Since we covered her sister ship USS Nevada a couple of weeks ago, it’s only fair that we give USS Oklahoma (BB-37) her own turn in the spotlight. The second of the two Nevada-class battleships, she differed from her sister primarily in the use of triple-expansion steam engines rather than Nevada’s newer technology geared turbines. She served along with Nevada in BatDivSix performing convoy escort duties during World War 1.
In the Interwar period, she received the same major retrofit as Nevada, gaining increased armor, a catapult and recovery system for scout aircraft, additional 5-in dual-purpose guns, and increased elevation for her main guns.
Unfortunately, her story doesn’t have the kind of (relatively) happy ending as Nevada. On December 7th, 1941, Oklahoma was on Battleship Row next to USS Maryland. She absorbed between five and eight hits and sank at anchor. Deemed too damaged to be returned to the fleet, unlike Nevada, she was refloated in 1942, and all usable armament and systems removed by 1944.
Sold for scrap at the end of the war, she was under tow from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco in May 1947 when a severe storm caused her to take on water and sink. Her final location remains unknown.
Azur Lane, meanwhile, doesn’t spend a lot of time with Oklahoma. Like Nevada, she’s a common pull, and thus one of the first American Eagle Union battleships that players are likely to receive. Her refit turns her into a very viable uncommon unit. She doesn’t have a solo character story, she’s just kind of in the background of a lot of Eagle Union events. She’s usually dressed similarly to Nevada, though with fewer gambling accessories, and she has shorter blonde hair.
