WWII Heroes Signed Photo Lot (16) COA JSA & BAS

Presented 16 signed black and white photographs of some of the 316 survivors of USS Indianapolis CA-35 July 30, 1945

Harald Owens, William McClelland, Harry Crosby, Everett Blakely, Floyd Ethridge, Fred Needham, Roy Sutrov, William Higbee, J Don Howison, Dick Redmayne, Marion Smith, Selden Bailey, Herb Norch, James Endres, Albert Bouvier, Donald Bluymm.

USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. 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.

Authentication: JSA Basic Cert & Sticker & Beckett Cert & Sticker