<Tr> <Td> Aviation facilities: </Td> <Td> 1 × Amidship catapults (starboard catapult removed in 1945) </Td> </Tr> <P> USS Indianapolis (CL / CA - 35) was a Portland - class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana . The vessel served as the flagship for the commander of Scouting Force 1 for eight pre-war years, then as flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruance, in 1943 and 1944, while he commanded the Fifth Fleet in battles across the Central Pacific in World War II . </P> <P> In 1945, the sinking of Indianapolis led to the greatest single loss of life at sea, from a single ship, in the history of the US Navy . The ship had just finished a high - speed trip to United States Army Air Force Base at Tinian, to deliver parts of the first atomic bomb ever used in combat (the United States' Little Boy atomic bomb), and was on training duty . At 0015 on 30 July 1945 the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I - 58 . The ship, on her way to the Philippines, sank in 12 minutes . Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship . The remaining 900 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks while floating with few lifeboats and almost no food or water . The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by the crew of a PV - 1 Ventura on routine patrol . Only 317 survived . </P> <P> On 19 August 2017, a search team financed by Paul Allen located the wreckage of the sunken cruiser in the Philippine Sea lying at a depth of approximately 18,000 ft (5,500 m). </P>

How many sailors survived the sinking of the uss indianapolis