The United States Navy commissioned a new vessel on October 27th in Burns Harbor, Indiana at the southern end of Lake Michigan. The state of the art combat ship headed down the St. Clair River yesterday enroute to its final destination near Jacksonville, Florida. The USS Indianapolis is the fourth such Navy ship that bears that name. Many may remember the story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis that was sunk in July of 1945. The ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine after returning from delivering components for the first atomic bomb ever used in combat. Only 317 of the Indianapolis’s 1200 crewman survived the sinking after spending well over three days in shark infested waters. Four survivors of that event attended the commissioning. The new ship was designed with maneuverability in mind. It is anticipated that the Navy will use her for mine-clearing and anti-submarine warfare.
