Story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay A. Preston
Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division
INDIANAPOLIS – The Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command as well as one of the command’s historians joined the survivors of World War II cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA 35) and their families for a luncheon at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis July 20.
As part of the annual reunion of the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization, Rear Adm. Sam Cox, U.S. Navy (Retired) and Richard Hulver, Ph.D. participated in a panel discussion about the past year’s many developments in the history of the ship.
“It’s always important to remember the valor and sacrifice of the men and women who served in the U.S. Navy and paid the ultimate price for the freedom we have today,” said Cox. “This is an example of a ship that did its duty, was lost in action and it was a very tragic event. Even in the midst of tragedy there was extraordinary courage that needs to be remembered and this is an opportunity to do that.”
During the luncheon Cox presented the survivors who were able to attend with certificates of appreciation for their service with color photo copies of their own handwritten statements taken by the board of inquiry in the aftermath of the ship’s loss.
It has been an eventful year in the history of the storied World War II cruiser which, in its final mission before being sunk, delivered to Tinian components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb that would ultimately help end the war in the Pacific.
First, armed with information developed from research conducted by Hulver that changed the Navy’s understanding of where the ship went down, a team of civilian researchers led by entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul G. Allen announced Aug. 19, 2017 they had found the ship’s wreck. In the days that followed, Allen’s team shared with the world stunning images of the remarkably well-preserved wreck that solved one of the enduring mysteries of the war – where was the ship’s final resting place.
“The U.S. Navy retains possession of all ships above and below the surface of the ocean,” said Cox. “This wreck is a property of the U.S. Navy and we have a responsibility for knowing where it is and the condition of the ship. The discovery of the wreck in a location that was about 35 miles from the official sinking position is a significant development and helps us correct a historical record of what happened during that event.”
Then in March, Hulver collaborated with Indianapolis historian and filmmaker Sara Vladic on a paper that settled the number of Sailors and Marines who sailed with the ship when she departed the U.S., the number who lost their lives after she was torpedoed, and the number who survived the ordeal.
“The story of the Indianapolis is a 73-year-old event and we’re still learning new things from that event today,” said Hulver. “It’s important to continue research on events from the Navy’s past because it’s the foundation for what the Navy is built on.”
A Portland-class heavy cruiser, Indianapolis served President Roosevelt as ship of state, and Admiral Raymond Spruance as the 5th Fleet flagship in WWII. She fought through several campaigns, earning ten battle stars. The ship’s final top secret final mission was to carry parts of the first atomic bomb used in combat to a U.S. air base on Tinian. Just a few nights later, shortly after midnight on July 30, the ship fell prey to a Japanese submarine.
In the next 12 minutes of fire and chaos, about 330 of the ship’s crew went down with the ship as it quickly sank, while the rest, approximately 880 men, would be left alone in the Pacific in the middle of the night. For the next five days, without food or water, suffering exposure, dehydration, drowning, and shark attacks, the crew battled the elements and clung to life as best they could before they were finally rescued.
In the wake of the ship’s discovery, the long-held belief by some reemerged that a flaw existed in the Navy’s 1945 official, final crew accounting conducted immediately following the ship’s loss. In its accounting, the Navy, the Court of Inquiry, and the ship’s commanding officer Capt. Charles McVay believed that 316 survived the sinking. Later, other organizations came to believe that number was 317.
Clarence Donnor, a Sailor who had been listed on Indianapolis’ final sailing list as a passenger, had appeared on various other lists over the years. Later, other researchers discovered that Donnor’s Navy career continued until the summer of 1946, according to a muster roll from the Abnaki class fleet ocean tug USS Chimariko (ATF 154), leading them to believe he had lived through the sinking and was the 317th survivor.
In order to get to the bottom of the issue, Cox ordered a review of the personnel accounting, and assigned Hulver to carry it out. Hulver and his colleagues at NHHC checked and cross-checked the lists that were created by the ships that performed rescue operations, the hospitals that treated the survivors, and the board of inquiry which obtained recollections from the crew. They confirmed that Donnor’s name was on the sailing list, but not on any survivor list or hospital list. It was then that the Sailor’s service record was obtained from the National Archives’ National Personnel Records Center.
Donnor’s file indicates that within hours of arriving on Indianapolis, his notice of acceptance into an officer training program arrived with orders to report to Fort Schuyler, N.Y. Amid the chaos of the ship’s hurried redeployment, Donnor’s arrival onboard was apparently recorded, but his hasty departure overlooked. Thus, when the paper records were reconstructed, he remained on the final crew list resulting in a complement of 1,196—one man too many.
“The most rewarding experience from researching the Indianapolis was being able to help give closure to the crew,” said Hulver.
As a result of Hulver’s research the final numbers for Indianapolis are:
• 1195 Sailors and Marines sailed on the ship’s final voyage,
• 879 were lost when she was sunk, and
• 316 were eventually rescued.
But the number that matters most now is 14. That’s the number of Indianapolis Sailors still alive today.
“The discovery of the ship was a great day and a day I had been looking forward to for 72 years,” said Harold Bray, an Indianapolis survivor. “Reunions like this are important to me because I can see my old friends and talk with survivors that are still left.”
“Even in the worst defeats and disasters there is valor and sacrifice that deserves to never be forgotten,” said Cox. “They can serve as inspiration to current and future Sailors enduring situations of mortal peril. There are also lessons learned, and in the case of the Indianapolis, lessons re-learned, that need to be preserved and passed on, so the same mistakes can be prevented, and lives saved.”
The Naval History and Heritage Command, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy’s unique and enduring contributions through our nation’s history, and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC is composed of many activities including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, nine museums, USS Constitution repair facility and the historic ship Nautilus.
For more news from Naval History and Heritage Command, visit www.history.navy.mil.
–NHHC–
NOTE TO MEDIA: For additional information about naval history, please contact the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Communication and Outreach division at 202-433-7880 or via email at NHHCPublicAffairs@navy.mil
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Guests bow their heads for the blessing during the 2018 USS Indianapolis reunion at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, July 20. As part of the annual reunion of the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization, Rear Adm. Sam Cox (Ret.), Director of Naval History and Heritage Command, and Richard Hulver, Ph.D. participated in a panel discussion about the past year’s many developments in the history of the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay A. Preston/Released)
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Richard Hulver Ph.D. speaks during the 2018 USS Indianapolis reunion at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, July 20. Hulver collaborated with Indianapolis historian and filmmaker, Sara Vladic on a paper that settled the number of Sailors and Marines who sailed with the ship when it departed the U.S., the number who lost their lives after it was torpedoed and the number who survived the ordeal. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay A. Preston/Released)
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Rear Adm. Sam Cox (Ret.), Director of Naval History and Heritage Command, presents a certificate of appreciation during the 2018 USS Indianapolis reunion at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, July 20. During the luncheon Cox also presented the survivors who were able to attend with color photo copies of their own handwritten statements taken by the board of inquiry in the aftermath of the ship’s loss. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay A. Preston/Released)
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Rear Adm. Sam Cox (Ret.), Director of Naval History and Heritage Command, right, presents Arthur Leenerman, an Indianapolis survivor, with a certificate of appreciation during the 2018 USS Indianapolis reunion at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, July 20. During the luncheon Cox also presented the survivors who were able to attend with color photo copies of their own handwritten statements taken by the board of inquiry in the aftermath of the ship’s loss. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay A. Preston/Released)
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From the left, Kristen Leenerman, Arthur Leenerman, an Indianapolis survivor, and Greg Leenerman look at a certificate of appreciation presented by Rear Adm. Sam Cox (Ret.), Director of Naval History and Heritage Command during the 2018 USS Indianapolis reunion at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, July 20. During the luncheon Cox also presented the survivors who were able to attend with color photo copies of their own handwritten statements taken by the board of inquiry in the aftermath of the ship’s loss. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay A. Preston/Released)
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Harold Bray, left, an Indianapolis survivor, looks at his certificate of appreciation presented by Rear Adm. Sam Cox (Ret.), Director of Naval History and Heritage Command during the 2018 USS Indianapolis reunion at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, July 20. During the luncheon Cox also presented the survivors who were able to attend with color photo copies of their own handwritten statements taken by the board of inquiry in the aftermath of the ship’s loss. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay A. Preston/Released)
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Chief Jack Barnes (Ret.), left, and Jim Jarvis, an Indianapolis survivor, pose for a photo during the 2018 USS Indianapolis reunion at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, July 20. As part of the annual reunion of the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization, Rear Adm. Sam Cox (Ret.), Director of Naval History and Heritage Command, and Richard Hulver, Ph.D. participated in a panel discussion about the past year’s many developments in the history of the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay A. Preston/Released)
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Admiral Raymond Spruance, Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet, awards a Purple Heart to RM1c Joseph Moran and his fellow survivors of the loss of USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at Base Hospital #18 Guam. The other two Sailors pictured are BGM3c Glenn Morgan (left) and S1c Louis Bitonti (right). Because survivors were initially taken to Samar and Peleliu, they did not know the fate of many shipmates until they were all finally consolidated at Guam. Photo released 15 August 1945, likely taken around 13 August. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
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Personnel file photo of RT2c Clarence William Donnor who was mistakenly believed to have been aboard USS Indianapolis (CA-35) when she was sunk by a Japanese submarine 30 July 1945. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at Tinian 26 July 1945, following the successful delivery of atomic bomb components. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at the Mare Island Navy Yard after her final overhaul, 12 July 1945. Circles on photo mark recent alterations to the ship. Note stripped Cleveland class light cruiser in the right background, with YC-283 alongside. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
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Bow-on view of USS Indianapolis (CA-35), taken off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 10 July 1945, after her final overhaul. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 10 July 1945, after her final overhaul and repair of combat damage. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
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USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, circa 1937. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
Rear Adm. Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy (Retired) (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1imtg7BshKwQ9-7off1_SnwbuEzL-7DUY) serves as the director of the Naval History and Heritage Command and Curator of the Navy. He is responsible for the Navy’s museums, art and artifact collections, the research library, 150 million pages of archives, and for collecting and interpreting U.S. Naval history throughout the world. Entering the Navy from Hoffman Estates, Illinois, he graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980, winning the Trident Scholar Prize for his independent research project “U.S. Foreign Policy and Naval Strategy in China, 1945-1950,” as well as the prize for the history major with the highest standing. In his 37-year naval career, Cox served as an intelligence officer, retiring in November 2013, as the senior naval intelligence community leader and from both command of the Office of Naval Intelligence and as director of the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office. Cox became the 14th director and Curator of the Navy on Dec. 29, 2014. The office was established in 1944 and after a series of mergers and name changes, became the Naval History and Heritage Command in 2009.
Richard Hulver, Ph.D. (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1C609z0ecWfhkaf3AHH8VHhjN5M83aDf7) is a historian at the Naval History and Heritage Command. He has previously worked as a historian for United States Southern Command, the American Battle Monuments Commission, and the U.S. Army Chief of Staff’s Iraq War Study Group. He has written extensively on U.S. WWI and WWII military commemorations. He is the subject matter expert on USS Indianapolis at NHHC and is the author of the forthcoming documentary history covering the loss of the ship, A Grave Misfortune: The USS Indianapolis Tragedy (GPO, 2018).
