Silver from USS Oklahoma on display at OK History Center
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The Oklahoma History Center is putting together a special display to commemorate the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
On December 7, 1941, the USS Oklahoma was one of eight battleships docked at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, when there was an attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. The USS Oklahoma suffered 429 casualties, and the battleship capsized due to multiple torpedo strikes, says OHC.
Officials say the display will include presentation silver sets, which were a tradition for American warships of the "first rank" beginning with the USS Maine in the 1890s. The tradition will carry on since the Oklahoma Legislature allocated $7,500 in 1913 to create a silver service to show the state's pride in the battleship's name.
According to OHC, it was drawn by Walter Dean of Oklahoma City and created by Gorham Silversmiths of New York. The USS Oklahoma was christened on March 23, 1914, and the service was introduced to the ship at that time. The service was used on the battleship from 1914 until 1941 but was removed before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It was then kept at the Puget Sound Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.
In 1946, after World War II, the Oklahoma Historical Society put together a committee to find the silver service and bring it back to the state. In 1947, the U.S. Navy loaned the silver service to the Oklahoma Historical Society. After thorough polishing and repair, it went on public display.
The display will be open Monday, November 27, with only select pieces on display. The complete set has 55 pieces.
For more information, visit okhistory.org/historycenter.