The USS Batfish, a retired Navy submarine, has sat in Muskogee since 1973.

Flooding in 2019 caused the WWII sub to float and come to a rest out of it’s original place. It has been closed to visitors ever since.

According to the Oklahoma War Memorial and Museum, the site saw 50,000 visitors per year before the flood.

Now, there’s an effort to relocate the Batfish, along with the Oklahoma War Memorial and Museum, to Port Muskogee’s Three Forks Harbor.

The new location would be a short distance down the Arkansas River from the current site, which officials have said is no longer suitable.

“The USS Batfish is more than just a submarine; it represents the bravery and sacrifice of those who served our country and protected our freedoms. History may have been made beneath the waves, but its legacy belongs in Oklahoma - and it should remain that way,” said James Gulley, Chairman of the War Memorial Park Authority.

According to their website, the new site would also feature artifacts like Army tanks, cannons and a 45-foot piece of the mast from the USS Oklahoma, which sank in the Pearl Harbor attack.

Officials encourage Oklahomans and veterans to contact state lawmakers in a show of support for the relocation and restoration of the Batfish.

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