Dedication of the USS Indianapolis SSN-697 Nuclear Submarine Monument will take place at 11:00a.m. on June 8, 2019, at the Indiana Military Museum located at 715 S. 6th Street, Vincennes, Indiana. The ceremony represents a successful conclusion of a 6 year effort to bring the Indianapolis to Indiana as a memorial to those who served not only on the 697 but on the two previous ships that carried the name Indianapolis.
The monument will include the subs original conning tower (sail) which is placed on a simulated concrete hull. The appearance of the monument will give the visitor the impression of the sub approaching a surface level.
Open to the public the ceremony is expected to attract attendance of numerous former crew members and their families, as well as 4 of the ships former Captains and other Navy dignitaries. Previous Captains who have confirmed attendance Harry P. Salmon, Jr., Harry Sheffield, Dave Zacharias, William Toti, and Betsy Gast-Bray. The 4 Captains who have confirmed attendance were all commanders of the 697, William Toti was the last. Betsy Gast-Bray is the daughter of Mrs. Bill Bray who christened the Indianapolis. Commander Colin Kane, Captain of the newly constructed USS Indianapolis LCS-17, has been invited and may possibly attend. The 11:00a.m. ceremony and dedication will be followed by a luncheon at the Robert Green Auditorium on the Vincennes University Campus and 12:30p.m. with the ship’s last Captain, William J. Toti, as guest speaker.
Post-ceremony luncheon tickets are available through the Hoosier Base USS VI Sub Vets Association by contacting them at (812) 847-9070, or by mailing a check to Monument Chairman Bob Smiley, 3078 N. Cantlin Drive, Bloomington, IN., 47404, on or before May 24, 2019.
ADDITIONAL HISTORY OF THE USS INDIANAPOLIS
USS INDIANAPOLIS
SSN 697
The USS Indianapolis (SSN 697), a nuclear fast attack, Los Angeles class submarine, was the 3rd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Indianapolis, Indiana. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 24 January 1972 and her keel was laid down on 19 October 1974. She was launched on 30 July 1977 sponsored by :
Mrs. William G. Bray, and commissioned on 5 January 1980, with Commander Harry P. Salmon, Jr., in command. Many survivors of the WWII cruiser Indianapolis (CA 35) were present for the ceremony. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, served as home port for SSN 697 from 1981 until her decommissioning. In 1997 the Indianapolis was awarded the Battle Efficiency E, the 7th Fleet Anti-Surface Warfare Award and the Navy Unit Commendation. The ship twice received the coveted NEY Award. The sail of the Indianapolis was transferred to the Indiana Military Museum on 25 March 2013 by the United States Navy through the efforts of the Hoosier Base of USSV, I and the Sub Vets of WWII who also raised the funds to construct this monument.
Commanding Officers
CDR Harry P. Salmon, USN
CDR Gordon W. Hutt, USN
CDR Harry P. Salmon, USN
CDR Steven V. Gray, USN
CDR R. S. Holbrook, USN
CDR Harry L. Sheffield, USN
CDR Thomas F. Gormon, USN
CDR David A. Zacharias, USN
CDR Douglas P. Johnson, USN
CDR William J. Toti, USN
History
Name: USS INDIANAPOLIS
Awarded: 24 January 1972
Builder: General Dynamics Corp
Laid down: 19 October 1974
Launched: 30 July 1977
Commissioned: 5 January 1980
Struck: 22 December 1998
Characteristics
Class: Los Angeles Class Submarine
Length: 362’
Beam: 33’
Surface speed: 15 knots
Submerged speed: greater than 25 knots
Submersible depth: Classified
Crew: 12 Officers, 115 Enlisted
Armament: 4 torpedo tubes
Delivery: Harpoon anti-ship missiles
Mark 48 Advanced capability torpedoes
Submarine launched mobile mines
Tomahawk land attack missiles
Cost: Approximately $900,000,000.00