USS Indianapolis

The world’s first atomic bomb was transported to Guam by the former flagship of the American Pacific Fifth Fleet, the USS Indianapolis. The bomb was brought aboard the ship on July 15th 1945, while she was anchored in San Francisco Bay. At 8:00 a.m. The following morning the USS Indianapolis left San Francisco bound for Tinian with the atomic bomb, something that would cause so much devastation and go down in history. Of the crew aboard that morning 883 of 1,199 will have perished in two weeks. The ship was captained by Charles Butler McVay III, known for running a tight ship, had been appointed captain by President Wilson. On that same day Lieutenant Commander Mochitsura led his 2,600 ton submarine, which was newer and better equipped than
Here the submarine was loaded with a state-of-the-art Kaiten torpedo, which was contained 3,200 pounds of explosives, had an underwater speed of 30 knots, and most uniquely carried a man, its was essentially a suicide bomb. When Hashimoto left Hirao he and crew roamed the Philippine Sea for a week searching for an allied target without luck. However, their luck changed on the evening of Friday July 27th when the Indianapolis sailed into Apra Harbour. Earlier Hashimoto had moved into the shipping lane between Guam and Leyte, he and his crew patiently waited for their
At 10 a.m. on July 27th dropped her anchor in Apra Harbour, Guam. While the ship was taking on fuel, food and other necessities Captain McVay went to speak to operations officer in the Pacific Commodore James Carter, McVay expressed his wish that the updated training be issued to his crew as soon as possible, as it was his top priority. However Carter is quoted in saying in The Tragic Fate of the USS Indianapolis by Raymond B. Lech that “we no longer give such training here in Guam.” This meant that McVay was forced to sail to Leyte across the Philippine Sea with a number of inexperienced crew members. The cruiser was therefore available to leave as soon as she was refuelled, meaning the crew was able to leave the following morning. McVay requested up-to-date intelligence of the conditions at sea, as he hadn’t been in the area for over three months. Naturally being stationed in Guam, Carter knew of the USS Underhill’s sinking and the Tamon group of submarines were in the area. However, Raymond B. Lech reports that Carter informed McVay of no dangers or unusual conditions at sea in The Tragic Fate of the USS Indianapolis. Having gotten no information from Carter, McVay approached the routing officer for the Pacific Lieutenant Joseph Waldron looking for information on the conditions and to receive preliminary orders for the Indianapolis’s sailing. Two members of Waldron’s team were assigned to McVay in order to