The effort to salvage "Oglala" began on 12 December 1941. The first attempt to refloat her by blowing compressed air into her hull was ineffective. Several plans for her future were considered, including floating her enough to drag her ashore, where she would be dismantled. After a re-examination of the situation, a plan was formulated to raise and refit her. By the early spring of 1942, the salvage operation was underway. It was decided that using ten submarine salvage pontoons in concert with anchor chains and the aforementioned air bubble technique to right her. The salvage effort was made more complex by "Oglala"s poor stability. Fifteen to eighteen divers were kept busy for nearly 2,000 underwater hours during the salvage, patching her hull, rigging chains, cutting away unwanted structure and executing many other tasks. After her tophamper had been removed, the salvage pontoons were used to pull the ship upright while air was pumped into her to lighten the load. The parbuckling, or righting attempt, was begun on 11 April 1942, and on 22 April, the crane barge "Gaylord", of the Hawaiian Dredging Company, was rigged to "Oglala" to pull her over, if needed, as she was righted the following day. The operation was a success and "Oglala" came upright to rest on her bottom.