The fate of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis

In recent years, a whole series of warship wrecks from the Second World War have been found in the Pacific, which were lost in the battle between the US Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Billionaire, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, who died in 2018, had financially supported the search for such ships.

The expeditions sponsored by Allen were mostly carried out from the research vessel Petrel, with remote-controlled robots also being used. The research team has achieved some spectacular successes, including the discovery of the Japanese battle cruiser Hiei and the mighty battleship Musashi, the sister ship of the legendary Yamato, the American aircraft carriers USS Lexington (CV-2) and Hornet (CV-8) and finally, on 19 August 2017, at a depth of almost 6,000 metres, the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) .

Weighing just under 10,000 tonnes, 186 metres long and armed with nine 20.3-centimetre guns, the Portland-class cruiser was built at the Camden shipyard in New Jersey and entered service on 15 November 1932. She first sailed for some time in the Atlantic, three times carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt as an illustrious guest for various reasons. Roosevelt on board for various reasons. At the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the cruiser was underway near the Johnston Islands in the Pacific. During the initial hostilities, the Indianapolis was part of the battle group around the USS Lexington, then part of the Yorktown battle group off New Guinea. This was followed by operations in the North Pacific until late summer 1943.