USS Oklahoma City will be decommissioned

BREMERTON, Wash. (KSWO) - The nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) will be decommissioned on Friday, May 20, at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington after more than 34 years of service.

The submarine was commissioned July 9, 1988 and declared out of service Feb.10 2022.

The USS Oklahoma City supported various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

It was the first submarine to upgrade from traditional paper navigation to an all-electronic navigation suite, marking the first significant shift in U.S. Navy navigation practices since the introduction of GPS in the 1990s.

USS Oklahoma City’s notable deployments included the Mediterranean to participate in Operation Desert Shield, the Persian Gulf, Eastern Pacific and Guam.

Efforts are underway to preserve the ship’s sail and bring it back to Oklahoma City as a tribute to Oklahoma City’s naval history.

The USS Oklahoma City is the second ship to be named for Oklahoma City. The first was a U.S. Navy ship commissioned in 1944.

The sub’s home port was Guam, and the motto was “The Sooner, The Better.”

The ceremony will be streamed live here.

Commanders included: