— Barnacles and rust now coat the mast that once flew the flag over the USS Oklahoma.

To those who served on the battleship, the barnacles and rust signify the sacrifice made by comrades when the USS Oklahoma sank in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

After nearly 60 years at the bottom of the Pacific, a 40-foot section of the mast found a new home at Muskogee’s War Memorial Park. The mast was unveiled Saturday morning during a ceremony and memorial service for the 429 who lost their lives when the battleship sunk.

Oklahoma Speaker of the House Chris Benge called the mast “a truer replica of the strength of this country.”

“On behalf of the State of Oklahoma, I can’t tell you how honored I am to have this place in history,” Benge said during the ceremony. “This ship escorted President Wilson across the Atlantic to Versailles (at the end of World War I). It carried soldiers during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.”

Muskogee Mayor John Tyler Hammons called the mast “a link from my generation to the Greatest Generation, constantly reminding us of the sacrifices made.”

Three veterans were given pieces of that mast during the ceremony:

• Ed Vesey of Moore, a gunnery officer on the USS Oklahoma, who survived the attack.

• Arles Cole of Tulsa, who survived the attack on the USS West Virginia during Pearl Harbor. Cole is president of Pearl Harbor Survivors of Oklahoma.

• Donald Ritz, who served on the USS Oklahoma in 1936 and 1937.

Cole and Vesey can look back with pride and a sprinkling of humor.

“We’re kind of crusty and rusty and have barnacles, too,” Vesey said as he showed the audience his piece of the mast. “It was a wonderful, happy ship. A good ship with great food.”

He said people from other ships would come to the USS Oklahoma to eat.

Vesey did not tell the 350 people gathered for the ceremony about the chaos he recalled from that Day of Infamy.

After the ceremony, he recalled how the whole ship shook when Japanese bombs hit it.

“The ship rolled like a burning log,” he said. “You’d see chaos. It was so unbelievable you couldn’t even think.”

Cole told the audience how he survived the sinking of the USS West Virginia because of a dud bomb.

“The bombs that hit the Arizona hit the main magazine,” he said. “The bombers flew on and hit the USS West Virginia. One was a dud bomb. I was on the third deck and I saw water coming onto the third deck below. I was knocked to my knees and everything went black. I was entombed in oil and water.”

He recalled finding a hole overhead that was made by the 500-pound dud bomb.

“I put the flag up while the battle was still raging, a kid from Oklahoma,” he said.

Ritz did not speak at the ceremony, but sat in the shade with family.

After the ceremony, the three were surrounded by autograph seekers and people who shook their hands to thank them.

Other speakers at the ceremony thanked those who helped bring the mast to Muskogee.

After World War II, the USS Oklahoma was raised from the water and sold for scrap. It sank in an ocean storm as it was being towed from Hawaii to California. A section of the mast was discovered during a dredging operation at Pear Harbor in 2005.

Congresswoman Mary Fallin, R-Okla., said it took a “long four years to get the mast to Oklahoma.”

State Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, credited several people with helping to get the mast to Muskogee. Faught’s wife, Becky Faught, said Rodney Mish, a volunteer with the War Memorial Park called the USS Arizona memorial “on a whim” to see if anything from the USS Oklahoma could be sent to the memorial here.

George Faught also credited Dr. Judy Moody, assistant professor of educational foundations and leadership at Northeastern State University, for helping.

Congressman Dan Boren, D-Okla., credited George Faught’s tireless efforts.

“Faught was placing calls on and on and on, every week,” he said.

Memorial Park Director Rick Dennis said a 120-square foot building will be built to protect the mast and contain a display honoring the USS Oklahoma.

Reach Cathy Spaulding at 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com.