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The uranium contained in the canisters was about half the US supply (the other half was flown to Tinian). The crate contained the “gun-type” mechanism for Little Boy. None of the crew knew what was contained in the crate and canister that were brought on board. Despite the new crew’s inexperience, they were given little time to prepare for departure. Enlisted men ending their tours of duty rotated out and were replaced by new enlistees. The ship took on many crew members in California. Only a few days before, Captain Charles McVay III had received his orders from Rear Admiral William Purnell and Captain William Parsons. The B-29 Enola Gay would eventually take off from the island for its fateful mission to Hiroshima. While there, the Indianapolis was chosen for a secret mission: to transport components of the Little Boy uranium bomb to Tinian.
#DID ONE OF THE ENOLA GAY CREW QUESTION THE NUKE FULL#
After emergency repairs, the ship went back to California for a full overhaul. The impact of the plane itself did little damage, but the pilot managed to drop a bomb that punched a hole in the ship and led to several casualties. The Indianapolis was struck by a kamikaze attack during the battle of Okinawa. It served along the way as the flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruance, Commander of the Fifth Fleet. The ship saw action in New Guinea, the Aleutian Islands, and the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
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During the attack on December 7, 1941, the Indianapolis avoided damage because it was out on a training mission. It was stationed with the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor in the lead-up to the war. Before the war, it transported President Roosevelt on various occasions, including on a tour of South America. The Indianapolis was one of two Portland-class cruisers built during the early 1930s. The ship’s secret mission, the questions surrounding its sinking, and the brutal trials endured by survivors have fascinated the public for decades. It was later sunk by a Japanese submarine in what became the worst naval disaster in US history. The USS Indianapolis (hull classification symbol CA-35) was a US Navy cruiser that delivered the components of the Little Boy atomic bomb to Tinian Island.