USS Indianapolis

Also known as CA-35, Indy, Indianapolis

1931 Portland-class cruiser

Key facts

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: Lucy M. Taggart
Commissioned: 15 November 1932
Identification: Hull symbol : CL-35 Hull symbol: CA-35 Code letters : NABD
Nickname s: Indy

~39 min read

Article

USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Launched in 1931, she was the flagship of the commander of Scouting Force 1 for eight years, then flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruance from 1943 to 1945 while he commanded the Fifth Fleet in battles across the Central Pacific during World War II.

In July 1945, Indianapolis completed a top-secret high-speed trip to deliver uranium and other components for "Little Boy", the first nuclear weapon used in combat, to the Tinian Naval Base, and subsequently departed for the Philippines on training duty. At 0015 on 30 July, the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58, and sank in 12 minutes.