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
PL 115-338 (S.2101), enacted 12/20/2018

132 STAT. 5033 
PUBLIC LAW 115–338—DEC. 20, 2018 
Public Law 115–338 
115th Congress 
An Act 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the crew of the USS Indianap-
olis, 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 Japa-
nese submarine. The resulting explosions severed the bow of 
the ship, sinking the ship in about 12 minutes. Of 1,195 per-
sonnel, 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] 
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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 mis-
sion 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 Rep-
resentatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall 
make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Con-
gress, 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. 
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132 STAT. 5035 
PUBLIC LAW 115–338—DEC. 20, 2018 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 2101: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 164 (2018): 
Aug. 1, considered and passed Senate. 
Dec. 12, considered and passed House. 
(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. 
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