Wreckage of USS Indianapolis found
A ship's bell is visible amid the wreckage of the USS Indianapolis.
More than 70 years after the heavy cruiser was sunk with the greatest loss of life in U.S. Navy history, an expedition has located the wreckage of the Indianapolis on the floor of the North Pacific Ocean, more than 18,000 feet below the surface.
USS Indianapolis
The USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a 9,800-ton Portland Class heavy cruiser which was commissioned in 1932. During World War II, the ship served as the flagship of the Fifth Fleet in the Central Pacific.
Pictured: The USS Indianapolis at Cold Bay, Alaska, October 1942.
USS Indianapolis
The USS Indianapolis (CA-35) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, July 10, 1945, following an overhaul and repair of combat damage.
In July 1945, the Indianapolis sailed from California to the Pacific island of Tinian on a secret mission: delivering components for the "Little Boy" atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan. (The cargo was classified, the ship's crew unaware of what they were ferrying.) The cruiser then sailed from Guam to the Philippines.
Last Voyage
On July 30, shortly after midnight, a Japanese submarine attacked the Indianapolis with two torpedoes. The ship sank in 12 minutes. With no time to send a distress signal, and with her secret mission and unknown position, the Indianapolis' disappearance en route to the Philippines went unnoticed for several days, while hundreds of survivors were stranded in the water, most with only life jackets.
Over the next four days, hundreds more perished due to drowning, dehydration, exposure, and constant shark attacks.
By the time a bomber on routine patrol spotted the survivors in the water, only 316 of the ship's 1,196 sailors and Marines had survived. It remains the U.S. Navy's single worst loss at sea.
Survivors
The USS Tranquillity (AH-14) arrives at Guam, carrying survivors of the Indianapolis, August 8, 1945.
Survivors
Survivors of the Indianapolis en route to a hospital on Pelelieu following their rescue, early August 1945.
indianapolis-wreck-petrel-auv-610
On August 19, 2017, the U.S. Navy announced that the crew of the civilian research vessel Petrel (owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen), employing state-of-the-art subsea equipment capable of diving three-and-a-half miles, had located the wreckage of the USS Indianapolis more than 18,000 feet beneath the Pacific.
Pictured: The autonomous underwater vehicle is lowered from the R/V Petrel into the Philippine Sea in search of the USS Indianapolis.
Wreck
An image shot from a remotely-operated vehicle shows what appears to be the painted hull number "35" on the port side of the ship.
Wreck
A spare parts box from the USS Indianapolis is spotted on the floor of the Pacific Ocean under more than 16,000 feet of water.
Wreck
Remains of one of the Indianapolis' sea planes is visible.
Wreck
Likely a 5"/25 caliber anti-aircraft gun on the wreck of the USS Indianapolis.
Wreck
An image shot from a remotely-operated vehicle shows wreckage which appears to be one of the two anchor windlass mechanisms from the forecastle of the ship.
Wreck
Gun turrets on the wreckage of the USS Indianapolis.
Wreck
An image taken from a remotely-operated vehicle shows the bottom of an anchor clearly marked "U.S. Navy" and "Norfolk Navy Yard." The anchor is consistent with the one visible in a photo taken July 12, 1945 just weeks before the ship was lost.
Wreck
A ship's bell is visible amid the wreckage of the USS Indianapolis.
Memorial
In 2005 one of the USS Indianapolis survivors, Albert Morris of Akron, Ohio, walked past a monument honoring his fallen shipmates following a service in Indianapolis, making the 60th anniversary of the tragedy. About 60 survivors gathered over the weekend for the reunion.
Morris passed away, at age 92, on August 15, 2017, just days before the discovery of the Indianapolis wreckage was announced.
USS Indianapolis
The USS Indianapolis silhouetted against the sun in the 1930s.
For more info:
USS Indianapolis, missing since WWII, believed to be found
USS Indianapolis discovery offers "closure" for WWII veteran ("CBS This Morning")
USS Indianapolis FAQ (pauallen.com)
Sinking of USS Indianapolis (CA-35) (Naval History and Heritage Command)
The USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Survivors Memorial Organization
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan