The Sinking Of The U.S.S. Indianapolis

The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis

The sinking of the USS Indianapolis was a tragedy that occurred in the final days of World War II. On July 30, 1945, the Indianapolis was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-58. The ship sank in just 12 minutes, and over 900 of the crew perished.

The Indianapolis was on a mission to deliver parts for the atomic bomb to Tinian, which would later be dropped on Hiroshima. After completing its mission, the Indianapolis was returning to the Philippines when it was attacked.

The torpedoes struck the Indianapolis at approximately 00:14 on July 30. The explosions caused catastrophic damage, and the ship began to sink rapidly. The crew scrambled to abandon ship, but many were unable to escape before the ship went under.

Of the approximately 1,196 men on board the Indianapolis, only 316 survived. Many of those who died drowned, while others succumbed to their injuries or to the elements.

The survivors of the Indianapolis spent several days adrift in the water before they were finally rescued by the heavy cruiser USS Birmingham. The rescue effort was hampered by the fact that the Indianapolis had not sent out a distress signal before it sank.

The sinking of the Indianapolis was one of the worst maritime disasters in American history. The tragedy was made worse by the fact that it occurred so close to the end of the war. The ship's loss was a devastating blow to the United States Navy, and it cast a pall over the end of the war.

In the years since the sinking, there have been many efforts to find the wreck of the Indianapolis. In 2017, a team of researchers from the University of Hawaii discovered the wreck approximately 18,000 feet below the surface of the ocean.