Oklahoma
Navy nuclear submarine to be named U.S.S. Oklahoma | Broken Arrow Sentinel
OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt Tuesday revealed the creation of the U.S.S. Oklahoma Commissioning Committee to build a 29th Virginia Class, fast attack nuclear submarine in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and Newport News Shipbuilding.
Carrying Tomahawk missiles and MK-48 torpedoes, the U.S.S. Oklahoma will home 132 sailors and 18 officers, and feature advanced stealth capabilities to make it virtually undetectable in water, officials said.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Oklahoma so well represented in our nation’s Navy,” said Stitt. “I’m grateful to Director Slavonic and the committee members for their leadership. Not only will this submarine represent the patriotic, God-fearing culture of Oklahoma, but it will symbolize our commitment to innovation, security, and the men and women who protect our country. It’s an honor to help bring her to life.”
The submarine is being built in Groton, Conn. and Newport News, Va. The traditional keel laying occurred in 2023 and the christening will occur late 2025 or early 2026.
After a year of sea trials, the commissioning ceremony — where the U.S. Navy officially accepts the submarine in her fleet— will be in mid-2027. The U.S.S. Oklahoma already has a 60-man crew training and overseeing the boat’s construction.
“The citizens of Oklahoma should take pride in knowing the U.S. Navy decided after 80 years to have another navy vessel named ‘Oklahoma.’ Not since the battleship U.S.S. Oklahoma, which was sunk by the Japanese when they attacked our naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, has a ship or submarine borne the name Oklahoma,” said executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Greg Slavonic.
“Four hundred and twenty-nine sailors and marines lost their lives that fateful day — second most to U.S.S. Arizona. The new Oklahoma submarine will project power, keep our sea lanes open and ensure freedom for every Oklahoman and our nation.”
The makeup of the commissioning committee will be U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Naval Seabee Rocky Goins as chair, retired Commander Tucker McHugh as treasurer, and Slavonic, among others.
Stitt, U.S. Senator James Lankford and Senator Markwayne Mullin will serve as honorary chairs. Molly Slavonic serves as the vessel’s official sponsor.
As one of their first acts, the committee hopes to develop scholarship opportunities for the Oklahoma sailors to further their education, even while serving underwater.
“It is difficult for young sailors to further their education when they may be underwater for months at a time without internet,” said Goins. “We have had initial and productive conversations with Oklahoma Chancellor Allison Garrett and Secretary of Education Nellie Sanders to see if our Oklahoma colleges can develop programs that our sailors can take with them on their cruise to further their development. This could be a game changer for them if we can create a program which the Navy will approve.”
Commander Aaron “Okie Skipper” Stutzman, Captain Select of the U.S.S. Oklahoma, plans to have crew members visit Oklahoma regularly to embrace the “Okie spirit.”
Commander Stutzman is enthusiastic about the committee’s interest in expanding the sailor education program and exploring opportunities with the Navy.
“To make all of this happen in a first-class manner, we will be relying upon Oklahoma’s generosity in sponsorships for this historic event,” said Commander Stutzman. “We want the crew to know that our state will support them during their commissioning and beyond as they protect our shores and sea lanes.”
The commission’s website can be found here and their Facebook page can be found here.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their opening-round series. The OKC Thunder are hoping that they can repeat their Sunday afternoon performance in this contest. Game 2 will be an interesting test with the Suns having more time to prepare.
Phoenix was up against a rock and a hard place in the series opener. The Oklahoma City Thunder not only have the talent advantage but the rest advantage as well. Phoenix punched their ticket to the NBA Playoffs on Friday night by staving off the Golden State Warriors on Friday night before landing in Oklahoma City on Saturday and playing on Saturday afternoon to the tune of a 119-84 blowout Thunder victory.
The NBA has seen plenty of upsets already. The Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have all stolen games from the higher seed. The Thunder know they have to keep the foot on the gas in this contest.
“These series are unpredictable. No 2 games are the same. The minute you make an assumption, you are overconfident, or the minute you go down and you’re overly urgent, that can impact your ability to be present in the next game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said pregame on Wednesday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are seeing the Suns make an adjustment with their starting lineup by inserting Collin Gillespie to give Phoenix a trio of ball handling scoring options alongside Devin Booker and Jalen Green. This gives the Suns hope to be able to find better shot quality against this stifling Thunder defensive unit.
Oklahoma City is healthier now than they have been all season. The Thunder only are missing rookie Thomas Sorber (ACL) who is out for the year. This allows the Bricktown Ballers to roll out their traditional first five in this contest.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns, Game 2 Starting Lineup
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
- Lu Dort, G
- Jalen Williams, F
- Chet Holmgren, F
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup
- Devin Booker, G
- Jalen Green, G
- Collin Gillespie, G
- Dillon Brooks, F
- Oso Ighodaro, C
The series will shift to Phoenix this weekend as the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to head into Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 with a 2-0 advantage in the series.
Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of the NBA Playoff run for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA (KOKH) — The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a home fire late Tuesday evening, around 10:42 p.m.
According to OKCFD, fire could be seen from a window of the home located in the 4200 block of N. Phillips Avenue.
Firefighters were able to rescue an adult female from inside the home. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
Investigators believe that the fire may have originated from an outlet near the refrigerator that had a power strip plugged in that was supplying multiple appliances.
There was also no smoke detector present within the home.
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NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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