USS Indianapolis (CA-35)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Indianapolis.

USS Indianapolis (CA-35), 27 September 1939
History
United States
NameIndianapolis
NamesakeCity of Indianapolis, Indiana
Ordered13 February 1929
Awarded15 August 1929
BuilderNew York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
Cost$10,903,200 (contract price)
Laid down31 March 1930
Launched7 November 1931
Sponsored byLucy M. Taggart
Commissioned15 November 1932
Identification
Nickname(s)"Indy"[1]
Honors and
awards		 10 × battle stars
FateTorpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-58 on 30 July 1945
General characteristics (as built)[2]
Class and typePortland-class cruiser
Displacement9,950 long tons (10,110 t) (standard)
Length
  • 610 ft 3 in (186.00 m) loa
  • 584 ft (178 m) lwl
Beam66 ft 1 in (20.14 m)
Draft
  • 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) (mean)
  • 24 ft (7.3 m) (max)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed32.7 kn (60.6 km/h; 37.6 mph)
Range13,000 nmi (15,000 mi; 24,000 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Complement
  • 95 officers 857 enlisted (as designed)
  • 1,269 officers and men (wartime)
  • 1,195 crewmen at time of sinking
Armament
Armor
  • Belt: 3+1⁄4–5 in (83–127 mm)
  • Deck: 2+1⁄2 in (64 mm)
  • Barbettes: 1+1⁄2 in (38 mm)
  • Turrets: 1+1⁄2–2+1⁄2 in (38–64 mm)
  • Conning tower: 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm)
Aircraft carried4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities2 × Amidship catapults
General characteristics (1945)[3]
Armament
Aircraft carried3 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities1 × Amidship catapults (starboard catapult removed in 1945)

USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Launched in 1931, it was the flagship of the commander of Scouting Force 1 for eight years, then flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruance from 1943 to 1945 while he commanded the Fifth Fleet in battles across the Central Pacific during World War II.

In July 1945, Indianapolis completed a top-secret high-speed trip to deliver uranium and other components for "Little Boy", the first nuclear weapon used in combat, to the Tinian Naval Base, and subsequently departed for the Philippines on training duty. At 0015 on 30 July, the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58, and sank in 12 minutes.

Of 1,195 crewmen aboard, about 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 890 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks while stranded in the open ocean with few lifeboats and almost no food or water.[4]

The Navy learned of the sinking four days later, when survivors were spotted by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. A U.S. Navy PBY flying boat crew landed to save those in the water. Only 316 survived.[4] No U.S. warship sunk at sea has lost more sailors.[a]

On 19 August 2017, a search team financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen located the wreckage in the Philippine Sea lying at a depth of approximately 18,000 ft (5,500 m).[5] On 20 December 2018, the crew of Indianapolis was collectively awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.[6]

  1. ^ "Ship Nicknames". zuzuray.com. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Ships' Data, U. S. Naval Vessels". US Naval Department. 1 July 1935. pp. 16–23. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  3. ^ Rickard, J (19 December 2014). "USS Indianapolis (CA-35)". Historyofwar.org. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  4. ^ a b Neuman, Scott (23 March 2018). "Navy Admits To 70-Year Crew List Error In USS Indianapolis Disaster". NPR.org. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella (20 August 2017). "USS Indianapolis discovered 18,000 feet below Pacific surface". CNN. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. ^ Donnelly, Joe (20 December 2018). "Actions – S.2101 – 115th Congress (2017–2018): USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act". www.congress.gov.


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