Oklahoma (SSN-802) will be a Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine in the United States Navy. She is to be the second vessel named for the state of Oklahoma, and the first to carry the name since the loss of the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) during the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the US involvement in World War II. Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly announced the name on 24 December 2019, in a press release. Oklahoma, first of the Virginia-class Block V boats, was authorized for construction on 2 December 2019. Unlike the following Block V boats, Oklahoma will not be equipped with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), which will instead be fitted first to USS Arizona (SSN-803).
Construction and career
Oklahoma's keel was laid down on 2 August 2023 at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia in a ceremony, with the presence of her sponsor Mrs. Mary Slavonic, wife of former acting Under Secretary of the Navy Gregory Slavonic.
References
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
