The USS Indianapolis was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy and sunk on July 30th, 1945 after delivering parts for Little Boy, the first atom bomb ever used in combat. Her destruction would become the greatest loss of life from a single vessel in the history of the United States Navy. Of the 1,196 sailors and Marines on board, only 316 survived. Just 19 of those men are still alive today.
After 72 years, her wreckage was finally discovered in August of this year.
Multiple expeditions searching for the lost ship have been unsucessful except for the discovery of large pieces of metal assumed to have been a part of the USS Indianapolis. On August 19, 2017 a search funded by National Geographic and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen found the missing heavy cruiser 25 miles west of the reported sinking position 18,000 feet below the water’s surface.
The incredible depth of her final resting place has kept the USS Indianapolis remarkably well preserved. Learn more about the discovery and take a closer look at this incredible discovery in the video below.
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