
Following the ceremony on Saturday, the Missouri and its crew of 1,600 will return to Long Beach to await a permanent move to San Francisco in two years, after arrangements for financing and housing are complete.
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