The USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, launched in 1931 and commissioned in 1932. As a Portland-class vessel, she was designed for a standard displacement of approximately 10,258 long tons and a full load of around 12,755 long tons, though her actual displacement was about 9,950 long tons. The cruiser featured two raked funnels, a tripod foremast, and a small tower and pole mast aft. Her propulsion system comprised four propeller shafts, Parsons geared turbines, and eight White-Forster boilers, delivering 107,000 shp for a top speed of 32.7 knots, with a range of 10,000 nautical miles at 15 knots. Armed with nine 8-inch/55-caliber guns in three triple turrets, Indianapolis also carried anti-aircraft weaponry including eight 5-inch/25-caliber guns, two QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns, and later, in 1945, twenty-four 40mm Bofors guns and nineteen 20mm Oerlikon cannons. Her armor varied from 3.25 to 5 inches on the belt, with additional protection on bulkheads, turrets, and the conning tower. Built for fleet flagship duties, she was equipped with two aircraft catapults capable of carrying four aircraft, and had a crew complement of approximately 807 to 952 personnel, increasing when serving as a flagship. Constructed by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, she was laid down in 1930, launched in November 1931, and commissioned in November 1932. Throughout her service, Indianapolis served as flagship for the Scouting Force 1 and later for Admiral Raymond Spruance during World War II, participating in key battles across the Pacific, including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and Okinawa. Notably, in July 1945, she undertook a top-secret mission transporting critical components for the first atomic bomb, "Little Boy," to Tinian. Her most tragic moment occurred on 30 July 1945, when she was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-58, sinking in just 12 minutes with the loss of about 300 crew members. The remaining 890 survivors endured exposure, dehydration, shark attacks, and dehydration in the open ocean; only 316 survived. Her wreck was discovered in August 2017 at a depth of approximately 18,000 feet in the Philippine Sea. The Indianapolis remains a symbol of both naval innovation and wartime sacrifice, with her sinking marking one of the most devastating losses at sea in U.S. naval history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.