United States NAVY USS OKLAHOMA CITY
CLG-5 GUIDED MISSILE LIGHT CRUISER
Military Patch

SIZE:   4" Round

Embroidered with a Heat Sealed Backing

USS Oklahoma City (CL-91/CLG-5/CG-5) was one of 27 United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruisers completed during or shortly after World War II, and one of six to be converted to guided missile cruisers. She was the first US Navy ship to be named for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Commissioned in late 1944, she participated in the latter part of the Pacific War in anti-aircraft screening and shore bombardment roles, for which she earned two battle stars. She then served a brief stint with the occupation force. Like all but  one of her sister ships, she was retired in the post-war defense  cutbacks, becoming part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet in 1947. In the late 1950s she was converted to a Galveston-class guided missile cruiser, which involved removing all her guns except for her forward 6" turret  and 5" mount, and rebuilding her entire superstructure to accommodate  the Talos missile system and flagship office spaces and accommodation. Like her three sister ships (USS Providence, USS Little Rock, USS Springfield) of the Cleveland-class ships converted to missile ships, she was also extensively modified forward to become a flagship. This involved removal of most of her forward armament to allow for a  greatly enlarged superstructure. She was recommissioned in 1960 as CLG-5 (and in 1975 redesignated CG-5).  She was decommissioned on 15 December 1979 and remained in the Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay until 9 January 1999, when she was towed to Pearl Harbor, where some usable material was donated for use in outfitting the battleship Missouri (BB-63) as a museum ship. Oklahoma City was then expended as a target during February–March. After being used  as a target for air-launched missiles she was hit during TANDEM THRUST  '99 exercise southwest of Guam by torpedoes from the South Korean submarine Lee Chun, broke in two and sank on, 26 March 1999.