USS Oklahoma

[Navy1960]

In 1940, Oklahoma's base was shifted from the U.S. west coast to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941. Moored outboard of USS Maryland (BB-46), she was hit by a great number of Japanese Type 91 aerial torpedoes. With her port side torn open over much of its length, Oklahoma rapidly rolled over and sank to the harbor bottom, with the loss of over 400 of her crew. Many of the men trapped in her upturned hull were cut free through the intense efforts of Sailors and civilian Navy Yard employees.

During 1943, Oklahoma was the subject of a massive salvage undertaking, involving turning her upright, patching her damages and refloating her. She was drydocked late in the year to be stripped of guns and other equipment and repaired sufficiently to make her relatively watertight. Too old and badly damaged to be worth returning to service, Oklahoma was formally decommissioned in September 1944. She was sold for scrapping in December 1946, but sank while under tow from Hawaii to California in May 1947.

USN Ships--USS Oklahoma (BB-37)

Many people have debated Pearl Harbor and are aware of the USS Arizona and the memorial that exists there today that honors the sailors that perished aboard her. Not many are aware of the story of the USS Oklahoma and when it rolled over, trapping hundreds below decks and the massive salvage operation that eventually righted the ship.

 

[Old Rocks]

Interesting bit of history. Thank you, Navy.

 

[Navy1960]

Your welcome Rocks, in fact the salvage operation to right the ship from the mud was one of the largest salvage operations ever undertaken. It's a story in itself.

http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/umrcourses/ge342/Salvage of USS Oklahoma.pdf

 

[SFC Ollie]

 

[Navy1960]

Francis Charles Flaherty (March 15, 1919 – December 7, 1941) was an officer in the United States Naval Reserve and a recipient of America's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for helping his crewmates escape the sinking USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at the expense of his own life, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

citation

For conspicuous devotion to duty and extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. When it was seen that the U.S.S. Oklahoma was going to capsize and the order was given to abandon ship, Ens. Flaherty remained in a turret, holding a flashlight so the remainder of the turret crew could see to escape, thereby sacrificing his own life.

Francis C. Flaherty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So much of our history and it's heros are names people don't even know and yet they gave everything, when I talk about these kinds of things to young people they are often surprised to hear of such things and had no idea. Like for example the story of Dorrie Miller who received the Navy Cross for his actions on that day, another name that many do not know and yet as an African American mess cook his contributions to his nations are little known, but no less gallant.

 

[Old Rocks]

Ordinery Americans in extroideney circumstances taking amazing and courageous actions. These stories should be known in grade school.