TULSA, Okla. — It is a day that has lived in infamy. Today marks 81 years because the assault on Pearl Harbor, killing and injuring hundreds of servicemen and finally main the United States to enter World War II.
While many battleships have been affected, the USS Oklahoma acquired some of the largest brunts of the assault that day.
Oklahoma was first commissioned in 1916 and served in World War I, defending convoys on their means throughout the Atlantic Ocean.
Oklahoma Historical Society
After WWI, the ship was modernized to suit the occasions. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma was one of the primary ships within the U.S. to have its boilers, engines, and magazines enclosed inside a strengthened armored belt.
Oklahoma would assist American residents through the Spanish Civil War earlier than finally relocating to Pearl Harbor close to Honolulu, Hawaii.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese plane attacked the naval station, the place Oklahoma capsized after being struck by a number of torpedoes.
Many servicemen have been trapped inside or died because of the damages in Oklahoma. Ensign Francis C. Flaherty and Seaman First Class James Richard sacrificed their lives so as to save their fellow shipmates. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma is believed to have misplaced no less than 20 officers and almost 400 servicemen that day.
Oklahoma Historical Society
The U.S. would formally declare battle in opposition to Japan a day after the assault. Many of Japan’s allies, together with Germany and Italy on the time, would then declare battle on the U.S. in response. Thus, it launched your entire nation to enter World War II.
Congress would later award Flaherty and Richard two posthumous Medals of Honor for his or her bravery and sacrifice in serving to others escape through the assault.
Due to intensive injury, Oklahoma couldn’t return to obligation. The ship could be stripped of its weapons and offered for scrap by 1946. Oklahoma would sink a 12 months later whereas being towed to a breaker’s yard in California.
In complete, 2,403 service members and civilians died through the assault. Many years later, Congress designated Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day to honor and bear in mind the lives misplaced through the assault.
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