Oklahoma
Genealogical Society
THE U.S.S OKLAHOMA
(BB-37)
1916-1946
Published in The Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly
Volume 46, Number 1, 2001
In 1911 Congress authorized the building of
two battleships. These two battleships were the Nevada and the Oklahoma. They
were to be a modern symbol of the power of the United States. The New York
Shipbuilding Company of Camden, New Jersey, laid the keel for the battleship
U.S.S. Oklahoma in October 1912 for the United States Navy. These two
battleships were to be the first to burn oil as fuel instead of coal.
The ship was christened in March 1914 by
Lorena Jane Cruce, daughter of Oklahoma’s Governor, Lee Cruce. Ms. Cruce struck
the ship with a bottle of champagne while stating, "In the name of the
United States, I christen thee ‘Oklahoma.’" The Navy had earlier convinced
Governor Cruce that it was tradition to use champagne in christening ships. The
Governor had not liked the idea of using champagne to launch a ship named for
his state. Presented as a gift to the U.S.S. Oklahoma at the christening was a
65 pound sterling silver punch bowl, its plateau and silver service. The silver
set was created by Gorham Silversmiths of Providence, Rhode Island after the
state Legislature appropriated the funds in 1913. The silver set was designed
by Walter C. Dean, a jeweler in Oklahoma City. The punch bowl is engraved with
the state seal, a depiction of the 1889 land run, mistletoe stems and wheat
stalks. Its handles are sculpted heads of "Boomer" David L. Payne and
Cherokee chief, Sequoyah while the serving pieces honor Oklahoma’s oil
industry. The silver would be used on the Oklahoma’s many diplomatic missions.
The U.S.S. Oklahoma was commissioned at
Philadelphia on May 2, 1916 with Captain Roger Welles commanding. The
commissioning statement of the Oklahoma stated " That it was hoped that
the Oklahoma might never become a mere instrument of destruction nor of strife,
but a minister of peace and a guardian of rights and interests of mankind,
protecting the weak against the strong." Attending the commissioning was
the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt. As president,
Roosevelt would declare war on Japan in 1941 after the attack at Pearl Harbor.
Some milestones in the U.S.S. Oklahoma’s
career are:
|
August 13, 1918 |
Sailed with her sister ship, the Nevada, to
protect and escort allied convoys from the German Navy in European waters in
World War I until the war was over. She was nicknamed the "Okie." |
|
December 1918 |
Participated as an escort to President
Woodrow Wilson traveling to France. |
|
June 1919 |
Returned to France to escort President
Woodrow Wilson, aboard the George Washington, home from his second trip to
that country. President Wilson had been negotiating the Versailles Treaty. |
|
1919-1926 |
Was a part of the Atlantic Fleet for two
years and then the Pacific Fleet for six years . Participated in the Peruvian
Centennial and the unveiling of the San Martin Monument. |
|
1927 |
Joined the Scouting Fleet. |
|
1927 - 1929 |
Modernized at Philadelphia. She became one
of the first ships to have bunks instead of hammocks. |
|
July 1929 |
Rejoined the Scouting Fleet. Maneuvers were
reduced during the Depression due to the lack of fuel oil. |
|
1933 |
An earthquake hit Long Beach, California
while the Oklahoma was docked there. The crew went ashore to help keep order. |
|
1933 |
Participated in a civil defense test with
authorities in Tacoma, Washington by using the ship’s generators to provide
all electrical power to the city for 24 hours, proving the Navy could help
civilians if it became necessary. |
|
July 1936 |
Sailed to Bilbao to rescue American
citizens and other refugees due to the Spanish Civil War. While delivering a
group of these citizens to the safety of France, a woman gave birth. This was
the first time a baby had been born on an American battleship. |
|
August 1940 |
The Oklahoma had been in drydock in Puget
Sound, Washington after participating in Army/Navy exercises. She was backing
down Puget Sound in the fog and hit a tow line of a barge carrying railroad
cars which sent railroad cars into the water. A Navy ship had never before
collided with a train. |
|
December 6, 1940 |
Based at Pearl Harbor for patrol and
exercises. |
|
December 7, 1941 |
Moored in Pearl Harbor Battleship Row 7
beside the Maryland, the Oklahoma was among the first hit by the Japanese.
She was among almost half of the United States Pacific Fleet consisting of
150 vessels who lay at anchor in Pearl Harbor that morning when attacked.
During the first few hours of the attack, the United States suffered one of
her worst wartime losses: over 2,300 men, women and children were killed, 429
aboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma. |
The U.S.S. Oklahoma received one
battle star for service in World War II.
The dawning of December 7, 1941 had begun
with the U.S.S. Antares spotting a conning tower of a Japanese midget submarine
attempting to enter Pearl Harbor.
Aboard the Oklahoma, the day began with the
ship’s bugler, Joe H. Lawter blowing the first morning call. Lawter had just
graduated from Central High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma two years earlier
and was in a U.S. Marine detachment serving aboard the battleship. He was
preparing to sound the signal to raise the flag when at approximately 7:55 A.M.
the first wave of Japanese aircraft dropped at least three aerial torpedoes on
the Oklahoma. At first Lawter thought it was a training exercise until he heard
the announcement over the intercom by the boatswain’s mate that it was not a
mock alert.
This attack initiated the United States’
entry into the war even though the war in Europe had been waging since
September 1939 when Germany attacked Poland.
The U.S.S. Oklahoma began capsizing after
being struck initially by at least three aerial torpedoes. The Japanese also
strafed the ships with machine gun fire. After being hit by more torpedoes, the
Oklahoma’s port side was torn open and she rolled over within fifteen minutes.
Many serving aboard the Oklahoma joined the crew aboard the Maryland to
continue fighting. Many others were trapped below deck for days while rescuers
tried to cut into the hull. Of the men trapped, only 32 were saved over a three
day period. Approximately 400 bodies would later be recovered when the ship was
raised in 1944. Of these, only 35 were identified. The rest were buried in a
mass grave in the National Cemetery of Hawaii.
Salvage of the U.S.S. Oklahoma began in March
1943. She was the most difficult and largest of the Pearl Harbor salvage jobs.
In dry dock, she was repaired enough to make her watertight. She was
decommissioned in September 1944 and sold to a scrapping company in California
for less than $50,000. In May 1947, two tugs began towing the Oklahoma to San
Francisco. Awaiting her arrival in San Francisco was Roy J. Turner, Governor of
Oklahoma, along with may others, to pay last respects to the battleship named
after their state. However, on May 17, 1947 the tow lines separated and the
U.S.S. Oklahoma sank 540 miles out of Pearl Harbor. For former crew members, it
was a relief that the ship had sunk and died at sea rather than being cut up
for scrap.
During salvage, the ship’s wheel and a
section of the wooden deck were removed and are now a part of a display at the
Oklahoma Historical Society Museum, along with its formal silver service and
punch bowl. In readying the ship for possible combat, the silver set presented
to the U.S.S. Oklahoma had been removed and stored at Puget Sound Naval
Station. The silver set was returned to Oklahoma in 1947 and has been housed at
the Oklahoma Historical Society Museum since. A replica of the punch bowl
resides at the Governor’s Mansion
For many years, the only monument to the men
lost on the Oklahoma was a marker at Pearl Harbor until the anchor was brought
to Oklahoma City. John Kirkpatrick, an Oklahoma City philanthropist, was a
gunnery officer on the U.S.S. North Carolina when it sailed into Pearl Harbor
where he saw the capsized U.S.S. Oklahoma. He later became a Navy Admiral and
was instrumental in bringing the anchor of the U.S.S. Oklahoma to its present
location at Park Avenue and Broadway Avenue in downtown Oklahoma City.
The long awaited monument to the U.S.S.
Oklahoma and the men who served aboard her was unveiled in a ceremony on
November 11, 1998, fifty-seven years after she capsized in Pearl Harbor.
Designed by Richard Romero, the monument is a slab of pink granite from a
southwestern Oklahoma quarry. An image of the U.S.S. Oklahoma is engraved
across the face. Beneath the ship is the sea and the names of the 429 men lost
are listed with the inscription "These heroes perished when the USS Oklahoma
capsized in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii." It is located in the military gardens
site on the north lawn of the Oklahoma Historical Society, 2100 North Lincoln
Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Funds for the monument were raised by
survivors/veterans’ groups who wanted to assure families that their loved ones
who perished would never be forgotten. The number of survivors living are
getting less and less as each year goes by. Those still living are now in their
late seventies or eighties but time has not erased their memory of December 7,
1941.
The Oklahoma Historical Society’s exhibit on
the U.S.S. Oklahoma will be expanded when the new museum is completed.
For additional information on the U.S.S.
Oklahoma, check the Navy resources online at the following three sites;
Navy Resources , Navy History and Actual
Ship Logs
Anchor from the U.S.S. Oklahoma
located at Park Avenue and Broadway
in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Inscribed on Base:
Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty
U.S.S. Oklahoma
Pearl Harbor
7 December 1941
NAMES LISTED ON MONUMENT
U.S. NAVY
ADKINS, MARVIN B.
ALDRIDGE, WILLARD H.
ALEXANDER, HUGH R.
ALLEN, STANLEY W.
ALLISON, HAL J.
ARICKX, LEON
ARMSTRONG, KENNETH B.
ARTLEY, DARYLE E.
AULD, JOHN C.
AUSTIN, JOHN A.
BACKMAN, WALTER H.
BAILEY, GERALD J.
BAILEY, ROBERT E.
BALLANCE, WILBUR F.
BANKS, LAYTON T.
vBARBER, LEROY K.
vBARBER, MALCOM J.
vBARBER, RANDOLPH H.
BARNCORD, CECIL E.
BARRETT, WILBUR C.
BATES, HAROLD E.
BATTLES, RALPH C.
BAUM, EARL P.
BEAN, HOWARD W.
BELT, WALTER S. JR.
BENNETT, ROBERT J.
BLACKBURN, HARDING C.
BLANCHARD, WILLIAM E.
BLAYLOCK, CLARENCE A.
zBLITZ, LEO
zBLITZ, RUDOLPH
BOCK, JOHN G. JR.
BOEMER, PAUL L.
BOOE, JAMES B.
BORING, JAMES B.
BOUDREAUX, RALPH M.
BOXRUCKER, LAWRENCE A.
BOYNTON, RAYMOND D.
BRADLEY, CARL M.
BRANDT, ORIS V.
BREEDLOVE, JACK A.
BREWER, RANDALL W.
BROOKS, WILLIAM
BROWN, WESLEY J.
BRUESEWITZ, WILLIAM G.
BUCHANAN, JAMES R.
BURCH, EARL G.
BURGER, OLIVER K.
BURK, MILLARD JR.
BUTTS, RODGER C.
CALLAHAN, ARCHIE JR.
CAMERY, RAYMOND R.
CAMPBELL, WILLIAM V.
CARGILE, MURRAY R.
CARNEY, HAROLD F.
CARROLL, JOSEPH W.
CASINGER, EDWARD E.
CASOLA, BIACIO
vCASTRO, CHARLES R.
vCASTRO, RICHARD E.
CHESHIRE, JAMES T.
CHESS, PATRICK L.
CLARK, DAVID JR.
CLAYTON, GERALD L.
CLEMENT, HUBERT P.
CLIFFORD, FLOYD F.
COKE, GEORGE A.
COLLINS, JAMES E.
CONNOLLY, JOHN G.
CONNOLLY, KEEFE R.
CONWAY, EDWARD L.
COOK, GRANT C. JR.
CORN, ROBERT L.
CORZATT, BEOIN H.
CRAIG, JOHN W.
CRIM, WARREN H.
CROWDER, SAMUEL W.
CURRY, WILLIAM M.
CYRIACK, GLENN G.
DARBY, MARSHALL E. JR.
DAVENPORT, JAMES W. JR.
DAY, FRANCIS D.
DELLES, LESLIE P.
DERRINGTON, RALPH A.
DICK, FRANCIS E.
DILL, LEAMAN R.
DOERNEBURG, KENNETH E.
DONALD, JOHN M.
DORR, CARL D.
DOYLE, BERNARD V.
DRWALL, STANISLAW F.
DUSSET, CYRIL I.
DYER, BUFORD H.
EAKES, WALLACE E.
EBERHARDT, EUGENE K.
EDMONSTON, DAVID B.
ELLIS, EARL M.
ELLISON, BRUCE H.
ELLSBERRY, JULIUS
ENGLAND, JOHN C.
FARFAN, IGNACIO C.
FARMER, LUTHER J.
FECHO, LAWRENCE H.
FERGUSON, CHARLTON H.
FIELDS, ROBERT A.
FINNEGAN, WILLIAM M.
µFLAHERTY, FRANCIS C.
FLANAGAN, JAMES M.
FLORESE, FELICISMO
FOLEY, WALTER C.
FOOTE, GEORGE P.
FORD, GEORGE C.
FRENCH, JOY C.
FURR, TEDD M.
GALAJDIK, MICHAEL
GARA, MARTIN A.
GARCIA, JESUS F.
GARRIS, EUGENE
GEBSER, PAUL H.
«GELLER, LEONARD R.
GEORGE, GEORGE T.
GIBSON, GEORGE H.
GIESA, GEORGE E.
GIFFORD, QUENTIN J.
GILBERT, GEORGE
GILLETTE, WARREN C.
GILLIARD, BENJAMIN E.
GLENN, ARTHUR
GOGGIN, DARYL H.
GOLDWATER, JACK R.
GOMEZ, CHARLES C. JR.
GOOCH, GEORGE M.
GOODWIN, CLIFFORD G.
GOODWIN, ROBERT
GORDON, DUFF
GOWEY, CLAUDE O.
GRAHAM, WESLEY E.
GRAND PRE, ARTHUR M.
GRIFFITH, THOMAS E.
GROSS, EDGAR D.
GROW, VERNON N.
GUISINGER, DANIEL L. JR.
GURGANUS, WILLIAM I.
GUSIE, WILLIAM F.
HALL, HUBERT P.
HALTERMAN, ROBERT E.
HAM, HAROLD W.
HAMLIN, DALE R.
HANN, EUGENE P.
HANNON, FRANCIS L.
HANSON, GEORGE
HARR, ROBERT J.
HARRIS, CHARLES H.
HARRIS, DANIEL F.
HARRIS, LOUIS E. JR.
HAYDEN, ALBERT E.
HEAD, HAROLD L.
HEADINGTON, ROBERT W.
HELLSTERN, WILLIAM F.
HELTON, FLOYD D.
HENRICHSEN, JIMMIE L.
«HENSON, WILLIAM E. JR.
HERBER, HARVEY C.
HERBERT, GEORGE
HESLER, AUSTIN H.
HISKETT, DENIS H.
HITTORFF, JOSEPH P. JR.
HOAG, FRANK S. JR.
HOARD, HERBERT J.
HOFFMAN, JOSEPH W.
HOLM, KENNETH L.
HOLMES, HARRY R.
HOLZHAUER, JAMES W.
HOPKINS, EDWIN C.
HORD, CHESTER G.
HRYNIEWICZ, FRANK A.
HUDSON, CHARLES E.
HULTGREN, LORENTZ E.
HUNTER, ROBERT M.
IVERSON, GLAYDON I. C.
JACKSON, WILLIE
JACOBSON, HERBERT B.
JAMES, CHALLIS R.
JARDING, GEORGE W.
JAYNE, KENNETH L.
JENSEN, THEODORE Q.
JENSON, JESSE B.
JOHANNES, CHARLES H.
JOHNSON, BILLY J.
JOHNSON, EDWARD D.
JOHNSON, JOSEPH M.
JOHNSTON, JIM H.
JONES, CHARLES A.
JONES, FRED M.
JONES, JERRY
JORDAN, JULIAN B.
JORDAN, WESLEY V.
JURASHEN, THOMAS V.
KANE, ALBERT U.
KARLI, JOHN A.
KEFFER, HOWARD V.
KEIL, RALPH H.
KELLER, DONALD G.
KELLEY, JOE M.
KEMPF, WARREN J.
KENINGER, LEO T.
KENNEDY, WILLIAM H.
KERESTES, ELMER T.
KESLER, DAVID L.
KLASING, WILLIAM A.
KNIPP, VERNE F.
KVALNES, HANS C.
KVIDERA, WILLIAM L.
«KYSER, D. T.
LARSEN, ELLIOTT D.
LAURIE, JOHNNIE C.
LAWRENCE, ELMER P.
LAWSON, WILLARD I.
LEHMAN, GERALD G.
LEHMAN, MYRON K.
LESCAULT, LIONEL W.
LINDSEY, HAROLD W.
LINDSLEY, JOHN H.
LIVINGSTON, ALFRED E.
LOCKWOOD, CLARENCE M.
LOEBACH, ADOLPH J.
LUKE, VERNON T.
MABINE, OCTAVIUS
MAGERS, HOWARD S.
MALEK, MICHAEL
MALFANTE, ALGEO V.
MANNING, WALTER B.
MASON, HENRI C.
MAULE, JOSEPH K.
McCABE, EDWIN B.
McCLOUD, DONALD R.
McDONALD, JAMES O.
McKEEMAN, BERT E.
McKISSACK, HALE
McLAUGHLIN, LLOYD E.
MELTON, EARL R.
MELTON, HERBERT F.
MILES, ARCHIE T.
MITCHELL, WALLACE G.
MONTGOMERY, CHARLES A.
MULICK, JOHN M.
MYERS, RAY H.
NAEGLE, GEORGE E.
NAIL, ELMER D.
NASH, PAUL A.
NEHER, DON O.
NEUENSCHWANDER, ARTHUR C.
«NEVILL, SAM D.
NEWTON, WILBUR F.
NICHOLS, CARL
NICHOLS, HARRY E.
NICOLES, FRANK E.
NIELSEN, ARNOLD .
NIGG, LAVERNE A.
NIGHTINGALE, JOE R.
NIX, CHARLES E.
OGLE, CHARLES R.
O’GRADY, CAMILLUS M.
OLSEN, ELI
OUTLAND, JARVIS G.
OVERLEY, LAWRENCE J.
OWSLEY, ALPHARD S.
PACE, MILLARD C.
PALIDES, JAMES JR.
vPALMER, CALVIN H.
vPALMER, WILFERD D.
PARADIS, GEORGE L.
PARKER, ISAAC
PEARCE , DALE F.
PENTICO, WALTER R.
PEPE, STEPHEN
PERDUE, CHARLES F.
PETWAY, WILEY J.
PHILLIPS, MILO E.
PHIPPS, JAMES N.
PIRTLE, GERALD H.
PISKURAN, RUDOLPH V.
POINDEXTER, HERBERT J. JR.
PREWITT, BRADY O.
PRIBBLE, ROBERT L.
PRICE, GEORGE F.
PRIDE, LEWIS B. JR.
PUE, JASPER L. JR.
RAIMOND, PAUL S.
RAY, ELDON C.
REAGAN, DAN E.
REGAN, LEO B.
RICE, IRVIN F.
RICH, PORTER L.
RIDENOUR, CLYDE JR.
RILEY, DAVID J.
ROACH, RUSSELL C.
ROBERTSON, JOSEPH M.
ROESCH, HAROLD W.
ROGERS, WALTER B.
ROUSE, JOSEPH C.
RUSE, CHARLES L.
RYAN, EDMUND T.
SADLOWSKI, ROMAN W.
SAMPSON, KENNETH H.
SANDERS, DEAN S.
SAUNDERS, CHARLES L.
SAVAGE, LYAL J.
SAVIDGE, JOHN E.
SAYLOR, PAUL E.
SCHLEITER, WALTER F.
SCHMIDT, HERMAN
SCHMITT, ALOYSIUS H.
SCHMITZ, ANDREW J.
SCHOONOVER, JOHN H.
SCOTT, BERNARD O.
SEATON, CHESTER E.
SEDERSTROM, VERDI D.
SELLON, WILLIAM L.
SEVERINSON, EVERETT I.
SHAFER, WILLIAM K.
SHANAHAM, WILLIAM J. JR.
SHELDEN, EDWARD J.
SILVA, WILLIAM G.
SKAGGS, EUGENE M.
SKILES, GAROLD L.
SLAPIKAS, EDWARD F.
SMITH, LEONARD F.
SMITH, MERLE A.
SMITH, ROWLAND H.
SOLLIE, WALTER H.
SOLOMON, JAMES C.
SPANGLER, MAURICE V.
STAPLETON, KIRBY R.
STEELY, ULIS C.
STEIN, WALTER C.
STEINER, SAMUEL C.
STERN, CHARLES M. JR.
STEWART, EVERETT R.
STOCKDALE, LOUIS S.
STOTT, DONALD A.
«STOUT, ROBERT T.
STOUTEN, JAMES
SURRATT, MILTON R.
SWANSON, CHARLES H.
TALBERT, EDWARD E.
TANNER, RANGNER F. JR.
TEMPLE, MONROE
TEMPLES, HOUSTON
TERHUNE, BENJAMIN C.
THINNES, ARTHUR R
THOMPSON, CHARLES W.
THOMPSON, CLARENCE
THOMPSON, GEORGE A.
THOMPSON, IRVIN A. R.
THOMPSON, WILLIAM M.
THOMSON, RICHARD J.
THORNTON, CECIL H.
THROMBLEY, ROBERT L.
TIDBALL, DAVID F.
TIMM, LLOYD R.
TINDALL, LEWIS F.
TINI, DANTE S.
TIPSON, HENRY G.
TITTERINGTON, EVERETT C.
TODD, NEAL K.
TORTI, NATALE I.
TRANBARGER, ORVAL A.
vTRAPP, HAROLD F.
vTRAPP, WILLIAM H.
TREADWAY, SHELBY
TUCKER, WILLIAM D.
TUMLINSON, VICTOR P.
«TURNER, BILLY
TUSHLA, LOUIS J.
UFFORD, RUSSELL O.
VALLEY, LOWELL E.
WADE, DURRELL
WAGONER, LEWIS L.
WALKER, HARRY E.
WALKOWIAK, ROBERT N.
WALPOLE, EUGENE A.
WALTERS, CHARLES E.
µWARD, JAMES R.
WASIELEWSKI, EDWARD
WATSON, RICHARD L.
WEBB, JAMES C.
WELCH, WILLIAM E.
WELLS, ALFRED F.
WEST, ERNEST R.
WHEELER, JOHN D.
WHITE, CLAUDE
WHITE, JACK D.
WHITSON, ALTON W.
«WICKER, EUGENE W.
WIEGAND, LLOYD P.
WILCOX, GEORGE J. JR.
WILLIAMS, ALBERT L.
WILLIAMS, JAMES C.
WILLIAMS, WILBUR S.
WIMMER, BERNARD R.
WINDLE, EVERETT G.
WINFIELD, STARRING B.
WISE, REX E.
WOOD, FRANK
vWOODS, LAWRENCE E.
vWOODS, WINFRED O.
WORKMAN, CREIGHTON H.
WORTHAM, JOHN L.
WRIGHT, PAUL R.
WYMAN, ELDON P.
YOUNG, MARTIN D.
YOUNG, ROBERT V.
YURKO, JOSEPH J.
ZVANSKY, THOMAS
U.S. MARINE CORPS
ARTHURHOLTZ, MARLEY R.
«BLACK, WALDEAN
COLLIER, WALTER L.
CREMEAN, ALVA J.
DREFAHL, ELMER E.
GAVER, HARRY H. JR.
HALL, TED
HENRY, OTIS W.
HOLMES, ROBERT K.
«KEATON, VERNON P.
MIDDLESWART, JOHN F.
«PEAK, ROBERT H.
«PENNINGTON, RAYMOND
«TAYLOR, CHARLES R.
µ MEDAL OF HONOR
« OKLAHOMA
v BROTHERS
z TWINS
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