History of the USS Indiana (BB-58)

Veterans & Mesothelioma > Asbestos on Navy Ships > Battleships > The USS Indiana

USS Indiana (BB-58): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Indiana was the second member of the South Dakota-class of battleships. She was the fourth ship in U.S. Navy history to be named in honor of the state of Indiana.

The contract to build the Indiana was awarded to the Newport News (Va.) Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. on Dec. 15, 1938. Her keel was laid down on Nov. 20, 1939; she was launched on Nov. 21, 1941. She was commissioned on April 30, 1942, with Capt. Aaron Merrill in command.

Underway

After a shakedown cruise off the east coast of the United States, the Indiana was ordered to the Pacific Ocean to join the still-rebuilding Pacific Fleet. By the end of November 1942, she was performing aircraft carrier screening duties for the USS Enterprise and Saratoga battle groups. She would continue to perform in this role until October 1943.

On Nov. 20, 1943, the Indiana supported U.S. Marines by firing bombardment missions before they invaded Tarawa in the Gilbert Island chain. During the fighting, she shot down her first Japanese aircraft. In January 1944, she bombarded the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands for eight days leading up to American invasion on Feb. 1. On the night of the invasion, the Indiana collided with the USS Washington, killing three sailors and injuring a fourth. The collision severely damaged both ships and the Indiana was forced to return to Pearl Harbor for repairs starting on Feb. 13.

The Indiana was back in the combat zone by April 1944, when she joined Task Force 58 for a raid on the Japanese stronghold of Truk on April 29-30, then shelled Ponape Island on May 1. When U.S. forces assaulted the Marianas island chain in June, the Indiana provided coverage for carrier battle groups and bombarded Japanese positions before American forces went ashore. She shelled the island of Saipan on June 13-14 in preparation for the June 15 invasion. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19, several hundred Japanese aircraft attempted to attack the American fleet in what became known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”; during the fighting, the Indiana shot down three Japanese aircraft and endured several near misses, including the destruction of a torpedo by her gunners when it was less than 50 yards from the ship.
In August 1944, the Indiana bombarded both the Palau Islands and the Philippines before providing carrier support duties for most of September as American aircraft began hitting Japanese facilities in preparation for the Oct. 20 invasion of Leyte. She would not take part in the actual invasion, however, as she arrived at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Wash., on Oct. 23, three days after American forces went ashore.

By January 1945, the Indiana had returned to combat, shelling Iwo Jima on Jan. 24. On Feb. 19, when U.S. forces went ashore, she provided pre-invasion bombardment of Japanese positions. In Mid-March, she arrived in the waters off the island of Okinawa in advance of the April 1 American assault. On March 24, she opened fire on Japanese positions, bombarding them as part of the preparation for the attack. After the invasion began, the Indiana remained on station as part of the defensive perimeter around the aircraft carriers, which were the primary targets of repeated kamikaze attacks.

After the Japanese were defeated on Okinawa, American forces dominated the sea and sky of the Pacific to the point they could operate in the waters of the Japanese home islands without retaliation. On July 14, 1945, the Indiana joined several other battleships in bombarding the Kamaishi Steel Works on the island of Honshu. Fifteen days later, she shelled Hamamatsu, also on Honshu. On Aug. 9, the same day the city of Nagasaki was destroyed by the dropping of the second atomic bomb, the Indiana shelled the Kamaishi Steel Works for a second time without opposition. On Aug. 30, 15 days after the Japanese capitulated, more than 300 sailors and marines from the Indiana disembarked at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Tokyo Bay as part of the American occupation force. She left Japanese waters on Sept. 14, 1945, arriving in San Francisco on Sept. 29.

Decommissioning

As the American military was rapidly downsized after the end of World War II, the Indiana was placed in reserve status in September 1946 and was formally decommissioned on Sept. 11, 1947. She was sold for scrap in September 1963, but parts of her remain: her mainmast is erected at Memorial Stadium on the campus of Indiana University; her bell is located at the Heslar Naval Armor at Indianapolis and her anchor can be found outside the Allen County War Memorial Museum in Ft. Wayne, Ind.

Characteristics of the USS Indiana (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia):
Class and type: South Dakota-class (1939) battleship
Displacement: 35,000 tons
Length: 680 feet (210 m)
Beam: 107.8 feet (32.9 m)
Draft: 29.3 feet (8.9 m)
Speed: 27 knots
Complement: 115 officers, 1678 men
Armament: nine 16 inch guns, 20 five-inch guns, 24 40 mm cannon, 16 20 mm cannon, but increased as the war progressed

Career:

Ordered: December 15, 1938
Laid down: November 20, 1939
Launched: November 21, 1941
Commissioned: April 30, 1942
Decommissioned: September 11, 1947
Fate: sold for scrap

Timeline:

December 1938: USS Indiana ordered
November 1939: USS Indiana’s keel laid down
November 1941: USS Indiana launched
April 1942: USS Indiana commissioned
November 1943: USS Indiana supports U.S. invasion of Tarawa
February 1944: USS Indiana collides with USS Washington, killing 3 sailors
September 1944: USS Indiana downs three Japanese attack aircraft during “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”
February 1945: USS Indiana bombards Iwo Jima
March 1945: USS Indiana shells Japanese positions on Okinawa

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indiana_(BB-58)
http://ussindianabb58.com/history.html

To receive a FREE Mesothelioma Web information packet** or to make a request, please fill out the following form :

**For a FREE information packet including treatments, clinical trials, and specialists, please complete the form above or call a Mesothelioma Web coordinator at 1-877-367-6376.

News

Resources

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here