The building of the USS CA-35 Indianapolis Memorial, designated as a National Memorial, was spearheaded through the efforts of surviving crew members to honor their fallen comrades. Installed near the north end of the Canal in 1995, this black and gray granite structure which resembles a ship was designed by Joseph Fischer. The north side is etched with a relief of the Portland-class heavy cruiser. When the ship was torpedoed on July 30, 1945 in the Pacific Ocean, it sank in just 12 minutes, taking nearly 300 soldiers with it. Of the nearly 900 men afloat, less than half were still alive by morning of the next day. The crew members’ names are inscribed on the south side of the monument. Stars indicate the 316 men who were pulled from the water five nights after the ship sank. Each year, those survivors who are still able to travel gather for a commemoration program presented by the Indiana War Memorials Foundation. On September 30, 2020, WRTV- Indianapolis reported the passing of Robert (Bob) Wizig (age 96) as the fourth death among the survivors within the past year.[1] Only seven men remain. A memoriam note from other survivors said “we honor the entire crew by continuing to keep their story alive. We will never forget you, Bob, and we will never stop telling the story of your ship, and your crew.”[2]
[1] WRTV, “USS Indianapolis survivor dies; only 7 remain,” Wrtv.com., September 30, 2020, https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/uss-indianapolis-survivor-dies-only-7-remain/531-8a073e11-308c-4857-9f57-47c16613ef3b.
[2] WRTV, “USS Indianapolis.”