Wreck of USS Indianapolis found in Pacific Ocean waters - video

A research team from the RV Petrel unit has found the wreck of the USS Indianapolis, the legendary US Navy heavy cruiser.

After 72 years since being sunk, the wreck of the US heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis has been found at the bottom of the Pacific. This is another success for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his research team from the RV Petrel unit. Previously, they managed to locate wreck of the Japanese super battleship Musashi and lift a bell from the wreck of a British the cruiser HMS Hood.

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An historic moment

The search team located the wreck of the USS Indianapolis at a depth of more than 5,500 metres. Undoubtedly, the finding and identification of this particular vessel is an extremely important event for the Americans. The sinking of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis is considered the greatest tragedy in the entire history of the US Navy. As a result of the attack carried out on 30 July 1945 by the Japanese submarine I-58 and its aftermath, nearly 900 of the nearly 1,200 crew members were killed.

We have an extraordinary opportunity to honor the brave crew of the USS Indianapolis and their family members. As Americans, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the crew for their courage, perseverance and sacrifice in the face of such horrific circumstances. Therefore, as our search continues, I hope that all those affected by this tragedy will move closer to feeling that the moment has come to finalise the discovery they have waited so long to make – Paul Allen commented on the discovery of the wreck

Portalnd type heavy cruiser

The keel for the USS Indianapolis was laid on 31 March 1930, and the ship was launched on 7 November 1931. She was commissioned almost exactly one year later – on 15 November 1932. The heavy cruiser of the Portland type was 186 metres long and 20 metres wide. She developed a speed of almost 33 knots, and her range at an economic speed of 15 knots was 10,000 nautical miles.

Last mission

The command sent a ship from San Francisco to the Northern Marianas region. The task was a secret mission to deliver components for the “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” atomic bombs. Exactly the same ones that the Americans later dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both when setting out on the mission and when returning after the mission, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis moved without any escort. This made it much easier for the crew of the Japanese submarine I-58 to carry out the attack and sink the enemy vessel.

Sinking

On 30 July 1945, the ship I-58, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto , spotted a US Navy ship moving alone. The Japanese carried out a rapid and very precise torpedo attack. As a result the cruiser USS Indianapolis was sunk in an express time of only 12 minutes. As a result of the attack alone, more than 300 American sailors died on board. However, this was undoubtedly only the beginning of the nightmare, as more than 500 more crew members died over the next four days.

Although the wreck is at an unreachable depth for divers, the US Navy has decided not to disclose the location of the USS Indianapolis‘ final resting place. Paul Allen’s 13-member research team, will continue to survey and explore the wreck using remotely operated ROVs.