During her first two years, one of the most famous incidents was the conflict with the
Sinn Fein, the Irish who were demanding independence from the British.
While docked at County Cork, several crew members of the Oklahoma were murdered by the Shinn Fainners because the United States was supporting Britain in the war.
The Oklahoma off the coast of Ireland.
"At county Cork there were the Sinn Fainers, all of southwest Ireland were Sinn Fainers. These guys were going to London and they came into the city of Cork. Bantry Bay is in the County of Cork. The sailors returned and these Irishmen from motor sails got up on the dock and when the Americans were on the dock, the Irish rushed them and pushed them into the water. I don't know how many American sailors were drowned there. They objected to us fighting for England. After that, they wouldn't let us go back into County Cork. One of our boys, named Slim Mason, he was a big old boy. He had fists like hams. They tore up a restaurant in Cork after all this happened. Talk about beat up, the boys on our ship, they went and came back and they were really skinned up. Slim was from Virginia and he said he told them to get out of his way and they wouldn't do it. The average Irish was all right, just the Sinn Fainers."
Seaman 1/c Robert J. Graham
The ship was ordered to Brest, France and await further orders.
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