HONOLULU -- Wednesday morning will present an unusual sight off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor: the uncoupling of the battleship Missouri from its mooring opposite the sunken Arizona in the pairing that symbolizes the beginning and end of World War 2.

The 887-foot Missouri, the last battleship built by the U.S. and site of Japan's unconditional surrender ending the war, will be headed to drydock at about 7 a.m. if all goes as planned.

Officials recommend that people go to the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park next to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center for public viewing of the historic - but temporary - move.

"The battleship Missouri's tow to drydock will be a rare sight indeed," said Paul Dyson, vice president of marketing and sales for the Battleship Missouri Memorial. "You just don't see battleships under way anymore."

It will be the first time that "Mighty Mo" will leave her pier in more than 11 years. The floating museum and memorial is 5 feet longer than the Titanic and 108 feet wide.

"For those with base access onto Ford Island, the best vantage is probably from the seaplane ramp on the southern end of the island. For those without base access, the best vantage will be from the USS Bowfin submarine museum," Dyson said.

From the Bowfin, the public will be able to glimpse Missouri casting off and being rotated to head bow first toward Drydock No. 4 in the Pearl Harbor shipyard.

The Bowfin is ideal because there is free parking, a covered area with seating and some concessions, Dyson said. The Bowfin grounds will be open at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said.

There is no admission fee to the Bowfin's lawn to view the Missouri towing, but a "no baggage" policy will be in effect. There is $3 baggage storage on site.

The lawn at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center also provides a good vantage point, but construction on a new visitor center has blocked some accessways and parking, officials said. The visitor center opens at 7 a.m.

The two-mile Missouri tow, using two to three tugboats, is expected to take about an hour.

Once in drydock, more than 200 workers a day will be tackling sandblasting, hull repairs and a bottom-to-top repainting. The work likely will cost $18 million.

Missouri's exit from drydock is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 7. Following a "soft" reopening in mid-January, a grand opening will take place on Jan. 29, the 11th anniversary of the memorial's grand opening in Hawaii and 66th anniversary of the battleship's launching from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The sunken Arizona is bookended with the Missouri. The Arizona represents the low point of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack that launched the U.S. into World War 2, and the Missouri represents the victory since Japan's leaders surrendered on the ship in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945.

If you're a veteran, please leave a comment with your memories or thoughts about the battleship and its role in history.