Posted on Jul 12, 2015
Men of the USS Indianapolis: Lost at Sea, Remembered at Home. Have you heard how they are recognizing the 70th anniversary of this tragedy?
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As the flag ripples in the breeze, John Cadwallader and his sister, Donna Hyland, are silent, lost in thought.
They are on the Downtown Canal, watching as the Stars and Stripes are lowered at the USS Indianapolis Memorial, folded with precision and presented to them in honor of their father, John J. Cadwallader, gone 70 years now.
The elder Cadwallader left home on July 4, 1945, to join the crew of the USS Indianapolis in San Francisco, leaving behind his wife, 3-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter. Four weeks later, he and nearly 900 others would die in the worst naval disaster in U.S. history.
For every new American flag raised daily atop the USS Indianapolis Memorial for the past several weeks, there is a story. A heartbreaking story of how a family was shattered by the death of a sailor. Their sailor.
As the 70th anniversary of the ship's sinking nears and plans for this year's reunion of USS Indianapolis survivors and families (July 23-26) are finalized, Bullard has been coordinating the flag program from 600 miles away. She's had help from the USS Indianapolis CA-35 Second Watch Organization, the Indiana War Memorial Commission and FedEx in buying, flying and shipping flags to families around the country.
http://www.militarytimes.com/longform/life/2015/07/03/men-uss-indianapolis-lost-sea-remembered-home/29666313/
They are on the Downtown Canal, watching as the Stars and Stripes are lowered at the USS Indianapolis Memorial, folded with precision and presented to them in honor of their father, John J. Cadwallader, gone 70 years now.
The elder Cadwallader left home on July 4, 1945, to join the crew of the USS Indianapolis in San Francisco, leaving behind his wife, 3-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter. Four weeks later, he and nearly 900 others would die in the worst naval disaster in U.S. history.
For every new American flag raised daily atop the USS Indianapolis Memorial for the past several weeks, there is a story. A heartbreaking story of how a family was shattered by the death of a sailor. Their sailor.
As the 70th anniversary of the ship's sinking nears and plans for this year's reunion of USS Indianapolis survivors and families (July 23-26) are finalized, Bullard has been coordinating the flag program from 600 miles away. She's had help from the USS Indianapolis CA-35 Second Watch Organization, the Indiana War Memorial Commission and FedEx in buying, flying and shipping flags to families around the country.
http://www.militarytimes.com/longform/life/2015/07/03/men-uss-indianapolis-lost-sea-remembered-home/29666313/
Posted in these groups: 
Naval/Maritime History
Naval/Maritime History
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 19
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My Dad (God rest his soul) once said that, while the enemy was SOMETIMES trying to kill you, the sea was ALWAYS trying to kill you.
We are intruders when we venture forth into Poseidon's domain.
We are intruders when we venture forth into Poseidon's domain.
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LTC Stephen Conway
USS Indianapolis - The Darkest Moments of World War II
THE USS INDIANAPOLIS tells the controversial, tragic tale of this ill-fated ship. Learn how her 850 surviving crewmembers were left to drift for four days in...
I read that book and I saw the movie with Stacy Keach as the captain. This is the documentary from A and Ehttps://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Ujk79c-Go
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My father CPO Paul Payne served proudly on the USS Indianapolis from 1937 until 1943. He retired in 1967 after thirty years and passed away in 1997. We had a picture of her hanging in our family room. It wasn't until Jaws came out that I realized that was the same ship my dad had served on. While he was healthy he would attend their reunions, the only ship he did that for.
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Suspended Profile
There were a lot of people lost at sea during WWII. The Japanese were vicious in their attacks of US ships, in Pearl Harbor and at sea. That the ship wasn't able to get out a Mayday call and no-one at PacFleet knew about the sinking made it even worse.
I have been in independent ops on several ships. Those were in peace time deployments. But all the same, any ship sailing by itself can be lost at sea without anyone knowing. I guess these days with GPS and all the SATCOM stuff, along with EPIRBS and other life saving devices, this kind of tragedy can probably be averted, but nonetheless, it's something that people on independent steaming always think about...
I have been in independent ops on several ships. Those were in peace time deployments. But all the same, any ship sailing by itself can be lost at sea without anyone knowing. I guess these days with GPS and all the SATCOM stuff, along with EPIRBS and other life saving devices, this kind of tragedy can probably be averted, but nonetheless, it's something that people on independent steaming always think about...
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The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis --- an eyewitness account of the greatest naval disaster in US history ...
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/indianapolis.htm
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/indianapolis.htm
The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis, 1945
An eyewitness account of the greatest naval disaster in US history.
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On several cruises i'd look out at the vast beyond just trying to fathom the sea's furry. It is a mighty might that is there. you think about your only 60 - 80 foot above the surface that goes down over 5,000 foot or more.
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