Original U.S. WWII USS Indianapolis Model Ship in Display Signed by 15 Survivors of the Sinking
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Launched in 1931, it was the flagship for the commander of Scouting Force 1 for eight years, then flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruance in 1943 and 1944 while he commanded the Fifth Fleet in battles across the Central Pacific during World War II.
In July 1945, Indianapolis completed a top-secret high-speed trip to deliver uranium and other components for "Little Boy", the first nuclear weapon ever used in combat, to the Tinian Naval Base, and subsequently departed for the Philippines on training duty. At 0015 on 30 July, the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58, and sank in 12 minutes. Of 1,195 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 890 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks while stranded in the open ocean with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy only learned of the sinking four days later, when survivors were spotted by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. A US Navy PBY seaplane crew landed to save those in the water. Only 316 survived.
The sinking of Indianapolis resulted in the greatest loss of life at sea from a single ship in the history of the US Navy. On 19 August 2017, a search team financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen located the wreckage in the Philippine Sea lying at a depth of approximately 18,000 ft (5,500 m). On 20 December, 2018, the crew of Indianapolis was collectively awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.
This is a lovely model ship of the USS Indianapolis CA-35 within a small display measuring 17 ½ x 5 ½ x 4”. The interior of the display is signed by 15 survivors of the USS Indianapolis, with a challenge coin attached. There is also a small leather patch for the ship, a photo of the memorial, and a pendant.
Some of the signatures include Arthur L. Leenerman, James E. O’Donnell, Sam Lopez, Dick Pavoubek, Paul W. McGinnis, Maurice G. Bell, Earl Riggins, and L. Peter Wren.
A great display piece and research project. One small piece of the ship has come of, but it could easily be glued back on.
Ready to display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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