USS Indianapolis (CA-45)
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) underway at sea on 27 September 1939.
USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Launched in 1931, she 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 the Second World War.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.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. No U.S. warship sunk at sea has lost more sailors.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. (Wikipedia)
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) late in the war.
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) underway at sea between May 1943 and May 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 21.
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) underway in 1939. An Omaha-class light cruiser and several Clemson/Wickes-class “flushdeck” destroyers are visible in the background.
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USS Indianapolis (CA 35) entering the Hudson River, New York City, New York, 31 May 1934.
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, circa in 1937.
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) underway in 1944. She wears Camouflage Measure 32/7D.
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (USA), on 10 July 1945, after her final overhaul and repair of combat damage. The photo was taken before the ship delivered atomic bomb components to Tinian and just 20 days before she was sunk by a Japanese submarine.
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California on 12 July 1945. This was shortly after the ship had been damaged by a kamikaze attack during the Battle of Okinawa.