Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War

United States Navy — Battleship

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) — service history

This is the full service history. For the vessel's particulars, photograph and specifications, see the entry.

In the words of the US Navy. The account below is reproduced verbatim from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command — a work of the United States Government, in the public domain, and the only text on this site not written here.

Great War and before

1912

Oklahoma (Battleship No. 37) was laid down on 26 October 1912 at Camden, N.J., by the New York Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on 23 March 1914; sponsored by Miss Lorena J. Cruce, daughter of Governor Lee Cruce of Oklahoma; and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 2 May 1916, Capt. Roger Welles in command.

1918

USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Joining the Atlantic Fleet with Norfolk her home port, Oklahoma trained on the eastern seaboard until sailing on 13 August 1918 with sister ship Nevada to join in the task of protecting Allied convoys in European waters. In December she was part of the escort as President Woodrow Wilson arrived in France, departing on the 14th for New York and winter fleet exercises in Cuban waters. She returned to Brest on 15 June 1919 to escort President Wilson in George Washington (Id. No. 3018) home from his second visit to France, returning to New York on 8 July.

Interwar 1919–1938

1920

While a part of the Atlantic Fleet for the next two years, Oklahoma – redesignated as BB-37 on 17 July 1920 – twice voyaged to South America's west coast, first early in 1921 for combined exercises with the Pacific Fleet, and later that year to take part in celebrations of the Peruvian Centennial. She then joined the Pacific Fleet for six years highlighted by the cruise of the Battle Fleet to Australia and New Zealand in 1925. Assigned to the Scouting Fleet in early 1927, Oklahoma continued intensive exercises during that summer’s Midshipmen Cruise, voyaging to the East Coast to embark midshipmen, carrying them through the Panama Canal to San Francisco, and returning by the way of Cuba and Haiti.

1927

Modernized at Philadelphia between September 1927 and July 1929, Oklahoma rejoined the Scouting Fleet for exercises in the Caribbean, and returned to the west coast in June 1930. Later that summer [1930], Oklahoma and Tennessee (BB-43) served as gunnery training ships for the battleship class. Oklahoma made a reserve officer training cruise (12 June-14 July 1931), during which time the ship embarked ROTC students from the universities of California and Washington. During that cruise, the battleship and her embarked students visited Honolulu, T.H.

1936

USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
The U.S. Navy battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Gibraltar on 18 August 1936, during the Spanish Civil War. CEM E.D. McKinney, U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 50994 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

On 5 June 1936, Oklahoma cleared Annapolis with midshipmen on board, sailing with Arkansas (BB-33) and Wyoming (BB-32), comprising the Midshipmen’s Practice Squadron, setting course for Northern European ports. While en route, however, a Civil War erupted in Spain, and Oklahoma disembarked her fledgling naval officers to Arkansas and Wyoming at Cherbourg, France, on 22 July 1936 and sailed for Bilbao, Spain, arriving on 24 July to rescue American citizens and other refugees, whom she carried to Gibraltar and French ports. Oklahoma ’s Capt. William A. Hall became Senior Officer of the U.S. Navy in European Waters; upon his departure when Oklahoma sailed for the U.S. on 31 August, Capt. William F. Amsden, commanding officer of the heavy cruiser Quincy (CA-39) succeeded him. Oklahoma returned to Norfolk on 11 September 1936, then proceeded to the West Coast, steaming via the Panama Canal, on 24 October.

Second World War 1939–1945

1940

Oklahoma ’s routine over the five years encompassed a schedule of exercises and battle practices, punctuated with periods in yard hands for maintenance, for repairs and alterations. During one such period, on 19 September 1940, the battleship collided with the tug Goliah in Puget Sound.

Based at Pearl Harbor from 6 December 1940, she took part in the intensive regimen of exercises of various kinds, the intensity reflected in a collision during a battle practice evolution on 22 October 1941, when she collided with Arizona (BB-39). Following repairs, Oklahoma resumed her active preparations for war.

1941

USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
80-G-182699: Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. The capsized USS Oklahoma (BB 37) are shown after the attack. (9/9/2015). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-182699 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Oklahoma – Cmdr. Jesse L. Kenworthy, Jr., the executive officer, being senior officer on board, Capt. Howard D. Bode being ashore -- lay moored in Battleship Row on 7 December 1941, when the Japanese attacked. Outboard of Maryland (BB-46) , Oklahoma took three torpedo hits almost immediately after the first Japanese bomb fell on Ford Island. As she capsized, six more torpedoes struck home. Within 20 minutes after the attack began, she had swung over until halted by her masts touching bottom, her starboard side above water, and a part of her keel clear.

Among the instances of heroism on board Oklahoma that morning, 21-year old Ens. Francis G. Flaherty, USNR, and 20-year old Sea1c J. Richard Ward, as the ship was abandoned, held flashlights to allow their shipmates to escape from Turrets I. For their selfless gallantry, Flaherty, a University of Michigan graduate, and Ward both received the Medal of Honor, posthumously.

Two of Oklahoma ’s marines from her embarked detachment particularly distinguished themselves, each receiving the Navy Cross. Sgt. Thomas E. Hailey, clad only in his “skivvies,” manning a 5-inch/25 antiaircraft gun on board Maryland, and Cpl. Willard A. Darling, who helped save the capsized battleship’s 51-year old senior dental officer, Cmdr. Fred H. Rohow (DC), from drowning. Later that day, Hailey, still only in skivvies, went aloft as a volunteer “gunner” (armed with a .30-caliber Springfield 1903 rifle) in a Sikorsky JRS-1 flying boat in an abortive attempt to track the Japanese fleet.

Almost 60 of her survivors clambered on board Maryland to help serve her 5-inch/25 and 1.1-inch/75 antiaircraft guns. Twenty of Oklahoma ’s officers and 395 of her enlisted men were either killed or missing, 32 others wounded, and many were trapped within the capsized hull, to be saved by heroic rescue efforts. Such an effort was that of Julio DeCastro, a Honolulu-born civilian yard worker who organized the team that saved 32 of Oklahoma ’s sailors, the last of whom extracted an hour into the mid watch on Tuesday, 9 December.

While her able-bodied survivors were reassigned immediately to other ships, on 29 December 1941, Oklahoma was placed under the Base Force and placed “in ordinary” [a non-commissioned status]. The difficult savage job began in March 1943, and, finally righted in a herculean effort, Oklahoma entered dry dock on 28 December. Decommissioned on 1 September 1944 and made available by the Bureau of Ships to CinCPac as a hulk on 28 October 1944, Oklahoma was stricken from the Navy Register on 22 November 1944.

Stripped of guns and superstructure, she was sold on 5 December 1946 to Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, Calif., but while en route from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco, ex- Oklahoma parted her tow lines and sank on 17 May 1947, 540 miles from her destination.

Other photographs

Held for this vessel, and not tied to any part of the account above.

USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
Bain News Service,, publisher. Launch of USS Oklahoma on March 23, 1914 [between ca. 1910 and ca. 1915] 1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller. Notes: Title from unverified data provided by the Bain News Service on the negatives or caption cards. Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress). Format: Glass negatives. Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. Repo The original uploader was Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) at English Wikipedia . — This image is available from the United States Library of Congress 's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.15699 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
Lot 5365-3: Launching of USS Oklahoma (BB 37) at New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, New Jersey, March 23, 1914. This photograph shows the supports for the battleship before launching. The sponsor was Ms. Lorena J. Cruce, daughter of Oklahoma Governor Lee Cruce. Oklahoma capsized during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, and while being towed to be scrapped on May 17, 1947, National Museum of the U.S. Navy — Lot 5365-3 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
Photograph of the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) under way during her sea trials circa 1916 Unknown author — "Popular Mechanics" Magazine March 1916 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
The U.S. Navy battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) passing Alcatraz prison, San Francisco Bay, California (USA), during the 1930s. USN — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 84546-KN from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
Scope and content: This is one of a collection of photographs of salvage operations at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard taken by the shipyard during the period following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which initiated US participation in World War II. The photographs are found in a number of files in several shipyard records series. Department of the Navy. Fourteenth Naval District. Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbor (Hawaii). (ca. 1940 - 09/1947), Photographer ( NARA record: 1130789 ) — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
The U.S. Navy Iowa Class battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is tied up outboard of the hulk of USS Oklahoma (BB-37), at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, Hawaii (USA), on 11 November 1944. Note the great difference in the length of the two battleships and the anti-torpedo netting outboard of the ships. Since 22 June 1998, USS Missouri (BB-63), sistership to the Wisconsin, has been moored at this location, United States Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 78940 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
The mast of USS Oklahoma (BB-37), located in War Memorial Park in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The white material are barnacles that attached themselves to the structure while it was submerged in Pearl Harbor . KrakatoaKatie — Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
80-G-32415: Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Capsized USS Oklahoma (BB 37) and USS Maryland (BB 46) after the attack. (9/15/15). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-32415 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
80-G-32418: Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. View of “Battleship Row” after the Japanese raid. The capsized USS Oklahoma (BB 37) is in the center, alongside USS Maryland (BB 46). (9/15/15). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-32418 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
80-G-32486: Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. View of “Battleship Row” during or immediately after the Japanese raid. The capsized USS Oklahoma (BB 37) is in the center, alongside USS Maryland (BB 46). (9/15/15). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-32486 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
80-G-32488: Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. View of “Battleship Row” during or immediately after the Japanese raid. The capsized USS Oklahoma (BB 37) is in the center, alongside USS Maryland (BB 46). (9/15/15). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-32488 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
80-G-387565: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Aerial view of "Battleship Row" moorings on the southern side of Ford Island, 10 December 1941, showing damage from the Japanese raid three days earlier. In upper left is the sunken USS California (BB-44), with smaller vessels clustered around her. Diagonally, from left center to lower right are: USS Maryland (BB-46), lightly damaged, with the cap National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-387565 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
80-G-387566: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Aerial view of "Battleship Row" moorings on the southern side of Ford Island, 10 December 1941, showing damage from the Japanese raid three days earlier. Shown are: USS Oklahoma (BB-37), capsized; USS Tennessee (BB-43), lightly damaged, with the sunken USS West Virginia (BB-48). Note dark oil streaks on the harbor surface, originating from the sun National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-387566 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
80-G-387572: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Aerial view of "Battleship Row" moorings on the southern side of Ford Island, 10 December 1941, showing damage from the Japanese raid three days earlier. Diagonally, from left center to lower right are: USS Maryland (BB-46), lightly damaged, with the capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37) outboard. A barge is alongside Oklahoma, supporting rescue efforts. National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-387572 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

References

Every work this entry draws on. There are no numbered markers in the text above: what we hold is the provenance of the page — this history, this article, these photographs.

  1. History Oklahoma (Battleship No. 37) Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History and Heritage Command. A work of the United States Government, in the public domain — the only text on this site reproduced verbatim.
  2. Facts USS Oklahoma (BB-37) Structured facts only — dates, dimensions, armament and fate. No wording is taken from it. Harvested 1 August 2026.
  3. Photograph USS Oklahoma BB-37 Unknown USN photographer — https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/oklahoma-bb-37/NH-44401.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  4. Photograph Oklahoma BB37 5126122996 044c2569b0 o The original uploader was Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) at English Wikipedia . — This image is available from the United States Library of Congress 's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.15699 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  5. Photograph USS Oklahoma (BB 37) at New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, New Jersey, March 23, 1914 (21139954278) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — Lot 5365-3 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  6. Photograph USS Oklahoma (BB-37) sea trials 1916 Unknown author — "Popular Mechanics" Magazine March 1916 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  7. Photograph USS Oklahoma (BB-37) passing Alcatraz in the 1930s USN — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 84546-KN from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  8. Photograph USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Gibraltar in April 1936 CEM E.D. McKinney, U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 50994 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  9. Photograph NASPH ^118506- 19 March 1943. USS Oklahoma- Salvage. Aerial view toward shore with ship in 90 degree position. - NARA - 296975 Department of the Navy. Fourteenth Naval District. Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbor (Hawaii). (ca. 1940 - 09/1947), Photographer ( NARA record: 1130789 ) — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  10. Photograph USS Wisconsin and USS Oklahoma H78940t United States Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 78940 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  11. Photograph USS Oklahoma mast KrakatoaKatie — Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons
  12. Photograph 111-SC-2990 - U.S.S. Oklahoma. - NARA - 55167372 Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  13. Photograph 111-SC-43681 - NARA - 55246226 Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  14. Photograph 111-SC-5876 - NARA - 55172660 Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  15. Photograph 80-G-182699 (20675129974) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-182699 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  16. Photograph 80-G-32415 (21277492950) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-32415 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  17. Photograph 80-G-32418 (20842791554) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-32418 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  18. Photograph 80-G-32486 (20844042903) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-32486 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  19. Photograph 80-G-32488 (21278205739) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-32488 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  20. Photograph 80-G-387565 (21465807399) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-387565 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  21. Photograph 80-G-387566 (21661747041) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-387566 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  22. Photograph 80-G-387572 (21661625201) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-387572 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons