The Oklahoma War Memorial & Museum (OWMM) will ensure all veterans’ bravery is honored, their sacrifices remembered, and their stories passed down for future generations to learn from and appreciate. Surrounding the USS Batfish, a 312-foot-long retired Navy sub located in Muskogee, OK, the new OWMM will be a space for veterans and their families to reconnect and remember, hands-on education for K-12 students on sacrifices made and American values, and a place to inspire patriotism and pride in Oklahomans and history enthusiasts alike.
Preserving the USS Batfish
After seven war patrols in the Pacific, the USS Batfish was decommissioned and, in 1973, found a new mission in Muskogee, Oklahoma: to educate, inspire, and honor those who served. As one of only 14 WWII submarines on display in the US, the Batfish has been a symbol of American valor for decades.
A flood in 2019 rendered the sub and surrounding park inaccessible, but a plan to move the 312-foot-long retired Navy sub and companion war memorial museum is in the works.
The plan, which calls for the vessel to move to a new site at Port Muskogee’s Three Forks Harbor, will ensure the Batfish’s future while a new and improved Oklahoma War Memorial & Museum will be built to ensure no one will forget the sacrifices of the veterans who served on her.
