USS Indianapolis Wreck Found

[oldcorps]

The wreck of the USS Indianapolis, the last capital ship sunk during WWII has been found in 900 fathoms at the bottom of the Philippine Sea. She was sunk 30 July 1945 by I-58(?) commanded by Cdr. Hashimoto, who survived the war. Since the ship sank too fast to send an SOS, her loss was unknown for days until a Navy patrol plane spotted an oil slick with survivors. By then, most of them had succumbed to sharks, exhaustion, dehydration and only about a fourth of the crew survived. The Indianapolis had just completed delivering the fissionable parts of the atom bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima to Tinian and was sailing to Samar.

The Inianapolis's skipper, Capt. McVay was court martialed for not zig-zagging and it was the only proceeding in US naval history where the enemy officer responsible testified as a witness.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[painter777]

To Add to fellow member OLDCORPS posting:

Here's a official story/report from the US Navy,
Link here: Researchers Announce Wreckage from U.S.Indianapolis Located

Story Number: NNS170819-02Release Date: 8/19/2017 12:53:00 PM

From Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- A team of civilian researchers led by entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul G. Allen has announced they have found the wreck of the World War II cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA 35), which was lost July 30, 1945.

This is a significant discovery considering the depth of the water in which the ship was lost - more than 18,000 feet. Around 800 of the ship's 1,196 Sailors and Marines survived the sinking, but after four to five days in the water - suffering exposure, dehydration, drowning, and shark attacks - only 316 survived.

The wreck was located by the expedition crew of Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel, which is owned by Allen, 5,500 meters below the surface, resting on the floor of the North Pacific Ocean.

"To be able to honor the brave men of the USS Indianapolis and their families through the discovery of a ship that played such a significant role in ending World War II is truly humbling," said Allen. "As Americans, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the crew for their courage, persistence and sacrifice in the face of horrendous circumstances. While our search for the rest of the wreckage will continue, I hope everyone connected to this historic ship will feel some measure of closure at this discovery so long in coming."

Indianapolis was lost in the final days of World War II when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the early morning hours of July 30, 1945. The Indianapolis sank in 12 minutes, making it impossible to send a distress signal or deploy much of its life-saving equipment. Prior to the attack, the Indianapolis had just completed a secret mission delivering components of the atomic bomb used in Hiroshima that would ultimately help end the war in the Pacific.

"Even in the worst defeats and disasters there is valor and sacrifice that deserves to never be forgotten," said Sam Cox, director of the Naval History and Heritage Command. "They can serve as inspiration to current and future Sailors enduring situations of mortal peril. There are also lessons learned, and in the case of the Indianapolis, lessons re-learned, that need to be preserved and passed on, so the same mistakes can be prevented, and lives saved."

Others have searched for Indianapolis in the past. Among the elements that made this effort different was Allen's recent acquisition and retrofit of the 250-foot R/V Petrel with state-of-the-art subsea equipment capable of diving to 6,000 meters (or three and a half miles).

"The Petrel and its capabilities, the technology it has and the research we've done, are the culmination years of dedication and hard work," said Robert Kraft, director of subsea operations for Allen. "We've assembled and integrated this technology, assets and unique capability into operating platform, which is now one amongst very few on the planet."

The other key factor in the discovery was information that surfaced in 2016 when Dr. Richard Hulver, historian with the Naval History and Heritage Command, conducted research that led to a new search area to the west of the original presumed position.

Hulver's research identified a naval landing craft that had recorded a sighting of Indianapolis hours before it was torpedoed. Using that information, the research team developed a new position and estimated search, which was still a daunting 600 square miles of open ocean.

Allen-led expeditions have also resulted in the discovery of the Japanese battleship Musashi (March 2015) and the Italian WWII destroyer Artigliere (March 2017). His team was also responsible for retrieving and restoring the ship's bell from the HMS Hood for presentation to the British Navy in honor of its heroic service. Allen's expedition team was recently transferred to the newly acquired and retrofitted R/V Petrel specifically for continuing exploration and research efforts.

The 13-person expedition team on the R/V Petrel is in the process of surveying the full site and will conduct a live tour of the wreckage in the next few weeks.

Their work is compliant with U.S. law, respecting the sunken ship as a war grave and not disturbing the site. USS Indianapolis remains the property of the U.S. Navy and its location will remain confidential and restricted by the Navy. The crew of the R/V Petrel has collaborated with Navy authorities throughout its search operations and will continue to work on plans to honor the 22 crew members still alive today, as well as the families of all those who served on the highly decorated cruiser.

The Naval History and Heritage Command, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy's unique and enduring contributions through our nation's history, and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC is composed of many activities including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archaeology, Navy histories, ten museums, USS Constitution repair facility and the historic ship Nautilus.

Charlie-Painter777

[painter777]

Present discovery along with Timeline before and after sinking..... and more here.....
Navys Role in Finding U.S.Indianapolis | The Sextant



USS Indianapolis Timeline of Events

16 July 1945: Departs San Francisco for high speed transit to Tinian with A-bomb components for uranium bomb “Little Boy”—crew, including Captain McVay unaware of what they carry
19 July 1945: Reaches Pearl Harbor(sets speed record), unloads passengers, sails for Tinian
26 July: Arrives in Tinian, unloads secret cargo, given routing instructions to return to Philippines and the forward area of the war
0900 28 July: Departs Guam for Leyte, direct route, unescorted, orders to report to Vice Admiral Oldendorf upon arrival for much needed training prior to planned invasion of Japanese mainland
Follows “Convoy Route Peddie,” travels at 15.7 knots, planned arrival 1100 Tuesday 7/31
Supposed to cross the 130° chop line between Philippines Sea Frontier and Marianas Monday 30 July
Sinking

Approximately 2230 Sunday 29 July: McVay orders ship to stop zig-zagging due to weather conditions
Ships speeds up to 17 knots
2335-I-58 surfaced, shortly after under an east moon, saw a silhouette using binoculars set on power of 10. Dove to 19m, target on bow was 0° bearing range 10,000 meters. Thinks it is a surfaced submarine because it is high in the middle. Following dive, target visible through periscope.
2338: Hashimoto orders crew to battle stations, turns left and toward target setting attack course. Target is below the moon and approaching him. Still does not know what it is.
2339: Orders shooting method six, will fire a spread of 6 torpedoes. Kaiten number six on standby. He estimates a target speed of 11-12 knots (likely assumes that target was would be zigzagging).
2348: Kaiten number 5 put on standby. Target still approaching under the course at 0° on bow. Hashimoto determines it has no hostile intention. Continues to approach, at about 3000 meters he knows it is coming towards the right, he now sees that it has fore and aft mast.
2356: He begins shooting all are on their way by 0002 on 30 July.
0003: Watches one torpedo hit, sees flames rise at No. 1 turret, followed by thee water columns.
0004: Hears four torpedo hit sounds and propellers cease, ship reportedly stops (this is not the same as the Indianapolis’s report).
0005: Indianapolis survivors report violent explosion [around frame 7 starboard], then shortly after -2-5 seconds] another [frame 50 starboard at ICC room]. Initial list is gradual to about 3°-5°. Entire forward portion of ship engulfed in a blaze, bow nearly torn off, rapid flooding ensues.
0008: McVay orders Navigator to go to Radio I and deliver SOS w/coordinates.
0010: List is at 12°, McVay orders further investigation before issuing “Abandon Ship.” From bridge, he feels it can be saved
0015: Executive Officer reports “The bow is down, I think we are finished”, “Abandon Ship” issued. McVay tries to get to radio room to ensure the distress call went out. While going from navigation to signal bridge, the ship lurched to 25° and steadied. The ship circled to port slowly.
0016: List to 30°, 45° by time McVay reached communication platform, only stays at 45°a few seconds.
0017-0018: List to 65°, then 90° (reportedly stays at 90° about 2 minutes). McVay climbed over the rail and walked on the shell to frame 110.
0020: Ship plunges by the head, rolling completely over, assuming an “up and down” as she sinks. Stern completely vertical before going under. Port screws visible to McVay and not turning.
0021: There are flickers of light at the center of the ship, he hears 10 secondary explosions, 4 or five are louder than torpedo hits would be. He fears counter attack, so puts target at his stern and makes distance between them, prepares for a second attack.
Ship continues moving throughout. The two torpedo hits forward and starboard likely lifted the ship and placed it on a trajectory toward port. The crew lost the power to steer almost immediately. Power was lost to the engines in the forward engine room, which controlled the outboard screws. Power was lost to one of the engines in the after engine room, which controlled the inboard screws. The functioning inboard engine maintained 160rpms. So, within minutes all screws except one inboard would have slowed. The bow was ripped off and rapidly taking on water. The ship would have slowed considerably from the 17 knots it was making when hit. The crew recollects the ship losing way and circling to port. So, most likely, the ship slowed down to a few knots, going down by the bow with a gradual, then, extreme starboard list, while veering off to port.
0030: There are no more sounds; he can’t see any ship on the surface through his periscope. Hashimoto returns to the scene submerged running.
0020: Ship sinks [10 knot wind from SW, slight swell from west, drift slightly under 1 knot]
Ship traveled an estimated 2 miles before slowing to 3 knots and sinking
Approximately 700-900 sailors go into water out of a crew of 1,199 (approximately 400 go down with ship)
Nature of the sinking prevents all 35 rafts being deployed (approximately 12 are)
Torpedoing coincided with midnight watch change and likely reduced casualties
0100: I-58 surfaces in good moonlight at the position the ship would have sank, determines that they sank their target.
(U.S. Navy intercepts this report/coordinates not recovered, estimated to be an attempt by Japanese to lure in targets)

Survival/Rescue
Losses
316 out of 1,198 crew members survived the torpedoing and ordeal at sea
67 out of 81 officers lost, 808 enlisted crew perished
Estimated that 200 were victims of shark attacks (approximately 50 men per day)

Charlie-Painter777

[CINDERS]

Most survivors referred to it as "The day of the shark." another fact I got from reading my book on the affair was the life preservers they used that they chaffed them raw (think they were kapok filled!) but they had done the knots up so tight the rope swelled in them so they could not adjust them some of them went completely around the twist calling on mates to dive down as the ship was just underneath them and there was plenty of drinking water there at times they never resurfaced.
Others swam to mates only to find a top half floating the bottom ripped off by the sharks, it was a brave thing the Catalina pilot did staying on the water to act as a giant life boat.
No siree that would have been a torment worse than the gates of hell itself floating at night hearing the screams of your shipmates as they are torn limb from limb.......................

[Ovidio]

I've been thinking about reading about this ship and its loss for a while.
Maybe this thread did the trick now.....
Any suggestions from you guys?
I found a couple years ago a new book had been published, but I have to research the title, since I forgot it.
Thanks for any help.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Here's something you may not know. My wife showed it to me.

Julia McWilliams (better known by her married name, Julia Child) joined the newly-created OSS in 1942 and came up with a shark repellent. It was used by the Navy, how widely I don't know. Seems not on the USS Indianapolis.


Julia Child and the OSS Recipe for Shark Repellent — Central Intelligence Agency

[painter777]

Office of Strategic Services OSS, CIA’s predecessor

Julia McWilliams (better known by her married name, Julia Child) joined the newly-created OSS in 1942 in search of adventure.

Her voice aggravated me, but she was obviously part of the Greatest Generation.

Good tid Bit

CH-P777

[CINDERS]

The book Ovidio or my copy is "Abandon Ship" another good story is "Black Saturday" about the exploits of Gunther Prien and torpedoing the Royal Oak at Scapa Flow in WWII very nasty being on that ship as she went down especially when all port holes, W/T and bulk head doors were open as it was a hot & humid night the cordite explosion in the forward magazine decimated allot of men throughout the ship due to the latter being open.

[Bob Womack]

Try this one: Pete Nelson: Left For Dead. It's the story of how a young man's interest in the loss of the USS Indianapolis led to the exoneration of her captain fifty years after his court martial.

Bob

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Try this one: Pete Nelson: Left For Dead. It's the story of how a young man's interest in the loss of the USS Indianapolis led to the exoneration of her captain fifty years after his court martial.

Bob

Made a scapegoat and died by his own hand only continuing the series of tragic events.