Tag Archives: Atomic Snapshot

Atomic Snapshots: USS Indianapolis Memorial

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The north face of the monument depicts the heavy cruiser with inscriptions of her service history.

At the north end of Canal Walk in Indianapolis, IN, you’ll find the national memorial for the USS Indianapolis, which was torpedoed and sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 on July 30, 1945. The memorial commemorates the 1,195 crewmen, of which only 316 survived the sinking, dehydration, exposure, and shark attacks.

The USS Indianapolis departed San Francisco’s Hunters Point Naval Shipyard on July 16, 1945, after repairs and an overhaul, on a top-secret mission to deliver enriched uranium and other parts for the Little Boy atomic bomb. After departing Pearl Harbor on July 19, Indianapolis made way, unaccompanied, to Tinian, arriving on July 26. Next, she sailed to Guam and began sailing toward Leyte to receive training before joining Task Force 95 near Okinawa. At 15 minutes past midnight on July 30, Indianapolis was struck by two torpedoes.

The south face of the monument bears the names of the ship’s company and passengers along with a description of the top-secret mission, attack, and rescue.

The memorial was formally dedicated in 1995, 50 years after the sinking. The memorial was designed by Joseph Fischer and is part of the Indiana War Memorial Commission. The holdings also comprise the Indiana War Memorial Plaza Historic District, Indiana War Memorial Museum, the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the Medal of Honor Memorial, and the 9/11 Memorial.

The National WWII Museum video.

Atomic Snapshots: Grandview Off Leash Dog Park

In SeaTac, Washington, you’ll find Grandview Off-Leash Dog Park with stunning views of Mount Rainier and the Kent Valley just south of Seattle. Complete with trails, an agility course, and open areas, the complex is a former Nike Missile Site.

Project Nike Missile Launch Site S-43 (Seattle Defense Area) began operation in 1956, one of 11 sites forming a ring around the Puget Sound region to protect Boeing and military installations. This site could launch 30 missiles carrying three high-yield warheads, each. The site was in service until 1963.

Nike missiles at Site S-43.

Site S-43 had Ajax conventional warhead missiles during its service, managed by both regular Army and National Guard members. Other sites in the area were converted to Hercules missiles with nuclear warheads. This was necessary to protect the Kent Valley which contained numerous Boeing facilities (one of which later developed the Lunar Roving Vehicle).

Enjoy the grand view!

Atomic Snapshots: Wooden Lawn Chair

The wooden lawn chair can be found in the owner’s garage and must stay with the house.

Lieutenant General Leslie R. Groves, director of the Manhattan Project, lived in a modest home with his family in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington D.C. from 1939 until 1948. Groves moved there to be near the National Cathedral School for Girls where his daughter, Gwen, went to school. Grace, his wife, worked at Garfinckel’s in Spring Valley.

Although the home has changed ownership many times, one thing remains with every occupant.

The current homeowner asked if we wanted to see something. He took us to the garage where the previous owner specifically told him that this must stay with the home to avoid “bad juju.” He claimed it has been with the home since it was built.

He went to a corner of the garage, reached over a couple bicycles, and pulled out a wooden lawn chair from between the wall studs.

“This,” he said, “has to stay with the house. It’s been here forever and has been passed down from owner to owner.”

Groves lived in the Cleveland Park neighborhood at this home from 1939-1948.

Maybe apocryphal, it’s entertaining to consider that the chair might have been used by Groves and his family to relax in the courtyard of their home.

Interview with Gwen Groves Robinson, Groves’ daughter, by the Atomic Heritage Foundation in 2013 (56 minutes)