U.S.S. Indianapolis
By: Jake Thelen
The Accident
On July 30th, 1945, around Midnight, the USS Indianapolis was sunken by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea. The vessel sank in 12 minutes. Out of 1,196 men on board, approximately 300 died in the sinking ship and the remainder, of about 900 men, were left floating in shark-infested waters with no lifeboats. This event was the worst shark attack every recorded. The survivors accidentally were found four days later only 316 men were still alive.
Significance & Background
The USS Indianapolis had just finished it's mission which ironically was to deliver the atomic bomb scheduled to be dropped on Hiroshima a week after the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. The USS Indianapolis was headed back to base from the atomic bomb delivery when it went down.
"USS Indianapolis Bombed." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.
The Wreck
After the ship sank it took 4 days for the survivors to be found. They were accidentally found it wasn't even on purpose.
The Memorial
This National Memorial is a 50 year dream by the crew members who have survived the sinking of the cruiser. They worked continually to create a perfect memorial to their missing shipmates. The Memorial is located by the Canal Walk. The Memorial is outside and is available to the public all day everyday. Engraved on the South side of the monument are the names of the shipmates’.