The US Navy’s newest Freedom variant littoral combat ship USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) is set to enter service in an October 26 ceremony in Burns Harbor, Indiana.
LCS-17 is the fourth ship to carry the name of Indiana’s capital city.
The first Indianapolis was a steamer built for the US Shipping Board (USSB) and commissioned directly into the navy in 1918.
The saga of the second Indianapolis (CA 35), a cruiser, and its crew is well documented by the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The loss of the ship was a tragic moment following the completion of a secret mission that directly contributed to the end of World War II.
After a successful high-speed run to deliver atomic bomb components to Tinian, the decorated Portland-class cruiser continued to Guam. Indianapolis was en route from Guam to Leyte when she was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-58, July 30, 1945. The ship’s wreckage was located Aug. 19, 2017 .
“The future USS Indianapolis honors more than a city, it pays tribute to the legacy of those who served during the final days of World War II on board USS Indianapolis (CA-35),” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer at the ship’s christening ceremony.
The most recent Indianapolis was a Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine, which was commissioned Jan. 5, 1980 and served through the end of the Cold War before being decommissioned in 1998.
The future Indianapolis will be homeported in Naval Station Mayport upon her commissioning.