PUBLIC LAW 115–338—DEC. 20, 2018 132 STAT. 5033 

Public Law 115–338 

115th Congress 

An Act 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the crew of the USS Indianapolis, in recognition of their perseverance, bravery, and service to the United States. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘USS Indianapolis Congressional 

Gold Medal Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

Congress finds the following: 

(1) The Portland-class heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis 

received 10 battle stars between February 1942 and April 1945 

while participating in major battles of World War II from 

the Aleutian Islands to Okinawa. 

(2) The USS Indianapolis, commanded by Captain Charles 

Butler McVay III, carried 1,195 personnel when it set sail 

for the island of Tinian on July 16, 1945, to deliver components 

of the atomic bomb ‘‘Little Boy’’. The USS Indianapolis set 

a speed record during the portion of the trip from California 

to Pearl Harbor and successfully delivered the cargo on July 

26, 1945. The USS Indianapolis then traveled to Guam and 

received further orders to join Task Group 95.7 in the Leyte 

Gulf in the Philippines for training. During the length of the 

trip, the USS Indianapolis went unescorted. 

(3) On July 30, 1945, minutes after midnight, the USS 

Indianapolis was hit by 2 torpedoes fired by the I–58, a Japanese submarine. The resulting explosions severed the bow of 

the ship, sinking the ship in about 12 minutes. Of 1,195 personnel, about 900 made it into the water. While a few life 

rafts were deployed, most men were stranded in the water 

with only a kapok life jacket. 

(4) At 10:25 a.m. on August 2, 1945, 4 days after the 

sinking of the USS Indianapolis, Lieutenant Wilbur Gwinn 

was piloting a PV–1 Ventura bomber and accidentally noticed 

men in the water who were later determined to be survivors 

of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Lieutenant Gwinn 

alerted a PBY aircraft, under the command of Lieutenant 

Adrian Marks, about the disaster. Lieutenant Marks made 

a dangerous open-sea landing to begin rescuing the men before 

any surface vessels arrived. The USS Cecil J. Doyle was the 

first surface ship to arrive on the scene and took considerable 

risk in using a searchlight as a beacon, which gave hope to 

survivors in the water and encouraged them to make it through 

USS Indianapolis 

Congressional 

Gold Medal Act. 

31 USC 5111 

note. 

Dec. 20, 2018 

[S. 2101] 

132 STAT. 5034 PUBLIC LAW 115–338—DEC. 20, 2018 

another night. The rescue mission continued well into August 

3, 1945, and was well-coordinated and responsive once 

launched. The individuals who participated in the rescue mission conducted a thorough search, saved lives, and undertook 

the difficult job of identifying the remains of, and providing 

a proper burial for, those individuals who had died. 

(5) Only 316 men survived the ordeal and the survivors 

had to deal with severe burns, exposure to the elements, 

extreme dehydration, and shark attacks. 

(6) During World War II, the USS Indianapolis frequently 

served as the flagship for the commander of the Fifth Fleet, 

Admiral Raymond Spruance, survived a bomb released during 

a kamikaze attack (which badly damaged the ship and killed 

9 members of the crew), earned a total of 10 battle stars, 

and accomplished a top secret mission that was critical to 

ending the war. The sacrifice, perseverance, and bravery of 

the crew of the USS Indianapolis should never be forgotten. 

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

(a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall 

make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the crew 

of the USS Indianapolis, in recognition of their perseverance, 

bravery, and service to the United States. 

(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the award 

referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred 

to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike the gold medal with 

suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by 

the Secretary. 

(c) INDIANA WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the gold medal 

referred to in subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given 

to the Indiana War Memorial Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, 

where it will be displayed as appropriate and made available 

for research. 

(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 

the Indiana War Memorial Museum should make the gold 

medal received under this Act available for display elsewhere, 

particularly at other locations and events associated with the 

USS Indianapolis. 

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the 

Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 

medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the 

costs of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of 

machinery, and overhead expenses. 

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this Act are 

national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United 

States Code. 

PUBLIC LAW 115–338—DEC. 20, 2018 132 STAT. 5035 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 2101: 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 164 (2018): 

Aug. 1, considered and passed Senate. 

Dec. 12, considered and passed House. 

Æ 

(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 5134 and 

5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under 

this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

Approved December 20, 2018.