Historical Highlight (October 2022)

This Month in History:​
The U.S.S. Sapulpa was launched on October 1, 1919 in Oakland, California. Mrs. J.W. Hoover, wife of Dr. J.W. Hoover, traveled to California to perform the christening of the ship’s launch*.

It was announced that “three cities in Oklahoma to receive the honor of naming one of Uncle Sam’s ships. Sapulpa is the one in her class, the other honors going to Vinita and Oklahoma City.” These three towns were the “first city in its class to complete the Fourth Liberty Loan and also to show that more than 20% of the population bought bonds.”

*Note: The vessel never served in the Navy. Little is known what happened after the Sapulpa vessel was launched. A report came in on June 1, 1923, from Washington, D.C.: “The steel tanker ‘Sapulpa’ named after the county seat town of Creek County, Okla has been sold by the United States shipping board to the Cape Steamship Company of Philadelphia. The ‘Sapulpa’ is 9,759 deadweight tons.”