USS Oklahoma City Navy Memorial Breaks Ground
USS Oklahoma City Navy Memorial Breaks Ground Along Oklahoma River
Oklahoma City officials broke ground Wednesday, September 23, on a $4.1 million Navy memorial that will honor two warships bearing the city’s name and the sailors who served aboard them. The memorial is being built along the Oklahoma River in Wiley Post Park, near Robinson Avenue and SW 15th Street.
The USS Oklahoma City Navy Memorial will include a public plaza, service memorial walls, historical displays and a temporary replica of the submarine’s sail. A nonprofit association is also raising funds to bring original components from both the USS Oklahoma City submarine and cruiser to the park for permanent display.
USS Oklahoma City Navy Memorial Honors Generations of Sailors
The groundbreaking brought together city leaders, Navy veterans and former officials who helped establish Oklahoma City’s connection to the submarine.
Ward 8 Councilman Mark Stonecipher, who attended the submarine’s decommissioning in 2022, told the audience that the vessel represented service to the country.
“This submarine is about defending our nation and protecting our freedoms,” Stonecipher said.
Former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick also attended the ceremony. Norick, who served as mayor from 1987 to 1998, participated in the submarine’s commissioning in 1988.
“The thing I think I remember most about being on the sub was the professionalism, how smart, and how polite those young sailors were,” Norick said. “It was unbelievable.”
The memorial will recognize the crews of both the submarine and the earlier USS Oklahoma City cruiser, connecting different generations of naval service through the city whose name the vessels carried.
The project is part of the city’s continuing investment in Wiley Post Park and Oklahoma City’s riverfront parks , where the memorial will provide a permanent place for veterans, families and visitors to learn about that history.
USS Oklahoma City Submarine Served More Than Three Decades
The USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723) was a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine commissioned on July 9, 1988. It was declared out of service on February 10, 2022, after more than 33 years of service.
The submarine measured 361 feet long and displaced more than 6,900 tons. Its home port was Guam, and its motto was “The Sooner, The Better.”
During its service, the vessel supported anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike operations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The submarine also played a role in modernizing Navy navigation. It became the first submarine to move from traditional paper navigation to an all-electronic navigation suite, marking an important change in how submarines managed navigation information.
The U.S. Navy’s Naval History and Heritage Command preserves the records and history of naval vessels, including the service of ships and submarines named for American communities.
For Oklahoma City, the submarine’s history is particularly significant because the state has no coastline. The memorial will give residents a tangible connection to the sailors and missions associated with the city’s name.
Retired Admiral Greg Slavonic said the site will also serve an educational purpose.
“This will make it a learning facility for our young people to understand how important the Navy is to a landlocked state,” Slavonic said.
$4.1 Million Memorial Will Include Original Navy Artifacts
The USS Oklahoma City Park Association, a nonprofit organization, is raising funds to bring original equipment from the submarine and cruiser to Wiley Post Park.
Its plans include acquiring the submarine’s original sail and dive planes, replacing the temporary replica that will be installed during the initial phase of construction.
The association also hopes to display components from the earlier USS Oklahoma City cruiser, including the ship’s bell, screw and ceremonial cannon.
Historical panels and service memorial walls will help visitors understand the vessels’ missions and recognize the people who served aboard them.
The $4.1 million construction project is funded through the city’s Tax Increment Financing program , which directs certain growth in tax revenue toward designated public improvements.
The memorial represents the second phase of Wiley Post Park renovations. It was designed by Beck Design and is being constructed by Libbert Bros. Inc.
While construction is underway, the association’s fundraising effort will continue for the original naval artifacts intended for long-term display.
OKC Parks Director Melinda McMillan-Miller said preserving the ships’ history will help future generations understand their service and the people connected to them.
“The service it had, the people it impacted, and carrying on the legacy of service, we all reap the benefit of that,” McMillan-Miller said.
The completed memorial will establish a lasting public tribute to the USS Oklahoma City vessels and the generations of sailors who carried Oklahoma’s name around the world.
Comments