USS Indianapolis

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❤️🤍💙 SAVE THE DATE ❤️🤍💙We hope you’ll join the USS Indianapolis family at Arlington National Cemetery on December 14 for...
08/22/2026

❤️🤍💙 SAVE THE DATE ❤️🤍💙

We hope you’ll join the USS Indianapolis family at Arlington National Cemetery on December 14 for a very special day of remembrance honoring Orlando Robert Ortiz and the entire final sailing crew of USS Indianapolis CA-35.

And if you can, consider making a few days of it!

Christmas in Washington, D.C. is a wonderful time to visit, and on December 19, Wreaths Across America will be placing wreaths throughout Arlington, including on the 2 graves and 13 cenotaphs of the Indy crew members at the National Cemetery.

More details to come, but for now, save the date! We would love to have you with us. ❤️🇺🇸

We Remember. Always.

“EIGHTEEN THOUSAND FEET BELOW the surface, a ‘remotely operated vehicle,’ or ROV, whirs across the seafloor… Orbiting it...
08/19/2026

“EIGHTEEN THOUSAND FEET BELOW the surface, a ‘remotely operated vehicle,’ or ROV, whirs across the seafloor… Orbiting its unusual quarry, the ROV’s camera resolves an object that has been shrouded in darkness for seventy-two years. The number 35 pops out of the inky black, as crisp as the day it was painted.

‘That’s it Paul, we’ve got it. The Indy!’”

— INDIANAPOLIS, Lynn Vincent & Sara Vladic

Nine years ago today, on August 19, 2017, the world learned that USS Indianapolis had finally been found.

After 72 years in the darkness, the expedition team aboard R/V Petrel located Indy more than 18,000 feet beneath the Philippine Sea. For the survivors and families who had wondered for decades where their ship and shipmates rested, it was an extraordinary moment.

We’ll never forget seeing that 35 emerge from the darkness.

She remains there, on eternal watch with so many of her crew.

We Remember. Always. ❤️🇺🇸

A friend of the USS Indianapolis family, Ben Pauwels, sent us something very special from Washington, D.C.Ben recently v...
08/13/2026

A friend of the USS Indianapolis family, Ben Pauwels, sent us something very special from Washington, D.C.

Ben recently visited the National Military Monument, a temporary installation near the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool honoring more than 41 million Americans who have served in the United States military. Created as part of the commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, the monument features two massive 108-foot American flags, with digital displays presenting the names of generations of American service members.

While there, Ben made a point of photographing the names of two crew members especially significant to him: Indy survivors John Woolston and Harold Bray.

Ben had the special opportunity to meet John during John’s Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., making this tribute especially meaningful. He also honored Harold as the last living survivor of USS Indianapolis.

Thank you, Ben. ❤️🇺🇸

We Remember. Always.

💜 National Purple Heart Day 💜Today, we pause to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who have been wounded or killed...
08/07/2026

💜 National Purple Heart Day 💜

Today, we pause to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who have been wounded or killed in service to our nation.

Among them are the 888 men of USS Indianapolis (CA-35) who never returned home, including the nine men killed in the kamikaze attack on March 31, 1945. Today, we honor them alongside generations of Americans who have borne the cost of defending our freedom.

On National Purple Heart Day, we remember their service, their sacrifice, and the families who carry their memory forward.

We Remember. Always. 💜🇺🇸

The image shows Admiral Raymond Spruance presenting Purple Hearts to survivors of USS Indianapolis, shortly after their rescue in August 1945.

You know the tragedy of USS Indianapolis. But do you know the miracle of her rescue?On the morning of August 2, 1945, af...
08/04/2026

You know the tragedy of USS Indianapolis. But do you know the miracle of her rescue?

On the morning of August 2, 1945, after nearly five unimaginable nights in the sea, hope arrived from above.

Lt. Wilbur "Chuck" Gwinn wasn't searching for Indianapolis. He was flying a routine patrol in a PV-1 Ventura bomber when a trailing antenna malfunctioned. As he climbed into the back of the aircraft to check it, he happened to look out one of the gun blisters and spotted a massive oil slick. Looking closer, he saw dozens of men in the water. Soon, the count grew to hundreds, spread out over 25 square miles.

Nobody even knew Indianapolis was missing.

Then came others.

Knowing the ships wouldn't be able to arrive for hours, Lt. Adrian Marks made the extraordinary decision to land his PBY Catalina in the open ocean, rescuing more than 50 men and even securing survivors to the wings when there was no more room inside.

Hours later, Lt. Cmdr. W. Graham Claytor Jr., commanding USS Cecil J. Doyle, ordered his ship's powerful searchlight turned toward the sky, risking his own ship to give the men in the darkness something they hadn't had in days: hope.

By the time the sun set on August 3, the rescue effort had drawn to a close. 320 men had been pulled alive from the sea. Tragically, four later succumbed to their injuries, leaving 316 survivors from Indianapolis' final crew of 1,195.

The rescue of USS Indianapolis is one of the greatest, and least known, rescue stories of the Second World War.

There is a reason survivors and their families still speak of Chuck Gwinn and Adrian Marks as their angels, and why the crews of the rescue ships have been remembered with such profound gratitude. They were extraordinary young men who answered the call when it mattered most, some of them still in their teens.

The men who came home carried the heavy burden of survival for the rest of their lives, yet they devoted themselves to ensuring the true heroes, the 879 shipmates who never returned, would never be forgotten. Without those survivors, we would never truly know what happened in the waters of the Philippine Sea. Their voices became the legacy of the heroes who could no longer speak for themselves.

The rescue of Indianapolis is not a footnote to her story. It is one of its greatest chapters.

Painting by Mark Churms

07/30/2026

Some stories are worth revisiting.

Whether you watched USS Indianapolis: The Legacy when it was first released or have followed the story for years, we invite you to experience it again.

Hear the voices of the survivors, remember the 1,195 men who sailed aboard USS Indianapolis, and reflect on the legacy they entrusted to us to preserve.

As we commemorate the 81st anniversary, there is no better time to remember.

Watch USS Indianapolis: The Legacy. Share it with someone who has never seen it. Help ensure their story lives on.

July 26–29, 1945THEIR TOP SECRET MISSION WAS COMPLETE.After successfully delivering one of the most closely guarded carg...
07/29/2026

July 26–29, 1945
THEIR TOP SECRET MISSION WAS COMPLETE.

After successfully delivering one of the most closely guarded cargos of World War II to Tinian on July 26, USS Indianapolis received new orders. Captain Charles B. McVay III was directed to proceed to Leyte in the Philippines, where his crew would spend ten days training before joining Admiral Raymond Spruance's Fifth Fleet in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan later that year.

Following a brief stop at Guam on July 27 for routing orders and to disembark Fifth Fleet staff personnel, Indianapolis got underway once more. The war was not over, and like so many before it, this was simply the next assignment.

On July 29, she passed USS LST‑779, which was conducting gunnery exercises. Signals were exchanged, the crews went about their routines, and life aboard Indianapolis continued as it always had. The men wrote letters, stood watch, shared meals, and looked ahead to what they believed would be the next phase of the war. It would be the last time another American ship saw USS Indianapolis.

As the sun set that evening over the Philippine Sea, no one aboard could have known they were living the final ordinary hours of one of the most extraordinary ships—and crews—in American naval history.

History lives on through the next generation. ❤️🇺🇸Sometimes the greatest tributes come from the smallest hands.After lea...
07/28/2026

History lives on through the next generation.
❤️🇺🇸

Sometimes the greatest tributes come from the smallest hands.

After learning about USS Indianapolis, three young brothers from Portage des Sioux, Missouri, were so moved by the story that they decided they wanted to do something to honor the crew. Jett, Knox, and Ozzy built a model of USS Indianapolis and proudly carried it in their town's Fourth of July parade, sharing the story of the ship and her Heroes with their community.

Acts like these remind us that remembrance is not measured by age, but by heart.

To Jett, Knox, and Ozzy: thank you for caring enough to learn, remember, and help ensure that the legacy of USS Indianapolis lives on for another generation.

You make us incredibly proud. ⚓🇺🇸

Join Us as We Remember the Crew of USS Indianapolis During the 81st Anniversary WeekAs we approach the 81st anniversary ...
07/28/2026

Join Us as We Remember the Crew of USS Indianapolis During the 81st Anniversary Week

As we approach the 81st anniversary of the loss of USS Indianapolis (CA-35), we invite you to join us in honoring her crew and preserving their extraordinary legacy. Whether you can attend in person or from home, there are several opportunities this week to remember these Heroes and learn their remarkable story.

🇺🇸 July 30 – USS Indianapolis Honor Watch
📍 USS Indianapolis National Memorial | Indianapolis, Indiana
Join family members, Honorary Survivors, and friends throughout the day for the annual Honor Watch at the National Memorial along the downtown canal. (Event details were shared on our page this past weekend.) The live stream will be shared on the day of the event.

🎬 August 1 – East Hartford, Connecticut
📍 World War II Legacy Museum
Doors open at 2:00 p.m.
Documentary screening begins at 3:00 p.m.
Following the film, stay for a special Q&A with Michael Kiselica, son of USS Indianapolis survivor Joseph Kiselica.

🎬 August 6 – Benicia, California
📍 Benicia Public Library
6:30 p.m.
Join us for another community screening of USS Indianapolis: The Legacy.

If you can't join us in person, USS Indianapolis: The Legacy is currently streaming free with Amazon Prime, and is also available to rent or purchase on other major streaming platforms.

No matter where you are, we hope you'll take a moment this week to remember the courage, sacrifice, and enduring legacy of the crew of USS Indianapolis. Their story deserves to be remembered.

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