Along the gentle waterway in the White River State Park, downtown Indianapolis, are walkways, sights and places to play. Modestly set along the path is an unobtrusive monument that could easily be overlooked if a person wasn't paying attention. Located on the east bank of the central canal, north end of the beautiful three-mile long Canal Walk, this ship-shaped memorial was designed by Joseph Fischer and installed in 1995.Gray and black granite provide the palette for an etched account of the ship's story, and the names of its 1200 sailors are listed on its opposite side. After this giant navy cruiser was sunk in 1945 during WWII, only 317 crew members survived. I haven't shown it in my photographs above - rather, I've chosen to highlight the views around it - the very modern playground and a view down the canal.
This heavy cruiser was launched in 1931, served as the flagship of the scouting force, and often served as President Roosevelt's personal ship in WWII. She distinguished herself in many battles, including Aleutian Islands, Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, the capture of Guam and Saipan, the capture of Tinian Island, and the capture of Iwo Jima in 1945.
At Okinawa, a suicide Kamakaze plane stuck the ship and caused 38 U.S. casualties. But she is best known for being chosen to stealthily transport the world's first atomic bomb to Tinian in 1945. Afterwards, while motoring from Guam to Leyte, she was struck by two torpedoes launched by a Japanese submarine.
Many books and movies have been written about this dramatic, tragic story. The ship went down in minutes, as she had sailed unprotected without escort and was thus very vulnerable to the sub's attack. Many men were killed immediately by the torpedo strikes and their resulting explosions and fires. It is thought about 900 men went into the water alive, along with a few life boats and PFD's (vests) worn by the men.
The story gets more gruesome and tragic to tell. The waters were shark-infested, and blood in the water probably made their vicious attacks more imminent. Shark strikes went on for five days, until the first rescues finally happened. Even without the horror of the sharks, a majority of the men probably would have died, of thirst, dehydration, starvation, injury and exposure. It was literally hell on earth, at sea.
Heroic rescues began to occur after a bomber crew on routine anti-sub patrol accidentally spotted men in the water. A seaplane was dispatched to assist and a destroyer, under its own authority, diverted its mission at the time to go rescue men in the water. Between first the seaplane, which ditched itself in the water to help, and then the destroyer ship that came, and risked its own safety by shining its searchlights in the sky to beacon other rescue vessels, 317 lives were saved.
I've just touched the surface of this very dramatic story. I can't give it the justice due here. The simple memorial on the Indy canal bank sits peacefully, waiting to be found by city visitors. I don't seek out war memorials as such and their designs vary greatly around the United States. Yet this one makes me proud to be a citizen of the U.S., and a resident of Indiana. Fort Wayne is a great town, and Indianapolis is a terrific choice for a road trip destination from here. I'm no war history buff and I find these stories difficult to think about. Yet, lest we fail to remember -
Bless you, men of the Indianapolis. I'm glad your ship was named for my capitol city. Thank you, families of those men. You as well have made unbelievable sacrifices. I'm so humbled by your toil, and in a small way, proud to tell a small bit of your harrowing tale as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment