S.Res. 197 — Introduced in Senate

III 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 197 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 17, 2013 Mr. Murphy submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Recommending the posthumous award of the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Thomas M. Conway of Waterbury, Connecticut. Whereas, on July 16, 1945, the USS Indianapolis departed San Francisco carrying the trigger and radioactive core for the atomic bomb Little Boy, destined to be dropped on Hiroshima; Whereas upon completing its delivery mission to Tinian Island on July 26, the USS Indianapolis proceeded to Okinawa in order to join a larger naval fleet in preparation for an invasion of the Japanese mainland; Whereas in the early hours of July 30, the USS Indianapolis was critically damaged by 2 torpedoes from a Japanese submarine; Whereas the USS Indianapolis sunk as a result of the damage, killing some 300 of the 1,196 sailors aboard; Whereas most of the estimated 900 survivors relied only on their kapok life jackets and belts and some did not even have that equipment; Whereas Lieutenant (Chaplain) Thomas M. Conway and the rest of the remaining crew were set adrift in the shark-infested waters with no way of further notifying Navy command; Whereas with complete disregard for his own safety, Lieutenant Conway swam back and forth among terrified crew members, administered aid to them, dragged loners back to the growing mass of survivors, organized prayer groups, and urged the increasingly dehydrated and delirious men not to give up hope of rescue; Whereas Lieutenant Conway expired on the third day, shortly before the remaining 321 sailors were rescued after being spotted by Navy pilots; Whereas the sinking of the USS Indianapolis was the single greatest loss of life at sea in the history of the Navy; Whereas the successful completion of the mission of the USS Indianapolis was critical to ending World War II; and Whereas Lieutenant Conway risked his own life in order to retrieve fellow sailors and went from lifeboat to lifeboat in shark-infested waters to tend to the dying and dispirited, acting in a manner far above the call of duty: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate— (1) honors Lieutenant Conway for his heroics, which were above reproach, reflect great credit upon himself, and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Navy; (2) recognizes that the courageous and selfless actions of Lieutenant Conway saved the lives of many of his fellow sailors; (3) concurs that the actions of Lieutenant Conway are in the spirit and tradition of the Navy Cross; and (4) recommends that Lieutenant Conway posthumously be awarded the Navy Cross.