| Roosevelt's "Ship of State" |
| Upon completion of the overhaul, the Indianapolis sailed
to Bar Harbor, Maine, to embark President Roosevelt at his Campobello Island
summer home on 1 July 1933. Getting underway the same day,
Indianapolis arrived at Annapolis 2 days later where she entertained
six members of the cabinet. After disembarking the President, she departed
Annapolis 4 July, and returned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. |
| On 6 September, Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson broke
his flag on Indianapolis for an inspection tour of the Pacific, visiting
the Canal Zone, Hawaii and the fleet in the San Pedro-San Diego area. He
debarked at San Diego 27 October and Indianapolis became flagship
of the Scouting Force on 1 November 1934 and continued as such through her
peacetime career. Following maneuvers off the West Coast, she departed Long
Beach, California on 9 April and arrived New York City 29 May. There she
again embarked the President and his party for a review of the Fleet in the
Hudson River on May 31, 1934. At the time of this review, she had a complement
of 51 officers, 12 warrant officers and 588 enlisted men. Departing the East
Coast, Indianapolis arrived Long Beach 9 November 1934 for tactical
war problems with the Scouting Fleet and in December of 1934, Captain Smeallie
was relieved by Captain W. S. McClintic. |
| During 1935 Indianapolis participated in fleet war games
and exercises in the Pacific where she traveled as far west as Midway Island
and as far north as Alaska. In March of 1936 Captain McClintic was relieved
by Captain H. K. Hewitt and following the completion of Fleet Problem XVIII
off of Panama, Indianapolis called at Hampton Roads and Annapolis
prior to her arrival at the New York Navy Yard on the 10th of June for a
scheduled overhaul. |
| Indianapolis again welcomed President Roosevelt at Charleston,
South Carolina, 18 November 1936 for a "Good-Neighbor" cruise to South America
which included calls to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina,
for the Pan American Conference; Montevideo, Uruguay, for state visits and
Trinidad. Historically, this was an important trip as it was the first time
a serving President of the United States and visited outside of North America.
On the occasion of crossing the equator, 'Father Neptune' visited the ship
to initiate neophyte 'pollywogs' into hardened 'shell-backs'. Those lucky
initiates received their certificates - signed by the President of the United
States! President Roosevelt was debarked at Charleston 15 December. |
| Indianapolis returned to Long Beach, California, early
in 1937. Through the rest of that year, she went through normal peacetime
exercises and war games, including a tour of the Hawaiian Islands. Captain
T. C. Kinkaid relieved Captain Hewett as commanding officer in June of
1937. |
| In 1938, Indianapolis repeated much of the same routine,
carrying the flag of Vice Admiral Adolphus Andrews, Commander Scouting Force.
She exercised off the West Coast and made another return visit to Hawaii.
Following her summer cruise, Indianapolis spent a number of her days
in gunnery practice on the firing range off Clemente Island. Captain Kinkaid
was relieved by Captain J. F. Shaforth in September of 1938. |
| The years 1939 and 1940 followed much of the same pattern with
Indianapolis spending perhaps a bit more time operating out of Pearl
Harbor. She returned to Mare Island Navy Yard in San Francisco Bay November
1939 and as she entered dry dock, her logs showed she had steamed a total
of 215,140 nautical miles since her commissioning. As international tension
built up, the United States girded to meet aggression, the heavy cruiser's
intensified training program fused ship and crew into a fighting machine
of high efficiency ready to defend the Nation from any enemy who might
attack. |
| As a deterrent to Japanese aggression, in April of 1940,
Indianapolis accompanied the US Fleet as it moved from the West Coast
to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. |
| On Friday afternoon, December 5, 1941, approximately two thirds
of the crew were ashore with wives or on liberty when those aboard were notified
that Indianapolis would leave Pearl Harbor in one hour. Stores were
immediately loaded and she departed with less than half her crew for Johnson
Island, 700 miles South West of Hawaii, for a simulated bombardment. Captain
E. W. Hanson was in command when on December 7, Japanese bombs struck the
fleet at Pearl Harbor. The ship was immediately prepared for battle action.
All objects that could burn, such as lumber, paint, small boats and even
the ornate bedroom suite used by President Roosevelt, were thrown overboard
and the Indianapolis immediately joined Task Force 12 to search for
the Japanese. She arrived at Pearl Harbor 13 December and entered Task
Force 11 for operations against the enemy. Over the years, much speculation
has been made regarding the quick departure of the Aircraft Carriers and
President Roosevelt's ship of state, all conveniently leaving the doomed
base under similar circumstances. |
