VIDEO: Lost World War II Cruiser USS Indianapolis Found 18,000 Feet Under Philippine Sea
By Space Coast Daily // August 20, 2017
greatest loss of life at sea in history of U.S. Navy
ABOVE VIDEO: The USS Indianapolis was a Portland-class cruiser of the United States Navy. Her sinking led to the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. On July, 30 1945, after delivering parts for the first atomic bomb to the United States air base at Tinian, the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58, sinking in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship. (MAHARBAL5022 video)
Seventy-two years after two torpedoes fired from a Japanese submarine sunk cruiser USS Indianapolis, the ship’s wreckage was found resting on the seafloor on Saturday – more than 18,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean’s surface.
Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, led a search team, assisted by historians from the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C., to accomplish what past searches had failed to do – find Indianapolis, considered the last great naval tragedy of World War II.
“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 in a statement provided to USNI News on Saturday.
“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.”
On July 30, 1945, what turned out to be the final days of World War II, Indianapolis had just completed a secret mission to the island Tinian, delivering components of the atomic bomb “Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima which would ultimately help end the war.
The ship sunk in 12 minutes, before a distress signal could be sent or much of the life-saving equipment was deployed, according to a statement from the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C. Because of the secrecy surrounding the mission, the ship wasn’t listed as overdue.
CLICK HERE to read more on news.usni.org>>>
CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS
