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THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 35, Number 44 Thursday, November 7, 2019 A Placeby Williamin Halliar History Lt. Julian Turner talks to the media on the bridge of the USS Indianapolis. All photos by Bob Wellinski. Much has been written about the commissioning homeland. Their youth belies their dedication to the of the U.S. Navy’s new warship, USS Indianapolis, job at hand. Because of the captain and offi cers, the Freedom Class (LCS 17). This story hails from a crew understands the long tradition of ships bear- proud Hoosier who stood in the cold and rain with ing the name Indianapolis, and the even longer 8,000 other patriotic Americans in Burns Harbor, traditions of the U.S. Navy, itself. They appreciate lending our cheers and our hearts to the birth of their place in this continuing saga of history. this ship bearing the name of our capitol city. USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) is the fourth U.S. Here, too, is the story of a young captain and an Navy ship to bear this proud name. The fi rst (ID even younger crew who bear the responsibility of 3865) was commissioned in 1918 and served as a a ship worth more than $400 million to defend our Continued on Page 2 THE THE Page 2 November 7, 2019 November 7, 2019 Page 3 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 Navy ship commissioned, but protect the delicate electronic 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 %HDFKHU&RPSDQ\'LUHFWRU\ it is truly a historic moment equipment required to run e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] 'RQDQG7RP0RQWJRPHU\ 2ZQHUV email: Classifieds - [email protected] $QGUHZ7DOODFNVRQ (GLWRU to do so on the shores of Lake and control this modern ship. http://www.thebeacher.com/ 'UHZ:KLWH 3ULQW6DOHVPDQ Michigan.” Indianapolis is a “kind of -DQHW%DLQHV ,QVLGH6DOHV&XVWRPHU6HUYLFH PRINTE ITH Published and Printed by Everything about the cere- a truck,” said the ship’s com- T %HFN\:LUHEDXJK 7\SHVHWWHU'HVLJQHU T A S A THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS 5DQG\.D\VHU 3UHVVPDQ mony could only be described mander, Colin Kane. The 'RUD.D\VHU %LQGHU\ Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden as “fi ne, of superior quality large cargo spaces within the 0LNH%RUDZVNL+RSH&RVWHOOR&KHU\O-RSSHN 3URGXFWLRQ Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is or excellent,” from the com- vessel are “reconfi gurable.” -RKQ%DLQHV.DUHQ*HKU&KULV.D\VHU'HQQLV0D\EHUU\ 'HOLYHU\ also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. memorative books freely It is an adjustable platform given to each person in atten- that can perform multiple The U.S. Navy is bound by 244 years of proud tra- dance, to the 11,000 polished duties, from carrying helicop- A Place in History Continued from Page 1 dition, being founded on Oct. 13, 1775. The responsi- white chairs painstakingly ters on it spacious aft deck, bility of the “ship sponsor” is no different. By tradi- set in precise and even rows, to launching waterborne cargo ship in World War I. The second (CA 35) was tion, the sponsor is a female civilian who is present to the food served at the re- craft from a submersible commissioned in 1932 and became a decorated bat- at each stage of a ship’s life as it progresses from the ception tent after the event. deck beneath, to launching tle ship in World War II. The third was a Los An- All was done with pride and unmanned drones. laying of the keel, to the christening ceremony, and geles class attack submarine commissioned in 1980 to perfection, which is the The ship has a 13.5’ draft, on to it being “brought to life” at its commissioning. and decommissioned in 1998, serving during the Navy tradition. which is the depth its hull sits The honored lady is tasked with the duty of bestow- Cold War. The shakedown crews in within the water. With a rela- ing good luck and blessings on the seagoing vessel With the command “Man our ship and bring her Lake Michigan found zero tively fl at bottom, it is driven and her crew, invoking divine protection. to life” given with great pride by the ship’s spon- construction defects, which by four water jet engines that sor, Jill Donnelly, the wife of former Indiana Sen. Those who attended this special commissioning is a fi rst in this class of ship make it, in effect, a “giant Joe Donnelly, the men and women of USS India- ceremony Oct. 26 will not remember the cold nor of which Indianapolis is the Jet Ski,” Kane says. The hull napolis, resplendent in their “Dress Blues,” ran up the rain, but rather will be warmed by the thought ninth to be built by Fincan- is 387 feet long and 57 feet gangplanks stationed fore and aft along the ship’s that we all stood together — young and old, shoul- tieri Marinette Marine in Jill Donnelly, the ship’s sponsor, and wide. It has a load displace- Commander Colin Kane enjoy the day. side, standing at attention as fl ags were unfurled der to shoulder — as proud Americans sharing the Marinette, Wis. Its hull is ment of 3,500 metric tons. to the breeze, cannons were fi red and the ship, it- moment, thus becoming part of the history and leg- shaped of steel created in the blast furnaces of Ar- The bridge, or pilot house, sits atop the super- self, sounded its powerful horn to signal life breath- acy of the good ship Indianapolis. celorMittal of Burns Harbor, and many proud steel structure and spans the entire width of the ship. ing into it by the presence of its crew. The gathered The day’s principal speaker, Lisa Hershman, De- workers were present to see the ship come to life. It is fi lled with complex instruments and electron- throng cheered the crew and the ship, proud to be partment of Defense deputy chief management offi - The super structure of Indianapolis is crafted of ics. From here, the entire ship can be controlled. included in the ceremony. cer, said in her address, “It is always a thrill to see a aluminum — strong, yet lightweight — to hold and The water jet engines can propel the ship forward THE Page 4 November 7, 2019 against Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Its mission was A Place in History Continued from Page 3 necessarily secret, and on its return trip to the safe- ty of America, the Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. It sank with- in 15 minutes. Of the 1,195 sailors aboard, approximately 900 went into the ocean. The remainder are forever entombed with their ship. No message of distress was sent be- fore the ship went down, so the survi- vors of the sinking drifted in the sea for days without food, water or pro- tection of any kind from the sharks that attacked them mercilessly before they were rescued. Only 316 of the crew survived, including 92-year-old Dick Thelen, who was present for the commissioning ceremony of LCS 17. In the days preceding the event, Thelen and three fellow surviving crew members mingled with the young crew of LCS 17, those who would take over responsibilities of this latest version of his own storied Crew members chat on deck. ship. Having these veterans aboard at speeds up to and above 40 knots (over 50 mph). brought a reality to the present crew Compare this to World War II PT boats that had a of the heritage of their namesake. top speed of 27 knots. Thelen leaned heavily on his walker, surrounded This ship is highly maneuverable and classed as by family and current crew members, speaking of a “Littoral Combat Ship,” littoral meaning of or re- his own ship and those tragic days long ago. He says lated to the sea or ocean shore line. In other words, he was “really lucky,” and that he still remembers it is designed to complete operations close in shore. how surprised he was at how quickly the ship sank It is equipped with a 57 mm deck gun, and can carry from beneath him. guided missiles as well. The electronic controls for He spent four days and fi ve nights in the wa- the ship and weapons are state of the art. ter, and remembers being bumped and prodded by It is important to the captain, whose responsi- sharks swimming in the water all around him. He bility it is to mold his crew into a fi ghting unit, to was covered in fuel oil after the torpedo attack, and understand and appreciate the legacy of the ship the sharks just swam around and passed him by. and the pride with which she carries the name Indianapolis. The crew was treated earlier this year to a tour of the city of Indianapolis. They enjoyed its museums and historic sites, min- gled with its people and enjoyed fi ne dining at its restaurants, all to create a link between the city and its name- sake warship. Four survivors of the crew of In- dianapolis (CA 35), which served il- lustriously in World War II, winning 10 battle stars for valor, were invited to participate in the ceremony, which actually lasted several days, culmi- nating with the fi nal manning of the ship. CA 35, the second warship to proudly carry the name Indianapo- lis, famously carried components of Members of the media follow the crew up a ladder as the atomic bomb “Little Boy” used they make their way through the ship during a media tour.