News

USS Missouri to feature information kiosks

March 26, 2002

HONOLULU - The USS Missouri, a World War II battleship that also served in Korea and the Gulf War, will add 30 kiosks to complement public tours of the vessel. The ship, now a museum berthed in Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, will soon host Internet-based distance learning classes and virtual video tours.A kiosk maker hasn't yet been chosen.

The digital information kiosks will be linked to nearly 200 video cameras around the ship. A shipboard control center will send sound and images to the kiosks. Avaya Inc. (NYSE: AV), a corporate networking solutions and services company based in Basking Ridge, N.J., donated nearly 35 miles of high-speed local area network (LAN) cable to the USS Missouri.

The

kiosks will tell visitors what part of the ship they are in and how that part was used. Users will be able to access a video library of interviews with service veterans, and footage of shore bombardments and other battle scenes. When all is complete, the information database and video library will be linked to the USS Missouri Web site and other media for on-line tours.

According to Robyn Roberts, a spokesperson for Avaya, the company's 1071 SYSTIMAX GigaSPEED cabling is scheduled to be installed by the end of the year.

About 400,000 people visit the "Mighty Mo" each year. The USS Missouri Memorial Association, a private, nonprofit organization, operates the battleship museum.