The USS Oklahoma Returns: A New Submarine for the Navy

The U.S. Navy is bringing the name “USS Oklahoma” back to the fleet, and this time it’ll ride the waves as a nuclear-powered submarine.

It’s a long way from where the name started, but that’s kind of the point. The last ship to carry it didn’t make it out of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The first time around, the USS Oklahoma was a big, classic battleship launched in the years prior to WWI. Built with armor and covered with guns, it was a floating declaration of power and intimidation.

On December 7, 1941, she was tied up at Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor when Japan attacked. Torpedoes hit her broadside, capsizing the ship in minutes. Four hundred and twenty-nine sailors went down with her. Due to the damage, Pearl Harbor marked the end of her service, and she later sank while being towed to California as scrap.

The name “USS Oklahoma” disappeared from the Navy’s roster for more than 80 years.

Now, we're back baby! The new USS Oklahoma will be an ultra-modern Virginia-class attack submarine, designed not to be seen at all. Where the old ship was steel armor and rows of guns, the new one is stealth, sensors, and nuclear propulsion. Same name, different mission, twice as deadly.

There’s something fitting about the Navy dusting off “USS Oklahoma” for this role. And maybe that’s the real story: names outlast ships. I'd bet she'll do us all proud.