World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseIndianapolis 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.

ww2dbaseIndianapolis 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.

ww2dbaseAfter 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.

ww2dbaseShe 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:

ww2dbaseIndianapolis' 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.

Heavy Cruiser Indianapolis (CA-35) Interactive Map

Photographs

Maps

Indianapolis Operational Timeline

Visitor Submitted Comments

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10.  David Stubblebine says:
10 Sep 2013 04:01:56 PM

Most sources agree; Indianapolis received 10 battle stars in WWII:
1. P5-2&5 Bougainville and Salamaua-Lae Raids, Feb-Mar 1942
2. P20 Aleutians Operations, Mar 1943
3. P25 Gilbert Islands Operations, Nov 1943
4. P26-2&3 Marshall Islands Operations: Kwajalein,
Majuro & Eniwetok, Jan-Feb 1944
5. P27-3 Asiatic-Pacific Raids:Yap, Palau, Ulithi & Woleai,
Mar-Apr 1944
6. P29-1,2&7 Marianas Operations: Battle of the Philippine Sea,
Saipan, & Guam, Jun-Aug 1944
7. P38 Tinian, Jul 1944
8. P30 Western Caroline Operations, Sep 1944
9. P33-1&2 Iwo Jima & Japanese Home Islands Raids on
Honshu & Nansei Shoto, Feb 1945
10. P34 Okinawa Gunto Operations, Mar 1945

For the complete Navy list of qualifying engagements, see http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/BattleStars.html#partIII

13.  David Stubblebine says:
2 Mar 2015 06:48:44 PM

To Anonymous Comment #12:

US Navy WWII Muster Rolls are available online at Fold3.com but it is important to keep two things in mind about that. First, Muster Rolls were created monthly but only accounted for members of the enlisted crew. Officers were also accounted for monthly but in the Deck Logs, an entirely different set of documents that are not available online so far as I know. Secondly, Fold3.com is a subscription site that will require payment to access the Muster Rolls. If either of these documents is available elsewhere online, I am not aware of it.

However, both the Muster Rolls and the Deck Logs are available in hardcopy from the National Archives (archives.gov) either free of charge or for a nominal copying fee. Unfortunately, obtaining records from the Archives is not a swift process, certainly as compared to the internet, but it is reliable.

14.  David Stubblebine says:
13 May 2015 09:34:42 PM

The first to spot the Indianapolis survivors in the water was LT-jg Wilbur Gwinn on 2 Aug 1945 flying a PV-1 Ventura with VPB-152 out of Peleliu (unknown aircraft BuNo). The first PBY Catalina to land among the survivors was piloted by Lt Adrian Marks of VPB-23 also out of Peleliu (PBY-5A BuNo 46472). This plane landed on the water but did not take off again, instead it was scuttled the following day. The first surface vessel to arrive (night of 2 Aug 1945) was USS Cecil J. Doyle (DD-368) commanded by LCdr W. Graham Clayton (later Secretary of the Navy and Deputy Secretary of Defense).

16.  David Stubblebine says:
14 Aug 2015 07:55:57 PM

Mr. McLucas (Comment #15):
I gather the “core” you mentioned refers to the core for the atomic bomb. I am not sure when the Alcor could have done this. According to the ship’s War Diary, it never got anywhere near the Marianas at any time from 1 May 1945 to after both bombs had dropped.

22.  David Stubblebine says:
21 Sep 2019 08:46:49 PM

Bruce Austin (above):
The crew lists you speak of are called Muster Rolls by the Navy. They are stored at the National Archives or they are available online at Fold3.com. In checking the online Muster Rolls, I find Kenneth Roger Austin, service number 328 60 63, was listed in Indianapolis’ Dec 1941 Muster Rolls and was indeed a Gunners Mate (3rd class). Other Muster Rolls show that he transferred off Indianapolis in mid-1942 and then served aboard sub-chasers. The best way to learn about his time in the Navy is to get a copy of his service record. See https://ww2db.com/faq/#3.

24.  David Stubblebine says:
19 Jan 2021 02:58:24 PM

Efrain Ayala (above):
The list of names you ask about are called Muster Rolls and they can be viewed at the website Fold3.com.