Welcome to the audio-described version of official print brochure for the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Through text and audio descriptions of photos and a map, this version interprets the two-sided color brochure that visitors of the USS Oklahoma Memorial receive. The brochure explores the history of the site, some of its highlights, and information for planning your visit. This audio version lasts about 30 minutes which we have divided into 14 sections, as a way to improve the listening experience. Sections 3-8 cover the front of the brochure and include information regarding what the purpose of the USS Oklahoma is and how to visit the site. Sections 9-12 cover the back of the brochure which includes of the names of the 429 men on board. Section 13 covers Accessibility and 14 covers More Information.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial, previously known as World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, located in Hawaii, is part of the National Park Service, within the Department of the Interior. This brochure will be specifically focused on the USS Oklahoma Memorial.
The park is situated on the island of Oahu, west of the city of Honolulu, and is split between Ford Island and part of the shore to the east. This park, was established in 1980 as the USS Arizona Memorial, then redesignated in 2008 as World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and once again in 2019 as Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Each year, on average one and a half million visitors come to enjoy the unique experiences that only can be had at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. We invite you to explore the park's historical importance. For those seeking to learn more about the park during their visit, Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Visitor Center. To find out more about what resources might be available or to contact the park directly, visit the "Accessibility" and "More Information" sections at the end of this audio-described brochure.
The front side of the brochure includes images and text. The top boarder is a black strip with the white lettering USS Oklahoma Memorial on the left. To the right is the text is smaller lettering, National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior; USS Oklahoma Memorial Pearl Harbor, Hawaii next to the National Park Service arrow-head logo. The page is broken up into four sections. There are numerus images throughout with a map at the bottom. There are four text sections reviewing the purpose and meaning behind the memorial, as well as visiting the memorial.
IMAGE 1 of 5: Solider smiling with teeth
DESCRIBING: Male sailor
SYNOPSIS: A color snapshot of a young sailor’s face, with a small portion of his white-collar visible. He is slightly facing to his left. He is smiling wide, with his teeth showing. He is wearing a white sailor’s cap, tilted slightly to his left. His dark hair is trimmed short above the ear. His eyes look bright and eager.
IMAGE 2 of 5: USS Oklahoma with people around
DESCRIBING: Top of a ship covered with people
SYNOPSIS: This is a colored image of the USS Oklahoma. The image is from the foredeck, looking back toward the superstructure, with three large cannons facing the camera at the bottom center of the picture. The whole deck and superstructure are swarmed with sailors. On the middle-right, a tall white flagpole is superimposed. There is a large American flag fluttering atop it. The sky is a nice blue with some clouds on the right.
IMAGE 3 of 5: Three soldiers
DESCRIBING: Three sailors in a transparent image
SYNOPSIS: A black and white image of three young sailors, from their chest up. They are standing side by side, with the middle one slightly ahead of the other two. All three have a happy smile on their face. Their dark hair is neatly trimmed. All are wearing their white sailor uniforms, with long narrow black ties loosely hanging below their necks. The two on the sides of the middle sailor each have a hand across the back of his shoulders. In the background on the right are some sashed light-colored curtains.
IMAGE 4 of 5: Solider smiling without teeth
DESCRIBING: Male sailor facing left
SYNOPSIS: A black & white head snapshot of a sailor, slightly facing to his right. The image is not crisp. He is wearing a sailor’s cap tilted to his right. He has a serious smile on his slender face. His hair is trimmed short above the ears, which slightly protrude. He is fair-complexioned and has fine eyebrows. You can see a small part of his white collars. The background is gray.
IMAGE 5 of 5: USS Oklahoma Memorial
DESCRIBING: Horizontal image of the USS Oklahoma memorial
SYNOPSIS: Color photo of the USS Oklahoma Memorial, made up of seven large black outdoor wall panels, staggered side by side. The front panel shows the white outlines of the ship from both its starboard or right, side and its top. The panel to the right is angled slightly back, showing the ship’s name in large white letters: USS OKLAHOMA (BB-37). The five other panels are angled back from the left of the front panel, listing the names of the sailors who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. There is a green lawn in front of the Memorial.
The USS Oklahoma Memorial stands to honor the 429 men who lost their lives aboard the Oklahoma on December 7th, 1941. These men were not only sailors and Marines, they were 429 brothers, sons, husbands, and fathers. Edward F. Slapikas, Sea1c, always lent a helping hand to younger sailors. John L. Wortham, GM2c, looked forward to returning to his wife and baby boy. Slapikas, Wortham and their crewmates never went home; on December 7th Japanese torpedoes destroyed their ship and lives in mere minutes. Their memorial stands on the shores of Ford Island, next to the former berth of the Oklahoma. Those who escaped and swam ashore may have walked or crawled across this ground. To them these shores were a place of sanctuary, or a place they longed for as they lay trapped inside the capsized Oklahoma. For us, it is a place to remember.
The horrendous number of deaths on the USS Oklahoma— 429— was second only to the 1,177 men who perished aboard the USS Arizona. For almost 60 years, there was no memorial to commemorate the men or their ship. Part of the Oklahoma sat submerged near Ford Island while many of her crew lay in unidentified mass graves. At the Punchbowl cemetery, where countless young servicemen rest, no one knew exactly where the Oklahoma crew was buried. It seemed to some that the Okie had been forgotten. Beginning in 2000, USS Oklahoma survivors, members of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor Committee, and hundreds of others came together to create the memorial. In 2006, President Bush officially signed the memorial into law as a national memorial entrusted to the National Park Service. On December 7th, 2007, the memorial was formally dedicated as an enduring reminder of the Oklahoma and her crew. To those listed at right we owe a debt of gratitude for their contributions to this effort.
DESCRIBING: Line of male sailors
SYNOPSIS: Color image of six male sailors in their white uniforms, taken from their back left. They are standing in a single line formation. They are holding their rifles at an angle, with barrels pointed slightly up and to the left. The zoom picture shows the sailors from their hips to the top of their heads. They are wearing white sailor caps. In their background are some dark green palm tree fronds.
RELATED TEXT:
The memorial’s black granite walls suggest the once formidable hull of the Oklahoma while the white marble standards represent its lost sailors and Marines. Each perfectly aligned marble standard symbolizes an individual in pristine white dress uniform, inspired from the naval tradition of ‘manning the rails.’ In full dress whites the ship’s crew stand at attention along the rails or in the rigging of the ship to display respect and honor. The marble standards of this memorial stand perfectly straight, ‘manning the rails’ of the Oklahoma, forever.
DESCRIBING: Map of the ship memorials
SYNOPSIS: Blue and green illustrated map of a portion of Pearl Harbor. It shows the location of the USS Oklahoma Memorial, relative to other key points of interest. On the left is a part of Ford Island, on which the Memorial is located. It is marked by a large white star and is just to the west of the USS Missouri Memorial, and southwest of the USS Arizona Memorial. On the right side of the map is the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, also indicated by a large white star.
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To visit the memorial purchase shuttle tickets at the USS Bowfin ticket counter, just north of the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. Combine the Oklahoma Memorial with visits to the Battleship Missouri Memorial Museum or the Pacific Aviation Museum, also located on Ford Island. Tickets include transport to all three sites. Personal cameras and one water bottle per visitor are permitted, but purses, handbags, camera bags, or items that permit concealment are not allowed.
IMAGE 1 of 4: United States of America Department of the Navy logo
DESCRIBING: Circular logo for the United States of America Department of the Navy
SYNOPSIS: Blue circle with an yellow rope twisted around the edge. Top half of the circle in yellow capital letters Department of the Navy and the bottom half of the circle says United States of America. The center of the circle has a three mass ship in the water, in front is a anchor with an eagle propped on the lower part. Green grass is under the anchor.
IMAGE 2 of 4: United States Marine Corps logo
DESCRIBING: Circular logo for the United States Marine Corps
SYNOPSIS: Black circle with a golden rope twisted around the edge. Top half of the circle in white capital letters United States and the bottom half of the circle says Marine Corps. The center in red with a white sphere in the middle. The sphere has thin black stipes across with a golden land mass covering most of the circle. Around the sphere, the top half of an anchor sticks out of the top right and bottom half of the anchor sticks out the bottom left. Sitting on top is an eagle with spread wings.
IMAGE 3 of 4: National Park Service logo
DESCRIBING: The National Park Service's modern-day insignia is a brown scallop-edged arrowhead
SYNOPSIS: At the bottom in front of a green background is a white buffalo. Behind and to the left, a tall green sequoia tree towers over smaller trees. To their right is a lake. Behind, is a brown snow capped mountain range. In the upper right, white text on the brown background reads: “National Park Service.”
IMAGE 4 of 4: Background image
DESCRIBING: Painted colored image set behind a list of names
SYNOPSIS: People reaching up towards a person on a ladder over large waves of water. Around this person vehicles and people are becoming engulfed by the water.
RELATED TEXT:
United States Navy Ranks and Rates
United States Marine Corps Ranks
Denotes Medal of Honor Recipient
Denotes Medal of Honor Recipient
No information is listed on the brochure. Please visit park website at www.nps.gov/perl or (808) 422-3399