The USS Indianapolis

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Most people know, at least superficially, about Pearl Harbor, the attack on the US Naval forces in Hawaii that dragged the US into World War II. It was the worst disaster the Navy experienced. However, the worst loss of life at sea during World War II (that is, after we declared war on Japan and Germany) was the sinking of the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945. The Indianapolis had a top-secret mission: they were delivering the final piece of the atomic bomb to the military base in the Mariana Islands. Having accomplished the mission on July 26, the ship went to Guam, where some crew members were swapped out, then she sailed on to join the fleet at Okinawa. But she never made it. On July 30, 1945, one week to the day before the Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, an Imperial Japanese Navy submarine fired two torpedoes into the Indianapolis. She sank in 12 minutes. Of the 1,195 people aboard, only 316 survived. Nearly 600 did survive the sinking of the ship but succumbed to their injuries, dehydration, or shark attacks before rescue crews arrived. The city of Indianapolis pays tribute to the most famous of the four vessels named after the city with a lovely memorial on the Canal Walk. The memorial has all 1,195 personnel listed on one side of the monument, with survivors indicated by a star; while the other side has a likeness of the ship. Plaques on the base and the wall around the memorial tell the story of the ship’s commissioning in 1932 and its final voyage in 1945. The flags of the Navy and Marine Corps (we were the Lyft drivers for the Marines before Lyft existed ) and an American flag are at the overlook. What a beautiful tribute to the last US vessel sunk during World War II. PHOTOS: (Top) From the overlook, the hull number (CA-35) and the side of the memorial with the crew’s names. (Bottom) from ground level, the side of the memorial showing the Indianapolis. The flags at the overlook are in the background.