A resolution honoring the Iowans who were killed in or survived the attack on the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945.

House

Resolution

114

-

Introduced

HOUSE

RESOLUTION

NO.

114

BY

BARKER

,

THOMPSON

,

VONDRAN

,

MOORE

,

GOSA

,

BRADLEY

,

DETERMANN

,

RINKER

,

SITZMANN

,

GERHOLD

,

KURTH

,

HOLT

,

JENEARY

,

WILLS

,

BLOOMINGDALE

,

BLOM

,

SMITH

,

BEHN

,

SORENSEN

,

GUSTOFF

,

HAYES

,

WILLIAMS

,

FISHER

,

WOOD

,

A.

MEYER

,

WELDON

,

LATHAM

,

JONES

,

INGELS

,

LARSON

,

THOMSON

,

R.

JOHNSON

,

and

DUNWELL

A

Resolution

honoring

the

Iowans

who

were

killed

in

or

1

survived

the

attack

on

the

USS

Indianapolis

on

July

2

30,

1945.

3

WHEREAS,

on

November

15,

1932,

the

USS

Indianapolis

4

was

accepted

and

commissioned

in

the

United

States

5

Navy;

and

6

WHEREAS,

the

USS

Indianapolis

served

as

the

flagship

7

of

the

Fifth

Fleet

through

much

of

World

War

II,

under

8

the

command

of

Admiral

Raymond

A.

Spruance;

and

9

WHEREAS,

all

who

served

aboard

the

USS

Indianapolis

10

distinguished

themselves

and

their

ship

in

the

Pacific

11

during

World

War

II,

with

the

ship

earning

a

total

12

of

10

battle

stars

in

the

Pacific

between

1942

and

13

1945;

and

14

WHEREAS,

the

USS

Indianapolis

was

struck

by

a

15

kamikaze

plane

in

March

1945

at

Okinawa,

during

16

the

Okinawa

Gunto

Operation,

resulting

in

38

17

casualties;

and

18

WHEREAS,

on

July

26,

1945,

the

USS

Indianapolis

19

delivered

parts

for

the

first

operational

atomic

bomb

20

to

the

island

of

Tinian,

which

less

than

two

weeks

21

later

was

flown

by

a

B-29

bomber,

the

Enola

Gay,

and

22

dropped

on

Hiroshima

to

bring

an

early

end

to

the

war

23

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with

Imperial

Japan;

and

1

WHEREAS,

on

July

30,

1945,

the

USS

Indianapolis,

2

while

transiting

unescorted

from

Guam

to

the

Leyte

3

Gulf,

was

struck

by

two

torpedoes

fired

by

a

Japanese

4

submarine,

the

first

torpedo

striking

the

bow

and

the

5

second

striking

near

midship

on

the

starboard

side;

and

6

WHEREAS,

the

resulting

explosion

split

the

ship

to

7

the

keel

and

knocked

out

electrical

power,

causing

the

8

USS

Indianapolis

to

sink

rapidly;

and

9

WHEREAS,

of

the

1,195

men

aboard,

some

900

made

10

it

to

the

water

in

the

12

minutes

before

the

ship

11

sank;

and

12

WHEREAS,

few

life

rafts

were

released

and

most

13

survivors

wore

standard

life

jackets

as

shark

attacks

14

began

at

sunrise

that

day

and

continued

until

nearly

15

five

days

later

when

316

survivors

were

removed

from

16

the

water,

after

their

accidental

discovery

during

a

17

routine

antisubmarine

patrol;

and

18

WHEREAS,

there

were

34

Iowans

on

board

the

USS

19

Indianapolis

in

the

early

morning

of

July

30,

1945;

and

20

WHEREAS,

30

soldiers

from

Iowa,

Seaman

Second

21

Class

Frederick

H.

Baker,

Seaman

First

Class

Robert

E.

22

Batten,

Seaman

Second

Class

Raynard

R.

Boege,

Mailman

23

Third

Class

Harold

V.

Briley,

Water

Tender

Second

Class

24

Harley

D.

Figgins,

Ensign

Cecil

D.

Foell,

Machinist’s

25

Mate

Third

Class

Leonard

A.

Fritz,

Fireman

Second

Class

26

Richard

C.

Gries,

Fireman

First

Class

Donald

R.

Griggs,

27

Seaman

Second

Class

Lester

B.

Hodgins,

Private

First

28

Class

Leland

R.

Hubbard,

Seaman

First

Class

Harry

H.

29

Huebner,

Seaman

Second

Class

Merle

B.

Hutchison,

Seaman

30

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Second

Class

Chris

A.

Jensen,

Seaman

First

Class

Harold

1

B.

Johnson,

Ensign

David

A.

Jump,

Seaman

Second

Class

2

Robert

H.

King,

Seaman

First

Class

Elbern

L.

Knott,

3

Seaman

Second

Class

Darwin

G.

Kruse,

Seaman

First

Class

4

Leo

W.

Lohr,

Seaman

Second

Class

Raymond

A.

Nutt,

5

Yeoman

First

Class

Theodore

G.

Ott,

Fireman

Second

6

Class

Welburn

M.

Pender,

Fireman

First

Class

Leroy

7

Reinert,

Fireman

Second

Class

Roy

E.

Rhoten,

Radarman

8

Third

Class

James

R.

Schlotter,

First

Lieutenant

Edward

9

H.

Stauffer,

Gunner’s

Mate

Third

Class

Charles

B.

10

Stickley,

Seaman

Second

Class

Joseph

M.

Strain,

and

11

Private

First

Class

Arthur

A.

Thomsen,

perished

at

12

sea;

and

13

WHEREAS,

only

four

of

the

Iowans

on

board

that

14

morning,

Seaman

First

Class

Charles

O.

Wells

of

15

Camanche,

Seaman

Second

Class

Glen

Laverne

Milbrodt

of

16

Akron,

Electrician’s

Mate

Second

Class

Edward

Chris

17

Koch

of

Denison,

and

Seaman

First

Class

Robert

H.

18

Brundige

of

Des

Moines,

survived

the

attack

on

the

USS

19

Indianapolis;

NOW

THEREFORE,

20

BE

IT

RESOLVED

BY

THE

HOUSE

OF

REPRESENTATIVES,

21

That

the

House

of

Representatives

honors

the

lives

and

22

service

of

each

of

the

Iowans

who

were

killed

in

or

23

survived

the

attack

on

the

USS

Indianapolis

on

July

30,

24

1945.

25

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