The USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor honors the 429 sailors and Marines who lost their lives when the battleship capsized during the December 7, 1941 attack. Located on Ford Island, near the Battleship Missouri, the memorial is a solemn and powerful tribute to the service members who never returned home.

History of the USS Oklahoma

The USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was a Nevada-class battleship commissioned in 1916. On the morning of the Pearl Harbor attack, the ship was moored along Battleship Row. Struck by multiple torpedoes in the opening minutes, the Oklahoma quickly rolled onto its side, trapping hundreds of men inside. Despite heroic rescue efforts, 429 crew members perished — the second highest loss of life after the USS Arizona.

The ship was eventually righted and decommissioned, but the memory of its crew lives on through the memorial.

Design of the Memorial

Dedicated on December 7, 2007, the USS Oklahoma Memorial was designed to reflect both the scale of the tragedy and the individuality of each fallen service member.

• White marble columns line the site, each representing a sailor or Marine who died on the ship.
• The names of the fallen are inscribed, creating a place of remembrance and reflection.
• The memorial’s open-air design allows visitors to stand among the columns, symbolizing the presence of those who gave their lives.

Visiting the Memorial

The USS Oklahoma Memorial is located on Ford Island, adjacent to the Battleship Missouri. Because Ford Island remains an active military base, access is limited:

• Visitors without military ID can only enter by joining the Ford Island Bus Tour, which requires advance reservations through Recreation.gov