Battleship Oklahoma BB-37 [Paperback]

Jeff Phister (Author), Thomas Hone (Author), Paul Goodyear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2008

The comprehensive history of the USS Oklahoma from its christening in 1914 to its final loss in 1947. The authors tell how the Oklahoma served in World War I, participated in the Great Cruise of 1925, and evacuated refugees from Spain in 1936. But the most memorable event of the ship's history occurred on December 7, 1941.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The story of the battleship Oklahoma is largely the story of her crew. Who they were and what they did during the frantic minutes when war unexpectedly exploded around their ship. Battleship history enthusiasts and those with a detailed interest in the attack on Pearl Harbor will find a lot of material in this book. It is well-written and highly informative. ---Warship International

About the Author

Jeff Phister is a freelance biographer in Phoenix, Arizona, and an active member of the USS Oklahoma Family, Inc., a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving the memory of the USS Oklahoma.

Thomas Hone has spent his career teaching, working in defense organization and management, and is the author of numerous books on naval subjects, including Battle Line: The United States Navy, 1919-1939.

Paul Goodyear, a USS Oklahoma survivor, lives in Casa Grande, Arizona and is involved in an effort to identify the remains of the USS Oklahoma's 380 crewmembers that were buried as Unknowns.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Oklahoma Pr (Trd) (October 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806139366
• ISBN-13: 978-0806139364
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story of a fateful ship, December 17, 2008

By 

Ariel P. Flores (Granada Hills, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Battleship Oklahoma BB-37 (Paperback)

I too wanted a book dealing with the older US Battleships other than the USS Arizona. I happened to see this book at my local bookstore and bought it hoping to get more information about the pre-WW2 Battleships. I was surprised at how this book immediately grabbed my attention.
The first portion of the book deals with the design, building, and early sea trials of the Oklahoma. Though at times the author seems to rush the story, he traces the story chronologically. His ultimate aim of the book deals with what made the Oklahoma famous: her capsizing at Pearl Harbor. But before that fateful day in Dec 7, there was so much more that I didn't know about her. Example: The Oklahoma's presence during an earthquake in San Pedro, Ca and how the crew helped the police to prevent looting.
The attack of Pearl Harbor is the main focus of the author and covers roughly 2/3 of the book. The story is told through the lives of those who were there on board. The author fills you in with the details of the sailors who survived the attack, and mentions those who perished that day. He even fills you in with the events that made a couple of sailors on board Oklahoma the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor (posthumously). As I read the book, the author gives you in the appendix the fate of the crew on board during Dec 7. Whenever the author mentioned names I turned the pages so I can see if they survived or not. Those who did not survive, the author lists them as MIA because most who perished were not identified. This is how well written this book is: it drew me into the lives of these sailors.
I highly recommend this book. It is unfortunate that we remember the Oklahoma for her death at Pearl. This book allows her to once more live; we should never forget about her and her gallant crew.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BB-37, May 26, 2009

By 

John P. Rooney "John" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battleship Oklahoma BB-37 (Paperback)

"Battleship Oklahoma BB-37"
by Jeff Phister, with Thomas Hone and Paul Goodyear.
University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2008.

This is another excellent history book from the University of Oklahoma Press. In this book, Jeff Phister records the origins of the battleship competition, technology developments and battleships and the influence of international treaties on capital ship designs. The author devotes some few pages to the fuel (oil) used by the Oklahoma, which limited the ship's usefulness in European waters during World War I. After dealing with the small role that the USS Oklahoma played in the First World War, Jeff Phister then begins the history of the ship. She was christened on March 23 1914 at the Camden, New Jersey, shipyard. Her launching was witnessed by the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels. This gives the author a lead-in to discuss education in the Navy and the sailor's life on the Oklahoma.

Secretary Daniels introduced Class `A', Class `B' and Class 'C' schools to the enlisted personnel of the United States Navy. Until I read this book, I never knew that it was Secretary Daniels who had originated the classification system for schools in the Navy. In 1958, I attended Aviation Electronics Class `A' School in Naval Air Technical Training Center, Memphis, Tennessee. This 39 weeks school affected my whole life, as, after being honorably discharged, I went for my Bachelor's in electrical Engineering at Manhattan College, Bronx, New York. After discussing the need for educating sailors, the author then addresses life on a battleship, food for the crew and athletics. Athletic competition among the various fleet units was another idea which originated with the Secretary of the Navy.

A few chapters deal with the Oklahoma's missions between the wars, with a well written chapter being entitled, "Earthquakes, Refugees, and War". But, most of the book, from page 48 to the index on page 249, is concerned with the Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor, the December 7th sneak attack and the subsequent sinking of the ship. Those chapters are most poignant in the book. I was particularly interested in the story of Fr. Aloysius H. Schmitt, who was the first American chaplain killed in World War II. Lieutenant (jg) Schmitt knowingly gave up his place in an escape route so that smaller sailors could get out of the capsizing ship. The Naval Chaplain was awarded the Navy And Marine Corps Medal and his award citation can be found on pages 177-178. Fr. Schmitt was a 1931 graduate of Loras College, Iowa, where Christ The King Chapel was dedicated to the chaplain's memory.

The author has included a listing of all the Oklahoma's crew,showing where the individual eventually served. Sadly, there are more than 400 listings for individuals who were killed and whose remains were never identified, after the ship was salvaged. The saddest part of the book is the ending. The USS Oklahoma was decommissioned and the hulk sold for scrap. The emasculated ship was being towed across the Pacific when the tow line snapped, and the ship rebelled and sank before the indignity of being turned into scrap metal.

All in all, this is a total history of a storied ship, with excellent writing and a complete reference section for the interested reader. Well done!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and True to history...Very Enjoyable Read, December 24, 2008

By 

Michele Eckert (Arizona) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Battleship Oklahoma BB-37 (Paperback)

We bought this book because we both love history, and had never known much about the USS Oklahoma. This captured our interest, shared poignant stories, and filled us with a greater understanding of the impact of that fateful day in 1941. Thank-you!