USS Indianapolis (CA-35)

USS Indianapolis, 27 September 1939.
History
United States
Name:	Indianapolis
Namesake:	City of Indianapolis, Indiana
Ordered:	13 February 1929
Awarded:	15 August 1929
Builder:	New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
Cost:	$10,903,200 (contract price)
Laid down:	31 March 1930
Launched:	7 November 1931
Sponsored by:	Miss Lucy Taggart
Commissioned:	15 November 1932
Identification:	Hull symbol:CL-35 Hull symbol:CA-35 Code letters:NABD
Nickname(s):	"Indy"
Honors and awards:	10 × battle stars
Fate:	Torpedoed and sunk on 30 July 1945 by Japanese submarine I-58.
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type:	Portland-class cruiser
Displacement:	9,950 long tons (10,110 t) (standard)
Length:	610 ft 3 in (186.00 m) loa 584 ft (178 m) lwl
Beam:	66 ft 1 in (20.14 m)
Draft:	17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) (mean) 24 ft (7.3 m) (max)
Installed power:	8 × White-Forster boilers 107,000 shp (80,000 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Parsons reduction steam turbines 4 × screws
Speed:	32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h)
Complement:	95 officers 857 enlisted (as designed) 1,269 officers and men (wartime)
Armament:	9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 caliber guns (3x3) 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns 2 × 3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns
Armor:	Belt: 3 1⁄4–5 in (83–127 mm) Deck: 2 1⁄2 in (64 mm) Barbettes: 1 1⁄2 in (38 mm) Turrets: 1 1⁄2–2 1⁄2 in (38–64 mm) Conning tower: 1 1⁄4 in (32 mm)
Aircraft carried:	4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities:	2 × Amidship catapults
General characteristics (1945)
Armament:	9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 caliber guns (3x3) 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns 2 × 3-pounder47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns 6 × quad 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 19 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
Aircraft carried:	3 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities:	1 × Amidship catapults (starboard catapult removed in 1944)

USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. She was named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.

She was the flagship of Admiral Raymond Spruance while he commanded the Fifth Fleet in battles across the Central Pacific. Her sinking led to the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. On 30 July 1945, after delivering parts for Little Boy, the first atomic bomb used in combat, 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.

The remaining 900 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks while floating with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. Only 317 survived.

Indianapolis was the second of two ships in the Portland class; the third class of "treaty cruisers" constructed by the United States Navy following the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, following the two vessels of the Pensacola class ordered in 1926 and the six of the Northampton class ordered in 1927. Ordered for the U.S. Navy in fiscal year 1930. Indianapolis was originally designated as a light cruiser, because of her thin armor, and given the hull classification symbol CL-35. She was reclassified a heavy cruiser, because of her 8-inch guns, with the symbol CA-35 on 1 July 1931, in accordance with the London Naval Treaty.