The USS Oklahoma City (CL-91/CLG-5/CG-5) was a Cleveland-class light cruiser that served with distinction in the United States Navy from late 1944 until her decommissioning in 1979. Laid down on December 8, 1942, by Cramp Shipbuilding in Philadelphia, she was launched on February 20, 1944, and commissioned on December 22, 1944. Constructed predominantly of steel, she measured approximately 610 feet in length, with a beam of around 66 feet, and displaced about 11,000 tons standard. Her initial armament included guns typical of the Cleveland class, but she was later extensively modified. During World War II, Oklahoma City participated in the Pacific Theater, supporting carrier operations, anti-aircraft screening, and shore bombardments during the Okinawa campaign. She arrived in Tokyo Bay in September 1945 after seventy-two days of continuous steaming and served on occupation duty until January 1946. Following the war, she was placed in reserve in 1947. In the late 1950s, she underwent a significant transformation into a guided missile cruiser, part of the Galveston-class conversion. This involved removing most of her traditional guns—except her forward 6-inch and 5-inch mounts—and rebuilding her superstructure to accommodate the Talos missile system, along with flagship command facilities. Recommissioned in 1960 as CLG-5, she became a prominent flagship in the Pacific Fleet. Her service in this role included extensive deployments in the Western Pacific, participation in the Vietnam War, and combat operations such as gunfire support and missile strikes, notably firing the first successful surface-to-surface Talos missile in 1972. Oklahoma City also played a key role during the Vietnam War, supporting operations off South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and participating in the evacuation of Saigon in 1975. Her combat record earned her 13 battle stars, making her the most enduring of her class. She was scheduled for a major overhaul in the late 1970s, but funding was diverted, leading to her decommissioning on December 15, 1979. Finally, she was used as a target during military exercises in 1999 and was sunk by torpedoes from a South Korean submarine. Oklahoma City holds historical significance as the last Cleveland-class cruiser in service, with a service life spanning nearly 22 years, and is commemorated at the National Museum of the Pacific War.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.