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USS Indianapolis, CA-35.

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, the vessel served as the flagship for the commander of Scouting Force 1 for eight years, then as 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 parts of Little Boy, the first nuclear weapon ever used in combat, to the United States Army Air Force Base on the island of Tinian, 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. Only 316 survived.  The sinking of Indianapolis resulted in the greatest single 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 of the sunken cruiser in the Philippine Sea lying at a depth of approximately 18,000 ft (5,500 m).  On 20 December 2018, the crew of the Indianapolis was collectively awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)

 

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USS Ammen, DD-35.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ammen_(DD-35)

 

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USS Truxtun, CGN-35.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Truxtun_(CGN-35)

 

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USS Osmond Ingram, APD-35.  Formerly DD-255.

History

After several years’ Atlantic service in fleet operations, Osmond Ingram decommissioned 24 June 1922 and went into reserve at Philadelphia. Converted to seaplane tender, she recommissioned 22 November 1940 and sailed for San Juan, Puerto Rico, her home port from 15 January 1941. She tended patrol planes through the area bounded by Trinidad, Antigua, and San Juan, then sailed to base in the Panama Canal Zone tending patrol craft at Salinas, Ecuador, and in the Galápagos Islands through June 1942.

Returning to destroyer functions, she completed 1942 on escort duty between Trinidad and Recife and Belém, then sailed north to NS Argentia, Newfoundland, to join the offensive antisubmarine warfare patrol formed around Bogue, one of the most effective of the antisubmarine forces that ranged the Atlantic that ultimately defeated the U-boats and secured the passage of the men and goods across the Atlantic, vital to triumph in Europe. Osmond Ingram sank her first submarine, U-172, with gunfire 13 December 1943 after she had been forced to surface by depth charge attacks. This and similar outstanding performance of duty by her sisters brought the group a Presidential Unit Citation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Osmond_Ingram_(DD-255)

Osmond Kelly Ingram (August 4, 1887 – October 15, 1917) was a sailor in the United States Navy during World War I who received the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Biography

Born to Robert L. Ingram and his wife Naomi Elizabeth Lea in Oneonta, Alabama, Ingram entered the Navy November 24, 1903. His ship, USS Cassin, was attacked by the German submarine U-61 off Ireland on October 15, 1917. Gunner's Mate First Class Ingram spotted the approaching torpedo, realized it would strike close by the ship's depth charges, thus dooming the ship, and rushed to jettison the ammunition. He was blown overboard when the torpedo struck, thus becoming the United States' Navy's first enlisted man killed in action in World War I as he attempted to save his ship and shipmates. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on that day.

Namesake

The main flagpole and colors at the former Naval Training Center, San Diego are named Ingram Plaza in his honor.

Kelly Ingram Park is also named in his honor. It is a 4-acre (1.6 ha) park located in Birmingham, Alabama.

There is a Veterans of foreign Wars Post Named after him in Birmingham, AL Post 668.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmond_Ingram

 

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[kingofnerf]

USS Astoria, CA-34.

The second USS Astoria (CL/CA-34) was a New Orleans-class cruiser of the United States Navy that participated in both the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, but was then sunk in August 1942, at the Battle of Savo Island. Astoria was the first Astoria-class cruiser to be laid down but launched after and received a hull number higher than New Orleans, which the class was renamed for after Astoria sunk.

Immediately after the months-long Guadalcanal campaign ended in February 1943, the remaining ships of the class would go through major overhauls to lessen top-heaviness due to new electrical and radar systems and advanced anti-aircraft weaponry. In doing so the ships took on a new appearance, most notably in the bridge.

Rediscovery
The wreck of USS Astoria was discovered in early 2015 during a sonar mapping project of Iron Bottom Sound led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The wreck lies upright in roughly 860 meters (2,820 ft) of water with its bow missing and "A" turret pointing aft.

While U.S. Navy Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Fisler circles the scene in his Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina, LCdr. Max Leslie prepares to ditch his Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber from Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3) near the heavy cruiser USS Astoria (CA-34) between 1342 and 1348 hrs on 4 June 1942. (Below)

Lt.(JG) Paul A. Holmberg's plane sinks aft of Astoria as he and his gunner are picked up by the cruiser's No. 2 motor whaleboat. The two VB-3 planes ditched near Astoria after they were unable to land on the damaged aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5). Note the destroyer at left.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Astoria_(CA-34)

 

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USS Oriskany, CV-34.

USS Oriskany (CV/CVA-34) – nicknamed Mighty O, and occasionally referred to as the O-boat – was one of the few Essex-class aircraft carriers completed after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Battle of Oriskany during the Revolutionary War.

The history of Oriskany differs considerably from that of her sister ships. Originally designed as a "long-hulled" Essex-class ship (considered by some authorities to be a separate class, the Ticonderoga class) her construction was suspended in 1946. She eventually was commissioned in 1950 after conversion to an updated design called SCB-27 ("27-Charlie"), which became the template for modernization of 14 other Essex-class ships. Oriskany was the final Essex-class ship completed.

She operated primarily in the Pacific into the 1970s, earning two battle stars for service in the Korean War, and ten for service in the Vietnam War. In 1966, one of the worst shipboard fires since World War II broke out on Oriskany when a magnesium flare was accidentally ignited; forty-four men died in the fire.

Oriskany's post-service history also differs considerably from that of her sister ships. Decommissioned in 1976, she was sold for scrap in 1995, but was repossessed in 1997 because nothing was being done. In 2004, it was decided to sink her as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. After much environmental review and remediation to remove toxic substances, she was carefully sunk in May 2006, settling in an upright position at a depth accessible to recreational divers. As of 2008, Oriskany is the largest vessel ever sunk to make a reef.

Construction and commissioning

The name "Oriskany" was originally assigned to CV-18, but that hull was renamed Wasp when the keel was laid in 1942. CV-34 was laid down on 1 May 1944 by the New York Naval Shipyard (NYNSY), launched on 13 October 1945, and sponsored by Mrs. Clarence Cannon. Construction was suspended on 22 August 1946, when the ship was approximately 85% complete. Oriskany was redesigned as the prototype for the SCB-27 modernization program beginning on 8 August 1947, and torn down to 60% complete.

To handle the new generation of carrier aircraft, the flight deck structure was massively reinforced. Stronger elevators, more powerful hydraulic catapults, and new arresting gear were installed. The island structure was rebuilt, the anti-aircraft turrets were removed, and blisters were added to the hull. Blistering the hull (also known as adding bulges) increases the cross-sectional area of a ship's hull, thereby increasing its buoyancy and stability. It also provides increased bunker volume. In the case of Oriskany, this would have been for aviation fuel. These features would have been crucial to a ship that had so much topside weight added after its original design. Oriskany was commissioned in the New York Naval Shipyard on 25 September 1950, Captain Percy H. Lyon in command.

In media

Oriskany has been featured in films such as Men of the Fighting Lady and The Bridges at Toko-Ri from 1954 and What Dreams May Come (1998).  In March 1952, the ship hosted a dance performance on deck by the Ballet Theater of New York (now the American Ballet Theatre), featuring prima ballerina Mary Ellen Moylan, which was captured in a series of photos shot by renowned New York street and fashion photographer Louis Faurer and sponsored by Life magazine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oriskany_(CV-34)

 

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USS Biddle, CG-34.

USS Biddle (DLG-34/CG-34) was a Belknap-class guided missile frigate/cruiser of the United States Navy. She saw action in Vietnam, where she is believed to be the last ship to down an enemy aircraft with hand-loaded guns. She was involved in the Gulf of Sidra incident in 1981.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Biddle_(CG-34)

Nicholas Biddle (September 10, 1750 – March 7, 1778) was one of the first five captains of the Continental Navy, which was raised by the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War. Biddle was born in Philadelphia in 1750. He began sailing at the age of 13 and joined the Royal Navy when he was 20. In 1773, he sailed the Arctic with Constantine Phipps and Horatio Nelson.

When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, Biddle joined the Continental Navy and commanded several ships. In 1778 off the coast of Barbados, Biddle confronted HMS Yarmouth, a 64-gun British warship. After a twenty-minute battle, Biddle's ship Randolph suddenly exploded, killing him and most of his men.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Biddle_(naval_officer)

 

[Blitzkrieg]

34th Division - made up of National Guard soldiers from Minnesota and Iowa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/34th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

 

[Swayin]

BB-34, USS New York, firing her guns on Iwo Jima. New York was in Iceland when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and supported the invasion of North Africa before shipping to the Pacific and serving as invasion support at Iwo and Okinawa, where she was struck by a kamikaze but only sustained minor damage.

 

[Swayin]

A Lockheed PV-1 Ventura medium bomber, designated by the Army Air Corps as the B-34 Lexington.

 

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USS Belknap, APD-34.  Formerly DD-251.

World War II

During 1940 Belknap was converted into a seaplane tender (reclassified AVD-8, 2 August 1940) and recommissioned 22 November 1940. She was assigned to Patrol Wing 5 at Hamilton, Bermuda, and remained there until early 1941 when she returned to Newport, Rhode Island. Between May and September 1941 she made three voyages from Newport to Newfoundland and Iceland. She remained at Reykjavík, Iceland, during September 1941 May 1942 and then went to Charleston Navy Yard for an extensive overhaul. From August 1942 to January 1943 she patrolled in the Caribbean and between February 1943 and January 1944 she served with the escort carriers Bogue, Croatan, and Core offensive antisubmarine groups in the Atlantic. Reclassified DD-251, 14 November 1943, Belknap received the Presidential Unit Citation (US) for her service with TG 21.12 (Bogue group), 20 April-20 June 1943. Following convoy duty along the east and Gulf coasts (February–June 1944), Belknap underwent conversion into a high speed transport (reclassified APD-34, 22 June 1944).

Conversion completed, Belknap arrived in the Pacific during September 1944. During 18–22 October she served as a screen ship during the Leyte invasion and during 3–11 January 1945 as a shore bombardment and beach reconnaissance vessel at the Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, landings. On 11 January she trained all her guns on a Japanese kamikaze which eventually crashed into Belknap's number two stack, crippling her engines, killing 38 and wounding 49 including the UDTs on board. UDT 9 was on board when she was hit. It cost the team one officer, 7 enlisted, 3 MIA and 13 wounded. The ship remained at Lingayen for emergency repairs until 18 January when USS Hidatsa (ATF-102) towed her to Manus, Admiralty Islands. Following temporary repairs at Manus, Belknap proceeded to Philadelphia Navy Yard via the west coast, arriving 18 June. Decommissioned 4 August 1945, Belknap was sold 30 November 1945 for scrapping. In addition to her Presidential Unit Citation, Belknap received three battle stars for her World War II service.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Belknap_(DD-251)

 

[kingofnerf]

Submarine USS S-34.

Second war patrol

From the start of her patrol until 11 June, S-34 remained in her assigned area, listening to reports, but sighting no enemy ships. On 11 June, she received news of the Japanese occupation of Kiska and orders to take "maximum offensive action." She headed for Kiska.

Diverted back to Dutch Harbor, she replenished on 12 June and got underway again the same day, but returned to Attu instead of going to Kiska. She reconnoitered Sarana Bay, Holtz Bay, and Chichagof Harbor; none showed any activity. On 17 June, she sighted a warship off the Semichi Islands, but could not close the range. She then returned to Attu and, on 20 June, sighted an enemy destroyer patrolling off Sarana Bay. Between 07:00 and 10:00, she sighted and lost the target twice as it moved in and out of the fog.

At 11:55, she sighted a large tanker inside the bay. Fifty minutes later, she slipped past a destroyer guarding the entrance and began maneuvering into the bay. Her target was engaged in refueling another destroyer. At 13:50, S-34 grounded at a depth of 48 feet. Run up to 25 feet, she came out of the water to the waterline; then backed off into deep water. Within five minutes, she was operating at periscope depth. The fueling destroyer had gotten underway from alongside the tanker and was racing across the intervening waters. S-34 fired two torpedoes at the destroyer, forcing the enemy to swerve and pass down the submarine's port side. Unable then to bring her tubes to bear on the tanker, the S-boat swung right to avoid depth charges. At 14:03, she bottomed in 164 feet, just inside the entrance to the bay, where she remained until 23:30.

During that time, only one destroyer was heard searching for her, the other, which had conducted the high speed attack, was heard pinging from the same spot for nine hours. She had presumably grounded after the attack, but, by 23:00, the tide had risen and she had moved to join in the search for the submarine.

At 23:30, S-34 began to make her way out of the bay. Twenty minutes later, one of the destroyers located her. The pace of the hunt was stepped up, but the quarry evaded attempts to destroy her. By 02:30 on 21 June, she had maneuvered out of the bay, lost her pursuer; and set a course for Dutch Harbor. On 26 June, S-34 moored in Dutch Harbor, whence she proceeded to Bremerton, Washington, for overhaul and training duty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_S-34_(SS-139)

 

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[Blitzkrieg]

33rd Division

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33rd_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

 

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Tony Dorsett.

 

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