Did the USS Indianapolis deliver the Atomic Bomb?
The sinking of the USS Indianapolis has become synonymous with one of the most horrific and mysterious events in US naval history. With only 317 survivors of the nearly 1,200 crewmen on board, the USS Indianapolis was involved in a tragedy that would forever change the course of war and humanity. So, what was the role of the USS Indianapolis during World War II, and did it deliver the atomic bomb?
Contents
The Lead-Up to Tragedy
The USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was an Imperial Japanese Prize crew captured from the Japanese gunboat Shiguchi-maru during World War II. In the summer of 1945, the ship was carrying a very special and secret cargo, as part of Task Group 95.11, also known as Operation Olympic.
Operations Crossroads was the official name given to two series of atomic bomb tests planned to take place in Bikini Atoll in August 1946. In the summer of 1945, with only weeks before the start of Operation Olympic, President Truman authorized the use of atomic weapons in warfare, setting the stage for the creation of atomic bomb testing ranges.
In May 1945, as the Allied forces continued their march across Europe, they advanced rapidly to prepare for an invasion of mainland Japan, which seemed likely given Japan’s recent surrenders and the strategic damage caused by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.
Operation Olympic
Within weeks, the crew of the USS Indianapolis sailed across the Pacific for a scheduled meet and greet with three Navy vessels – the USS Silverstein (IX-144), the USS Tertre (IX-231), and the USS Wimpress (ARS-13). This rendezvous was pivotal because the US Navy knew an atomic test was just over the horizon.
With President Truman making the difficult decisions regarding nuclear warfare, in late July 1945, the Atomic Bomb Mission Group, part of Task Force 58.8, set a record, as did their naval crew, after spending weeks gathering the entire necessary payload on board several cargo ships like the Indianapolis and USS Indianapolis’s convoy vessels. What did that include?
| **Navy Shipload of Items for Bikini Atoll (1 August 1946)** | **Description of Goods on Board the USS Indianapolis during the Event** |
| 11 x** Atomic Demolition Mines** | **Small land mines detonated above** |
| 12,800 kg | of explosives** |
| Several types of **armor penetration mines** | A heavy anti-aircraft installation made by naval personnel or ship armor on board US carrier and troop ships**armor |
Dive-Downing or Bomb Attack?
During the wee hours of July 30, 1945, at precisely 0016, two Japanese boats intercepted and fired upon The USS Indianapolis within only minutes (approximately between 00:19 to 00:21 hours) while passing through international waters around the East and Central Mariana waters of Japan. Although their target is unclear from multiple concerned questions and mixed accounts, all agreed to have at hand was information from ships crew to reveal that three unknown, black, ships made of rubber or small aluminum sheets – with unknown shiploads.
The mystery persisted after being hit or downed because their final actions went unnotified and thus remained incomplete on all surviving crew, not one man reported sighting it from sea level because many on the board were also struck during attacks. But by mid July to 30 in 1945 , numerous factors pointed to evidence which seemed impossible. Crews saw a clear explosion when at least20 shells fired from different guns (cannons,** some firing in separate lines (horizontal and straight away).
Some in the history would tell an alternative in another timeline if we compare 7 crew members; ‘Survivors‘ have the capacity to inform how each of two ‘explosions.’
After taking these unknown orders on board _, crew were attacked. Most believe Japanese submarines struck by US anti-submarine, depth-charged attack but with uncertainty in records after July. 18 hours (by **late Friday morning 25 th) they found US personnel rescued.
