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A long-awaited memorial honoring the legacy of the USS Oklahoma City submarine is expected to open in 2026 after the Oklahoma City Council voted Tuesday to fund improvements of the park that will be the monument’s home.
Councilors voted unanimously to allocate $4.75 million to improve the north shore of Wiley Post Park, which lies on the banks of the Oklahoma River between South Walker Avenue and South Robinson Avenue. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and conclude in 2026.
The upgrade of Wiley Post Park includes a variety of projects, including scenic river overlooks, playgrounds, an amphitheater, and other amenities.
The centerpiece, however, will be the USS Oklahoma City memorial plaza. The plaza will showcase the submarine’s sail and two dive planes. Other features include a flag plaza and interpretive walls honoring the history and sailors of the submarine. The USS Oklahoma City Park Association is also seeking additional artifacts for the memorial, which might include a long gun, a screw (propeller), an anchor, and ship’s bell. The City’s trail system will also run along the memorial and through the park.
“This is such a significant step forward, and we are grateful to the City Council and the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust for their investment in this project,” Parks Director Melinda McMillan-Miller said. “We love Wiley Post Park, and the improvements to come are needed and exciting. We are so proud to be part of the effort to bring the USS Oklahoma City monument to our residents. We can’t wait for this project to come to life.”
The park improvements will be funded by a combination of federal, local, and private dollars. About $3.65 million comes from federal pandemic relief funds, and the City Council voted to contribute an additional $4.75 million in TIF funding to finish the project. Private donations will also contribute to the USS Oklahoma City submarine and naval artifacts.
Identifying and creating a home for the memorial has been years in the making.
“Since 2017, our committee has had a goal to find a suitable location in Oklahoma City to place the sail and dive planes from the City’s namesake nuclear-powered submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723),” said Greg Slavonic, retired Rear Admiral and former Under Secretary of the Navy. “In working with City leadership, former Mayor Ron Norick, and River Trust Chair Gary Marrs, we have finally found the perfect location. Once constructed, Oklahoma City residents, visitors and young people will have the opportunity to visit, learn and see a piece of naval history, which proudly carried the name ‘Oklahoma City’ around the world, projecting power and preserving our nation’s freedom.”
City Council Chief of Staff Debi Martin thanked the City Council, along with former Mayor Ron Norick, who commissioned the boat in 1988; OKC River Trust Chair and former Councilman Gary Marrs; and the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust.
“Oklahoma City is privileged to honor and recognize all who served on the USS Oklahoma City submarine (SSN 723),” said Debi Martin, the Oklahoma City Council chief of staff. “We welcome these submariners, their families, and friends and want to hear the stories and memories as they visit the USS Oklahoma City Memorial Park along the Oklahoma River. For over 34 years, our mayor, council, and residents exhibited great pride in our namesake sub and in welcoming these submariners to Oklahoma City, their second home. We are pleased to honor all who admirably served on the vessel that protected and preserved our freedoms.”
The USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723) was a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine commissioned in 1988. The USS Oklahoma City supported various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It was the first submarine to use digital charts, and it had a crew of 129 sailors. The nuclear-powered attack submarine’s motto was “The Sooner, The Better.” It was decommissioned in 2022.
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