INDIANAPOLIS — Many aspects of the Indianapolis City Market are deeply historical, from the Market House to the Catacombs. One such testament to the past is the statue of a gazing sailor located on the West (Whistler) Plaza, a statue of USS Indianapolis veteran and Indianapolis resident, the late James “Jimmy” O’Donnell. A vigil service, dedicated to the men of the USS Indianapolis and Jimmy O’Donnell, will be held on Fri., July 28 from 2-3 p.m.
All are welcome to attend. The City Market will mark this event as the start of an effort to raise funds necessary to erect a plaque near the Jimmy O’Donnell statue detailing the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the part O’Donnell played in that event, and his significance to the Indianapolis community.
The USS Indianapolis was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the U.S. Navy. The ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 while en route to the Philippines after delivering parts to the first atomic bomb to a base in Tinian. The ship sank in just 12 minutes on July 30, 1945, at 12:14 a.m. Of the 1,196 crewman aboard approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 900 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks, while floating with few life boats and almost no food or water. The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by a crew of PV-1 Ventura on patrol. Only 317 men survived the sinking. O’Donnell was one of them.
James E. “Jimmy” O’Donnell was a born-and-raised resident of Indianapolis, a graduate of Tech High School Class of 1938, and a Water Tender Third Class in the U.S. Navy on the USS Indianapolis. After surviving the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, O’Donnell continued serving in the Navy until 1946. O’Donnell returned to Indianapolis and continued to serve his community as an Indianapolis firefighter; he retired from department in 1981. O’Donnell and his wife Mary Alice were active parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes; he was a member of the American Legion #0495, the Disabled American Veterans, F.R.A., Amvets, the VFW, Our Lady of Fatima Council of Knights of Columbus, an honorary member of the Sertoma Club, the Firefighters’ Union, and the Stage Hands’ Union. O’Donnell passed away in January 2013.
