Rare Autographs, Books and Manuscripts
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2017
This lot consists of a set of 5 cachet postal envelopes postmarked form the ships post office of USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35). The first cover is dated 11/15/32 and commissioning day w/1st CO & Postal clerk signatures. The other 4 are dated 5/30/1933, 11/30/1933, 8/26/36, 8/4/37. also included in the lot is a rare “Plan of the Day” mimeographed sheet, most where destroyed the next day dated 4/7/39. There is also a reproduction photo of the Flagship USS.
The USS Indianapolis was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. The vessel served as the flagship for the commander of Scouting Force 1 for eight pre-war years, then as flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruance, in 1943 and 1944, while he commanded the Fifth Fleet in battles across the Central Pacific in World War II.
In 1945, the sinking of Indianapolis led to the greatest single loss of life at sea, from a single ship, in the history of the US Navy. The ship had just finished a high-speed trip to United States Army Air Force Base at Tinian, to deliver parts of the first atomic bomb ever used in combat (the United States' Little Boy atomic bomb), and was on training duty. At 0015 on 30 July 1945 the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58. The ship, on her way to the Philippines, sank in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 900 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks while floating with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. Only 317 survived.
U.S.S. Indianapolis Collection
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