Iowa House adopts resolution honoring Iowans who served on USS Indianapolis

The Iowa House on the floor adopted House Resolution 114 to honor Iowans who were killed in or survived the attack on the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945. Representative Barker, sponsor of the resolution, moved for final reading and the chamber approved the measure by voice vote.

The resolution recites the ship’s service record and the circumstances of the sinking. It notes the Indianapolis had been accepted and commissioned in 1932 and served as flagship of the Fifth Fleet under Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. The text records that the ship was struck by torpedoes and sank rapidly after an explosion split the hull.

The resolution memorializes the scale of the loss and the rescue: of the 1,195 men aboard, roughly 900 made it into the water within minutes of the sinking; survivors were attacked by sharks and remained adrift until rescue, with 316 survivors removed from the water after they were discovered by a routine anti‑submarine patrol.

The measure lists 34 Iowans who were aboard when the ship went down and names the four Iowans the resolution records as having survived: Seaman First Class Charles O. Wells of Comanche; Seaman Second Class Lehi Laverne Milbrot of Akron; Electrician’s Mate Second Class Edward Chris Koch of Denison; and Seaman First Class Robert H. Brundage of Des Moines.

Representative Barker said the chamber had significant cosponsorship for the measure and asked members to join in honoring the lives and service of the Iowans connected to the ship. The chair called for the ayes and nays; after members replied, the chair stated, "the ayes do have it," and the resolution was approved.

The resolution’s adoption on the House floor is a formal recognition by the chamber; no further legislative action was recorded on the measure during the session.