All that remains today of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is her memorial in the city of Indianapolis.

The U.S.S. Indianapolis was classified by the United States Navy as a CA-35 vessel and holds the distinction as being the first American warship that was built after the signing of the London Treaty in 1929. She was commissioned on November 15, 1932 under the control of Captain John M. Smeallie and had a crew of 49 officers and 553 enlisted men.

The Indianapolis was one of the Navy's most prized possesions. Here you can see the seal of the President on the United States on the bow of the Indianapolis. It was bestowed upon the Indianapolis while she escorted the 32th American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt around the world. Roll over the image below to see a picture of FDR aboard the Indianapolis.

On July 16, 1945 two ships who are connected in history, left port from their respective countries ready to fulfill their respective missions. The U.S.S. Indianapolis that sailed underneath the Golden Gate Bridge at 8:36 a.m. on a summer morning carrying an important piece of the greatest military tool ever invented. On July 26 the Indianapolis carried that cargo to the island of Tinian although the entire ship was still clueless of the contents of the material. As it would turn out, the Indianapolis successfully delivered the first operational atomic bomb - the bomb which would be dropped on Hiroshima nearly two weeks later.

After completing her mission at Tinian, the Indianapolis left for Guam as she was ordered to join the U.S.S. Idaho in preparation for an invasion on the island of Japan. The captain of the Indianapolis asked the Navy for an escort to cross these very hostile waters. Although no ship had ever made this journey without an escort, the Navy declined, and thus the Indianapolis was left alone.

At 12:14 am on July 30, 1945, the U.S.S. Indianapolis was attacked by the I-58, a Japanese submarine, with six torpedoes. Of the six, two made direct hits. The first torpedo blew out the bow and the second struck on the starboard side which resulted in the splitting of the ship. The torpedoes also knocked out all electrical power and radio capabilites, as well as the ship's PA system which made it impossible for the entire crew to hear the abandon ship call.

Of the 1,196 sailors aboard, only roughly 900 men made it into the water. They watched as their ship sank into the Pacific Ocean in less than 12 minutes. These man battled the elements, including man-eating sharks, for 5 days. It was not until an serediptious flight by an American airmen that anyone even knew the Indianapolis was in trouble. Until that flight, the ship's status was simply set as "overdue".

Of the 900 men who made it into the water, only 316 survived, including the Indianapolis' captain, Charles McVay III.

Click here to learn more about The Captain

This exhibit was researched and designed by Edward F. Pincar, Jr.

This exhibit and museum were created during an introductory seminar on the Asia-Pacific War, taught at Wake Forest University during the spring semester 2002.

The material and opinions are those of their respective authors and do not represent the views of the University or the Department of History.