Cruiser sunk in summer of 1945; 880 died
HAROLD BRAY with a model of the USS Indianapolis.
File photo
Kevin Brock, commander of the American Legion Post 101 and a member of the VFW 3928, said Harold Bray, who survived the 1945 sinking of the USS Indianapolis, has donated a framed picture of the heavy cruiser to the Veterans Memorial Building.
Brock said when the post learned Bray planned to attend a reunion of other survivors, they asked him to take the picture with him and gather more signatures. Once it was back, the picture was re-framed, Brock said.
The picture will be dedicated, and Bray, a popular speaker because of his experiences, will get a chance to describe what happened July 30, 1945, when a Japanese submarine torpedoed the ship.
Bray was among 1,196 sailors who found themselves floating in the Pacific Ocean, awaiting rescue that wouldn’t come for five days. When they were saved, only 317 remained.
It’s been 70 years since Bray, originally from Ironwood, Mich., first donned his naval uniform and entered the Navy. He finished his basic training in Great Lakes, Ill., and was assigned to the Indianapolis’s repair division. At the time, the ship had survived a suicide bombing at Okinawa and was at Mare Island undergoing repairs.
“When I first saw her, I could not imagine anything that big and that heavy being able to float,” he has written. In a 2010 interview with The Herald he said, “I was glad to get a big ship.”
Nicknamed “The Indy,” the ship was commissioned in 1932 and experienced combat in the South Pacific 10 years later. The Indianapolis would become the flagship for the Fifth Fleet, and earn 10 battle stars for action.
Bray had turned 18 a month before the Indianapolis left Mare Island to drop some passengers off at Pearl Harbor in Hawai’i and set sail for Guam. The ship left for the Philippines on July 28, 1945 in weather so hot, the ship’s captain let his crew sleep on the deck.
Two nights later, while they rested, a Japanese submarine fired six torpedoes at the great ship. Two hit their mark; one ripped out a chunk from the ship’s bow, and the other struck the starboard side.
Bray felt the ship shaking. He saw his shoes go over the side. Fire and smoke blocked his way to his battle station.
Making his way through the ship past wounded and screaming shipmates, Bray grabbed a life preserver and headed aft. He gave his lifejacket to another sailor who was hurt, and found another. By then, the ship was on its side.
He sprinted to the bow and jumped into the black Philippine Sea. By chance, he found a raft-like crashnet on which another sailor was sitting. The pair rescued 150 more sailors, and for a while thought they were the only survivors. Only later would they learn two other groups had survived, too.
From their precarious perch, Bray and his companions saw shipmates leaping from the decks into the water. Many were injured, and their blood attracted sharks. “Anyone who was hurt pretty bad didn’t last very long,” Bray said in the 2010 interview.
The men had no food or water, and those who drank the sea water became sick. Bray managed to abstain from the temptation.
Five days after the Indy was struck, Lt. Wilbur Gwinn, patrolling the area in a PV-1 Ventura, saw an oil slick, then spotted men waving for help. He called for assistance, and eventually the survivors were rescued by seaplane and ship.
After the war, Bray moved to Benicia, where he first worked at the Arsenal and then became a member of Benicia Police Department. Before his retirement he worked at the construction company started by his son, Harold Jr.
He’s contributed to the book “317 Survived,” and has been filmed talking about the experience.
Brock said Bray will give a 30-minute talk Tuesday during the dedication. The event is open to the public; refreshments will be served.
The dedication will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Benicia Veterans Memorial Building, 1150 First St.
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I saw Mr. Bray in his truck one day, as we both pulled into the Safeway, if you have not seen his truck, you will know it is his when you do. I had the pleasure of talking to him and to personally thank him for his service to the nation.
The story of the Indianapolis is one of the real horrific tragedies of war. No one should ever endure anything approximating that incident.
Mr. Bray also made quite an impression on both of my son’s as he spoke to their history courses at the high school.
His willingness to share his experiences is a true treasure for Benicia and is much appreciated.