|
On March 31, 1945, the day before the
invasion of Okinawa, the ship's lookouts spotted a Japanese single-engine
fighter plane in a vertical dive at the bridge. Less than 15 seconds after
it was spotted the plane was over the ship. Tracer shells crashed into the
plane, causing it to swerve; but the enemy pilot managed to release his bomb
from a height of 25 ft and crash his plane on the port side of the after
main deck. The plane toppled into the sea, causing little damage; but the
bomb plummeted through the deck armor, the crew's mess hall, the berthing
compartment below, and the fuel tanks before crashing through the bottom of
the ship and exploding in the water under the ship. The concussion blew two
gaping holes in the ship bottom and flooded compartments in the area,
killing nine crewmen. Although Indianapolis settled slightly by the stern
and listed to port, there was no progressive flooding; and the cruiser
steamed to a salvage ship for emergency repairs. Inspection revealed that
the propeller shafts were damaged, fuel tanks ruptured, and water-distilling
equipment ruined. The cruiser made the long trip across the Pacific to the
Mare Island Navy Yard under her own power.
|
