The USS Oklahoma was successfully salvaged because it was not fully submerged, unlike the Arizona, and its turrets did not fall off, which would have made it structurally unstable. The Navy had to undertake a massive effort to right the capsized hull, close its holes, and remove wreckage to make it watertight enough to float and be moved to a dry dock. The ship's hull was deemed too old and damaged for a full repair to return to service, so the salvage focused on clearing the harbor and removing

Chief Carpenter's Mate Tedd M. Furr, 39, was aboard USS Oklahoma (BB-37) on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor when the ship came under attack from Japanese forces. USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits and quickly capsized, resulting in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Tedd. Although his remains were recovered, he could not be identified at the time and was buried as an Unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2015, the DPAA received authorizati