Please Report Any Broken Links Or Trouble You Might Come Across To The Webmaster
Please Take A Moment To Let Us Know So That We Can Correct Any Problems And Make Your Visit As Enjoyable And As Informative As Possible.

NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive

BB-37 USS OKLAHOMA
1912 - 1926

Radio Call Sign: November - Alpha - Delta - November
To Additional Pages

1927 - Dec 6, 1941
Dec 7, 1941 - October 1943
Nov 1943 - May 1947
Post War

Nevada Class Battleship: Displacement 27,500 Tons, Dimensions, 583' (oa) x 95' 3" x 29' 7" (Max) Armament 10 x 14"/45 21 x 5"/51, 2 x 21" tt. Armor, 13 1/2" Belt, 18" Triple Turrets, 16" Dual turrets, 3" Second (armor) Deck, 2 1/2" Third (splinter) Deck 16" Conning Tower. Machinery, 24,800 IHP; 2 vertical, Triple expansion engines, 2 screws. Speed, 20.5 Knots, Crew 864.

Operational and Building Data: Laid down by New York, Shipbuilding, Canden, NJ., October 26, 1912. Launched March 23, 1914. Commissioned May 2, 1916. Decommissioned (War Loss). Stricken September 1, 1944.
Fate: Sunk by Japanese aircraft during attack on Pearl Harbor Hawaii, December 7, 1941. Her hulk was raised in 1943, Sold for scrap December 5 1946. Hulk sank while under tow to breakers, 540 miles NE, Pearl Harbor, May 17, 1947. 20 Officers and 395 Men were lost with the ship and remain on duty.

In Memorium:

In the Second Book of Shmuel (Samuel), 22nd chapter, 5th through the 19th verses, translated from the original in Hebrew and published by the Koren Publishers of Jerusalem, Israel, can perhaps aptly describe the fate of the crew and all other U.S.sailors who died defending their county:

"When the waves of death compassed me / the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; / the bonds of She'ol encircled me; / the snares of death took me by surprise; / in my distress I called upon the Lord, / and cried to my G-D: / and he heard my voice out of his temple, / and my cry entered into his ears. / Then the earth shook and trembled; /the foundations of heaven moved / and shook because of his anger /...the heavy mass of waters, and thick clouds of the skies /... And the channels of the sea appeared, / the foundations of the world were laid bare, / at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast at the breath of his nostrils. / He sent from above, he took me; / he drew me out of many waters; / he delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me. / They surprised me in the day of my calamity: / but the Lord was my stay..."
Click On Image
For Full Size Image		 Size Image Description Contributed
By And/Or Copyright
Proposed B.S. #36269k"Proposed B.S. #36".
Preliminary design plan prepared for the General Board during consideration of designs for Battleship # 36, which became the Nevada (BB-36 / 37) class. This plan, dated 4 March 1911, provides eight 14-inch guns, twin-screw reciprocating machinery and a speed of 21 knots in a ship 605 feet long on the load water line (L.W.L.), 95 feet in beam, with a normal displacement of 27,000 tons. The original plan is in the 1911-1925 "Spring Styles Book". 		U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # S-584-001.
BB-37 Oklahoma 175k Starboard Bow underway, 15 January 1916. National Archives # 19-N-5-28-18.
BB-37 Oklahoma 108k "U.S. superdeadnought Oklahoma (BB-37), latest and largest ship of the American Navy, shouldering along at more than twenty knots an hour on her first trial trip off the Maine coast a week ago." Photo by International News Service, courtesy of memory.loc.gov. Text courtesy of N.Y. Times, 23 January 1916, Page 7.
BB-37 Oklahoma 104k Crewmen cleaning the center 14"/45 gun of the battleship's after turret, circa 1916. USNHC # NH 44422.
BB-37 Oklahoma 63k Photographed circa 1917, while painted in an experimental camouflage pattern. USNHC # NH 44401.
BB-37 Oklahoma 48k Starboard view, circa 1917. Philip H. Robare RMCS, USN - RET.
BB-37 Oklahoma 177k Oklahoma (BB-37) anchored in the waterways of New York City during the late teens.USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
BB-37 Oklahoma 72k Oklahoma (BB-37) underway off Brest, France, on 13 December 1918, while escorting President Woodrow Wilson's transport, George Washington (ID-3018) into port. A Brest pilot boat is under sail in the foreground. USNHC # NH 57233.
Sixth Battle Squadron72k Battleships of the Sixth Battle Squadron (anchored in column in the left half of the photograph) included the:
Florida (BB-30)
Utah (BB-31)
Wyoming (BB-32)
Arkansas (BB-33)
New York (BB-34)
Texas (BB-35)
Nevada (BB-36)
Oklahoma (BB-37)
Pennsylvania (BB-38)
& Arizona (BB-39) at one time or another.
There are only three of the battleships present in this photo at Brest, France, on 13 December 1918. George Washington (ID-3018), which had just carried President Woodrow Wilson from the United States to France, is in the right background. Photographed by Zimmer		USNHC # NH 63454.
BB-37 Oklahoma 94kOklahoma (BB-37) anchored in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 1 April 1919. Panoramic photograph by L.C. Grant with Falk Photo Company, Boston, Massachusetts. Note the steam launch in the center foreground, and the wavy nature of the image, the result of the rocking of the photographer's boat as the panoramic camera scanned along Oklahoma's length. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 105064.
New York Harbor46k"American dreadnoughts & superdreadnoughts steaming into New York harbor 14 April 1919."
The Texas (BB-35) leads the procession with a airplane on her turret catapult. Note the escorting biplane.		Photo by Paul Thompson, courtesy of memory.loc.gov. Text courtesy from "The War of the Nations" (New York), N.Y. Times, 31 December 1919, Page 376.
BB-37 Oklahoma 46k "The towering hull of the Oklahoma (BB-37) has a keel that is very heavily weighted to offset the ponderous armament above." Photo by International News Agency, courtesy of memory.loc.gov. Text courtesy from "The War of the Nations" (New York), N.Y. Times, 31 December 1919, Page 376.
BB-37 Oklahoma 71k "Part of the main battery of five fourteen inch guns on one of the latest and most formidable of United States deadnoughts." Photo by Central News, courtesy of memory.loc.gov. Text courtesy from "The War of the Nations" (New York), N.Y. Times, 31 December 1919, Page 376.
BB-37 Oklahoma 93k "Torpedo of the 21 inch type being gotten ready to be lowered into the hold of the Oklahoma (BB-37). Expelled from the tube by compressed air, is self propelling, explodes on contact and has charge of 200 pounds of gun powder." Photo by Central News, courtesy of memory.loc.gov. Partial text from "The War of the Nations" (New York), 31 December 1919. Photo added 02/21/08.
BB-37 Oklahoma 76k Underway, 1919. Larry Bonn / USN photo.
BB-37 Oklahoma 118k Guantanamo Bay Cuba, 1 Jan 1920 early in her career. She is shown here with flying off platforms extended over both her superfiring turrets, her flying bridge transformed into an enclosed navigating bridge, and her torpedo-defense platforms enclosed in vee-front windscreens. Long based armored range finders surmount both navigating bridge & No. 3 turret. Note that three 5-inch guns are missing, one right forward, and two aft, together with the single gun at the extreme stern. Unlike earlier battleships, these ships never had antiaircraft guns atop their derrick posts. One such weapon is visible abaft the 5in/51 gun on the 01 level. Other such weapons were added later. The two starboard 5-inch directors are visible, one just abaft her funnel and one abaft the break of her forecastle, abeam her mainmast. Note, too, the long-base range finder atop No.2 turret, at its rear. U.S Navy photo. Text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.
BB-37 Oklahoma 88k Starboard broadside view of an anchored Nevada (BB-36) or Oklahoma (BB-37) in a warm climate, possibly at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 1 Jan 1920. Photo courtesy of Tim Muir.
BB-37 Oklahoma 141k Circa early 1920's photo of the Oklahoma (BB-37) with a seaplane on her stern catapault & training markings painted on fore and aft top turrets.USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
BB-37 Oklahoma 175k Circa early 1920's photo of the Oklahoma (BB-37) with what looks like the results of a target practice sheet between her two masts.USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
Atlantic and Pacific Fleets49k "Combined Atlantic and Pacific Fleets in Panama Bay, 21st Jan. 1921". Right section (of three) of a panoramic photograph taken by M.C. Mayberry, of Mayberry and Smith, Shreveport, Louisiana.
Among the ships present in this image are (from left to right): Sicard (DD-346), Hatfield (DD-231), North Dakota (BB-29), Delaware (BB-28), Brazos (AO-4), Prometheus (AR-3), Utah (BB-31), Oklahoma (BB-37), Bridge (AF-1), Nevada (BB-36), Schenck (DD-159), Arizona (BB-39), Black Hawk (AD-9), Dickerson (DD-157), Dahlgren (DD-187), Herbert (DD-160), Columbia (CA-16), Cleveland (PG-33), Tacoma (PG-32), Semmes (DD-189) and one other destroyer. 		Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, D.H. Criswell Collection. Photo # NH 86082-C, courtesy of Naval Historical Center.
BB-37 Oklahoma 137k 1922, Underway, Shows good detail. Note forward 5" gun mount area has been sealed off due to allowing large amounts of water to enter the ship at high speed. Steven G. Taylor / USN photo.
BB-37 Oklahoma 85k Shown here in the early 1920's conducting gunnery practice in the Pacific. Her Sistership Nevada (BB-36) follows astern.USN photo.
BB-36 Nevada66kSteaming with other battleships, during the early 1920s. Oklahoma (BB-37) is in the left background. The other ship is either Pennsylvania (BB-38) or Arizona (BB-39).USNHC # NH 50109.
BB-36 Nevada27 Nevada (BB-36) and Oklahoma (BB-37) exercising with the Pacific fleet, circa early 20's.Courtesy of John D. Fielden, MM2, USN (ssb) Northridge, CA.
BB-37 Oklahoma 76kCAPT W. Pitt Scott, USN, pictured aboard the battleship Oklahoma (BB-37), shortly after becoming the ship's Commanding Officer in July of 1923.USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
BB-37 Oklahoma 152k Overhead showing deck details, 1920's. National Archives / USN photo.
BB-37 Oklahoma 148k 12 page PDF Oklahoma (BB-37) Navy Day Booklet (including cover) from Monterey, CA 1924. USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
BB-37 Oklahoma 199k Oklahoma (BB-37) joined the Pacific Fleet for six years highlighted by the cruise of the Battle Fleet to Australia and New Zealand in 1925. She is pictured here that year firing a broadside during gunnery practice. USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
BB-37 Oklahoma 67k Oklahoma (BB-37) Ship's Dance Invitation, 3 July 1926 at Seattle, Washington.USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
USS OKLAHOMA BB-37 History
View This Vessels DANFS History Entry
(Located On The Hazegray & Underway Web Site, This Is The Main Archive For The DANFS Online Project.)
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Contact Name: Mr. PAUL GOODYEAR
Address:1138 AVE OF COTTON CASA GRANDE AZ 85222
Phone: 520 421 0055
E-mail: PAUL GOODYEAR


Note About Contacts.

The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.
Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway Battleship Pages By Andrew Toppan.
ussoklahoma.com
Back To The Main Photo Index Back To The Battleship Photo Index Page


This Page Is Created And Maintained By MichaelMohl
All Pages Copyright © 1996-2008, Paul R. Yarnall © 2008NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.