Oklahomans have always taken pride in the service and valor of the battleship named for our state, the USS Oklahoma. The ship (nicknamed the Okie) was commissioned in 1916 and was the first U.S. warship to utilize oil over coal. During World War I, the ship was stationed off the coast of Ireland and helped protect American convoys in the area. After WWI, the ship helped protect President Woodrow Wilson’s convoy.
After the war, the USS Oklahoma was stationed in Pearl Harbor. During the fateful day of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack, the ship was stuck multiple times by torpedoes, capsized and sank. Many of the crew members bravely continued to fight as they climbed aboard the nearby USS Maryland. Tragically, 429 of the Oklahoma’s crew were killed in the attack. Three medals of honor, three Navy and Marine Corps Medals and one Navy Cross were awarded to sailors who fought on the Oklahoma during the attack.
That would not be the end of the USS Oklahoma’s story. In 1947, there was attempt to tow the ship to San Francisco Bay. During the move, a heavy storm struck and the Oklahoma sank. Its exact location is currently unknown.
In 2003, the U.S. Navy recovered the mast from the Oklahoma and it currently resides in War Memorial Park in Muskogee. The anchor of the ship is located at Campbell Park, just north of downtown OKC.
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