See inside the USS Massachusetts, the battleship that fired the last shot of World War II

"The USS Massachusetts, a South Dakota-class battleship, earned 11 battle stars in World War II. It fired the first US 16-inch shell of World War II, and the last 16-inch shell of the war overall. The battleship is now a museum where visitors can tour once top-secret areas."

"In 1942, the 680-foot battleship fired the first US 16-inch projectile of the war in combat with French forces off the coast of Casablanca, Morocco, as part of Operation Torch. Three years later, the USS Massachusetts fired the last 16-inch projectile of World War II against Japanese forces in the final naval bombardment in Kamaishi, Honshu, Japan."

"After the war, the decorated battleship was decommissioned and destined to become scrap metal until its former crew members stepped in to raise the funds to save it. In 1965, the USS Massachusetts opened to the public as a museum and war memorial in the very state it was named for. "The most important function here is that we serve to honor veterans and active duty personnel," Christopher Nardi, Battleship Cove's chief operating officer, told Business Insider."

USS Massachusetts fired the first US 16-inch projectile in 1942 during Operation Torch off Casablanca and fired the last 16-inch projectile in 1945 during the naval bombardment of Kamaishi, Honshu. The South Dakota-class battleship earned 11 battle stars in World War II. After decommissioning, former crew members raised funds to prevent scrapping and the ship opened in 1965 as a museum and war memorial at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. Battleship Cove operates with limited winter hours and charges $25 general admission for adults. Visitors can tour once top-secret areas, including the third-deck passageway known as Broadway.

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