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[[image - color photograph of USS Indianapolis National Memorial unveiling]] By The Associated Press Memorial honors crew of the USS Indianapolis 4 INDIANAPOLIS — Survivors of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis watch yesterday during the unveiling of the granite memorial in the shape of the cruiser's hull. A squad of Marine riflemen fired a salute, and a bugler played taps yesterday at a memorial to the sailors who perished when the cruiser was sunk by a Japanese torpedo. The cruiser, the last American ship sunk in World War II, was on its way back from delivering key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the island of Tinian when it was torpedoed just before midnight on July 30, 1945. About 900 of the 1,196-man crew abandoned ship, but only 320 survived three days in the South Pacific before rescuers arrived. It was the worst wartime loss ever suffered by the Navy at sea. Yesterday's dedication of a memorial to the Indianapolis and its crew was attended by about 100 survivors. [[advertisement]] Copyright 1995. The Kroger Co. School One 4.5-Ounce Package All Varieties Oscar Mayer Regular Lunchables .99 [[image - drawing of scissors cutting receipt that reads "SAVE MONEY"]] Six-Pack, 1.5-Ounce Packages California Seedless Dole Raisins 2/$1 [[image - Dole Food Company, Inc. logo]] [[image - black & white photograph of Disney's Beauty and the Beast lunchbox, thermos, and various fruit pies]] [[/advertisement]] [[end page]] [[start page]] [[newspaper clipping]] Barney was there for birth of era [[/newspaper clipping]] [[separate page]] Survivor recalls ordeal at sea [[image - color photograph of Clarence L. Hershberger wearing USS Indianapolis clothing]] Chip Somodevilla/The Journal Gazette Clarence L. Hershberger shows pride in his service on the USS Indianapolis on the walls of his home. [[image - black & white photograph of USS Indianapolis]] [[caption]]Above: the last known photograph of the USS Indianapolis before it was sunk by an enemy torpedo.[[/caption]] [[image - black & white photograph of Clarence L. Hershberger wearing United States Navy uniform]] [[caption]]Right: A young Clarence L. Hershberger in the military.[[/caption]] Crew of USS Indianapolis remembered ^[[The Journal-Gazette 7/23/95]] By Ron Shawgo Staff writer Clarence Hershberger survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis 50 years ago only to float in the water for five days watching shipmates die from delirium and listening to the anguished cries of others being devoured by sharks. It has been described as the worst sea disaster in U.S. naval history. More than 800 men out of a crew of 1,200 made it into the water after Japanese torpedoes tore open the heavy cruise ship July 30, 1945. Only 316 made it home. Hershberger, a 19-year-old seaman 1st class back then, was one of them. But the tragedy has been too painful to talk about over the years, he said. Hershberger said he's talking now to make sure people remember the sacrifice the men of the Indianapolis made. "The thing I want people to remember is the cost in life that the tragedy took to protect this country," said Hershberger, a 69-year-old cabinet maker from Elkhart. The 50th anniversary of the sinking and its horrendous aftermath will be commemorated with the dedication of a memorial in Indianapolis on Aug. 2. The Indianapolis met its fate at the tail end of a secret mission. Three days before it sank, the ship sailed into the Pacific island of Tinian and delivered the parts of the atomic bomb that would destroy Hiroshima and hasten an end to World War II. The crew knew nothing about the ship's secret cargo. After Tinian, the ship sailed to Guam, where it anchored for two days. It was heading to Leyte when it was struck around midnight. "I was sleeping topside because it was hot and humid that night," Hershberger said. He had found a cool spot over ▶ See Ordeal/Page 6A
