State Effort Started To Build Memorial To USS Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A final drive is under way for the final $500,000 needed for a USS Oklahoma memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.<br/><br/>429 sailors and Marines died when the Oklahoma was attacked

Friday, November 10th 2006, 12:28 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A final drive is under way for the final $500,000 needed for a USS Oklahoma memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

429 sailors and Marines died when the Oklahoma was attacked by the Japanese on December 7th, 1941. The loss of life is second only to that of the USS Arizona.

The fund-raising drive has already collected about $250,000 and members of the committee raising the money hope construction can start on December 7th of this year -- the 65th anniversary of the attack.

The proposed memorial would be near the spot where the Oklahoma was anchored when it was hit by Japanese torpedoes.

A memorial to the Oklahoma's crew was dedicated recently in Oklahoma City and a permanent exhibit to the ship is located at the memorial to the Arizona.

The Oklahoma was refloated in 1943 and sold for scrap but sank in the Pacific while being towed to California.