USS Indianapolis memories: Collecting photos of lost-at-sea crew is the focus of legacy group
Most of the men on the ill-fated vessel died two weeks before the end of the war.
It's one of the most tragic stories you'll ever hear about World War II.
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific and 879 men were lost at sea (316 crew members survived). Nine other Indianapolis sailors had been killed March 31, 1945, when a kamikaze smashed into the ship.
Their previous mission had been to deliver parts of the atomic bomb. They were on their way home after a successful mission.
The total number of USS Indianapolis men killed was 888.
One reason I knew about the sinking of the Indianapolis is that I'm a movie nut, and the tragedy was part of one of the most iconic scenes in the film "Jaws."
Quint, the fictional shark hunter, told the very real story: "Eleven-hundred men went into the water, 316 men came out and the sharks took the rest ... Sometimes that shark looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about a shark is he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes."
Project 888 looks for photos
The Henry family of Nashville has lived with that horror for almost 77 years. Earl Henry Jr. lost his father, Earl, who was the Indianapolis' dentist. A year ago, Tennessean reporter Arcelia Martin and I wrote an article about the sinking of the Indianapolis and we spent the afternoon with Earl Henry Jr. in his Nashville home.
I recently received a letter from Earl Jr.'s wife, Marilyn.
She knew that I wrote this column called Project 88.
Her letter was about her newest venture: Project 888.
Marilyn Henry and authors Lynn Vincent and Sarah Vladic, who teamed up to write, "Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man," are working together to collect pictures and biographies of all 888 Indianapolis who died in World War II.
They will publish them on their website: USSIndianapolis.org.
The plan is that all the stories and pictures of those lost at sea will be included in a book.
So far, they have found 579 photos.
Special report: 'How many talents were lost?' Tennessee families of USS Indianapolis crew lost in WWII still mourning
They need 309 more, and they want help from relatives and friends of those lost at sea. Those 309 men were from 40 states.
Henry is the chairperson of the USS Indianapolis Legacy Organization's education committee.
Henry got her first batch of photos from her mother-in-law, Jane, who got notice her husband had died after the end of the war. She had thought he would be coming home.
“I am inspired by Jane Henry’s collection of photos of her husband, but I know that other families are missing their photos," Marilyn Henry wrote. "I married her little boy Earl, Jr. and throughout our home are photos of his dad and mom. It's our way of honoring Dr. Henry’s WWII service as the dentist aboard Indianapolis.
"All families should have photos and know something about the young men."
'Never ending story' of heartache
She doesn't want those men who gave their lives to be forgotten.
“I want this younger generation to see a photo and say, 'That’s my great uncle or my great grandfather who served proudly aboard USS Indianapolis in WWII,'" Henry said. "It’s part of the never ending story of this famed ship and the recognition of the crew that gave their life to end WWII."
It's not an easy task. The Project 888 team has searched military records, ancestry records, burial records and many 1940s newspapers.
Henry sent an example of one entry in Project 888.
At age 89 Mary Kozeluh remembers her brother well. Harley Moore’s birth order sandwiched him between two older and two younger sisters. As his kid sister, Mary was Harley’s shadow, tied at the hip, going everywhere with Harley – movies every Sunday; ice cream at the drugstore. Her fondest memory is riding on the center bar of Harley’s bike going bump, bump, bump across railroad tracks – a calculated tease to his kid sister.
Henry's letter included a solicitation for help. "Please consider telling your memories of your brother, uncle, or grandfather who was on the final sailing crew of Indianapolis. The Education Committee is collecting these stories. You are invited to participate in a recorded ZOOM session or send your story in writing. Contact Marilyn Henry, bmcp56@att.net"
Reach Keith Sharon at 615-406-1594 or ksharon@tennessean.com or on Twitter @KeithSharonTN.
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Project 88
This story is part of Project 88, which is named for the 88 characters produced on a Smith-Corona typewriter. The Tennessean’s Keith Sharon types letters on his 1953 typewriter and mails them to people all over the world with an envelope and stamp so they can write back. This story originated with a letter Keith received. The question Project 88 is trying to answer is: Will people communicate the old-fashioned way, through heartfelt letters about the best and most challenging days of their lives. This project is not for political rants, and any kind of snail mail letter (typed, hand-written or computer printout) is acceptable. Please include a phone number.
You can be part of Project 88 by writing to:
Keith Sharon
The Tennessean
1801 West End Ave.
16th Floor
Nashville, TN 37203
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville woman leads effort to collect photos from USS Indianapolis
