Sen. Banks Asks Navy to Award USS Indianapolis Battle Star on Veterans DayFriday, November 13, 2026

Letter seeks to recognize the ship and its eligible crew for their final combat engagement WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) called on the Navy to formally review whether USS Indianapolis (CA-35) and its eligible crew should receive a Battle Star, also known as an engagement star, for the ship’s final combat engagement. In a letter to Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, Banks said the ship’s sinking after a Japanese submarine attack on July 30, 1945, meets the Navy’s criteria for an engagement star. He asked the Department of the Navy to complete its review as promptly as possible, as Harold Bay, the last living survivor of the USS Indianapolis, is 99 years old. Read the exclusive here : Read the full letter here or below: Dear Secretary Cao: I write to request a formal review to award USS Indianapolis (CA-35) and her eligible crew a Battle Star, also known as an engagement star, for the ship’s final combat engagement on July 30, 1945. After delivering components of the atomic bomb Little Boy to Tinian, later used on Hiroshima, USS Indianapolis was ordered from Guam to Leyte to join Task Group 95.7 for training. While transiting unescorted in the Philippine Sea, she was attacked by Japanese submarine I-58 and struck by two torpedoes. The ship sank in approximately 12 minutes. Of the 1,195 Sailors and Marines aboard, 879 died and only 316 survived. The 1953 Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual provides the relevant standard. It states that stars authorized for actual combat in operations and engagements, as authorized by the Chief of Naval Operations, “will be known as engagement stars.” The manual defines an “engagement” as “an action with the enemy taking place within a restricted time and area, and of sufficient intensity and significance to justify recognition.” Based on that standard, USS Indianapolis meets the criteria for an engagement star. The sinking was an action with the enemy: Japanese submarine I-58 attacked and sank the ship. It occurred within a restricted time and area: the early morning of July 30, 1945, while USS Indianapolis was transiting from Guam to Leyte under Navy orders. It was of undeniable intensity and significance: two torpedoes sank the ship in minutes, and the sinking remains the deadliest single loss of life at sea in U.S. Navy history. USS Arizona (BB-39) provides relevant precedent. She received Battle Star credit after being destroyed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while moored in port, showing that enemy destruction of a ship can qualify for Battle Star recognition. USS Indianapolis was likewise destroyed by enemy action, after completing an essential national mission and while still operating under follow-on Navy orders. Harold Bray, the last living survivor of USS Indianapolis , is 99 years old. Given Mr. Bray’s age and his status as the last living survivor, I respectfully request that the Department complete this review as promptly as possible. For these reasons, I believe USS Indianapolis and her eligible crew should be credited with a Battle Star/engagement star for the ship’s final combat engagement. Thank you for your continued leadership and I look forward to working with you to ensure that the USS Indianapolis is properly recognized for its sacrifice. ###