Lankford, Inhofe hail naming of USS Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY– Two Oklahoma congressmen weigh in on the naming the U.S. Navy’s newest submarine. “I am proud to note the future USS Oklahoma with the designation SSN-802 will be the 29th Virginia-class fast attack submarine and the first in the Block V configuration, said Sen. Jim Inhofe (R). Block V submarines include the latest advances in acoustic superiority and lethality that will be critical to implementing the National Defense Strategy and maintaining our nation’s undersea dominance, Inhofe said, who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Oklahoma has a proud and somber history within the Navy—the battleship USS Oklahoma lost 429 souls during the attack on Pearl Harbor,” Inhofe said. There is a permanent memorial to the sailors and Marines who lost their lives on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, and with the naming of a new USS Oklahoma, their legacy of heroism, service and sacrifice lives on into the future, he said. “The US Navy once again selected the historic name Oklahoma for one of our nation’s most powerful platforms for peace,” said Senators James Lankford (R). “It’s an honor that the US Navy will carry our state’s values and history around the world.” “It is likely one of the Oklahoma midshipmen currently at the Naval Academy will serve on SSN-802 Oklahoma,” Lankford said. The future USS Oklahoma started construction this year and is planned to deliver in the mid-2020s.