World War II Database

Indianapolis was commissioned during the peaceful interwar years, patrolling the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. She was Franklin Roosevelt's personal transport on several occasions, including a trip to South America in Nov-Dec 1936. She enjoyed various flagship status for the bulk of her peacetime career. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, she was conducting a bombardment training off Johnston Island. She was sent on a hunt for the withdrawing Japanese carrier force, but failed to locate it.

Indianapolis operated with carrier task forces in the Pacific during WW2 until 1942, then she was transferred to Alaska. In Jan 1943 she participated in the operation to occupy Amchitka and establish a forward base in the north Pacific; in this operation, on 19 Feb 1943, she came in contact with the Japanese transport Akagane Maru, and sank the ship. She later assisted in the operations to reclaim Attu and Kiska.

After a refitting at Mare Island, Indianapolis was transferred to Hawaii where she was boarded by Vice Admiral Raymond Spruance, becoming the flagship of the Fifth Fleet. In this role, she was a part of the main assault force during the Gilberts operations. She also participated in virtually every operation across the Pacific toward Japan, including the credit of downing Japanese planes during the "Great Turkey Shoot" off the Marianas and being the first ship to enter the Apra Harbor at Guam since being conquered by the Japanese in Dec 1941. Her 8" guns were also vital in preparation for the famed landing operations at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

She was in port in San Francisco in mid-1945 for repairs from a 31 Mar 1945 kamikaze attack. It was because of this coincidental availability, she was chosen as the transport to deliver the first atomic bomb to Tinian, stepping up her repairs. Her hurried trip from San Francisco to Tinian broke the record for the shortest travel time between the two points (taking only ten days for the trip). After delivering the components to the atomic bomb on 26 Jul 1945, which included its radioactive core, she was sent toward Leyte for training missions (many of the Indianapolis' crew were inexperienced). About halfway between Tinian (Mariana Islands) and Leyte (Philippine Islands), she was spotted by Japanese submarine I-58 and sunk with two torpedo hits at the night of 30 Jul 1945. Survivors floated for days before it was realized that the ship was lost. Out of the crew of nine hundred who survived the sinking, only 316 survived the following days floating in the shark-infested Pacific waters with negligible food and no water. It was the worse loss of life in the history of the United States Navy. The destroyer Helm, one of the ships that tasked with retrieving the bodies of those who did not survive the ocean, logged the following notes on the rescue operation:

Indianapolis' commander, Captain Charles Butler McVay III, was the only man in American naval history to be court martialed for losing a ship during wartime. He was convicted of "hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag", a practice that was detailed in American naval doctrine as a guard against submarine attacks (though known to be ineffective by both Japanese and American submarine commanders). McVay was exonerated in Oct 2000.

USS Indianapolis Operational Timeline

Photographs

Maps

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Oran Gipson says:
   20 Nov 2007 01:03:56 AM
   
   I have been asking and looking on the web for the final resting place of this mighty ship. Has it been found? and is their pictures of it?I had an uncle in world war 2.He was on two destroyers that was shot out from under him.How can I find his ships and history of ww2.
2. fred broussard says:
   21 Dec 2008 02:02:32 AM
   
   Where could I see photos of the survivors in re-unions or sometime afterward?
3. John Sippel says:
   6 Nov 2009 11:35:47 PM
   
   You will not believe this, but I can tell you where the USS Indianapolis is.
   John Sippel
   937-470-5989
4. Jim Fiore says:
   20 Nov 2010 12:39:38 PM
   
   the last i heard was a documentary about a year or so ago on one of the history channels. several of the serviers went with a reaserct team to try to locate the final resting place but were not sucessful. I have not seen or heard anything more. I too would likt to know more about this.
5. Mike says:
   11 Feb 2011 03:55:17 PM
   
   Look up a book....Left For Dead,great book about the Indianapolis ) hope i was of some help
6. Marc says:
   18 Mar 2013 04:45:59 PM
   
   The USS Indianapolis means a lot to me. It played a big part in helping to end that war that I was born into!

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