USS Indianapolis was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.
The USS Indianapolis was built in Camden, New Jersey, and was launched in 1931 by the U.S. Navy.
After the US entered World War II, the ship was assigned to aircraft-carrier task forces in the Pacific theatre.
The Indianapolis participated in the bombardment of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in February 1945.
The warship was sunk by a Japanese submarine after delivering some components of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Up to 900 men initially survived the sinking, but many succumbed to shark attacks, dehydration, and salt poisoning.
The loss of USS Indianapolis was a tragic moment following the completion of a secret mission that led to theend of World War II.
On 19 August 2017, a U.S. Navy–supported expedition announced that it had located the wreck of Indianapolis.