USS Indianapolis
USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
One of the worst sea disasters in the US military
Top secret mission: to deliver critical components for the "Little Boy" atomic bomb, the first atomic bomb ussed in warfare. The bomb that was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945.
The ship was struck by two torpedoes from the Japanese Submarine 1-58 on its return voyage through the Philippine Sea. She sank in about 12 minutes, preventing the transmission of a distress call. Their location and fate unknown the the US Navy.
The Indianapolis carried a crew of 1,195 sailors and Marines. about 300 men were lost in the initial blasts.
The surviving crew spent four days and five nights floating in the open ocean with little food or water. They suffered severe injuries, dehydration, salt poisoning, hypothermia, and relentless shark attacks.
A passing PV-1 Ventura patrol bomber spotted the men on August 2, and a Navy PBY flying boat was dispatched on a rescue mission. Only 316 survivors were rescued.
On December 20, 2018 the entire crew of the Indianapolis was collectively issued a Congressional Gold Medal.
The survivors reunited each year in Indianapolis. The last survivor, Seaman 2c, is Harold Bray of Marinette, Wisconsin.
The USS Indianapolis National Memorial is in Memorial Park in Indianapolis, Indiana
The following is a database of Sailors that served aboard the USS Indianapolis:
Information provided by the Indiana War Memorial.