As the war was coming to an end, he pressured his parents, Ralph and Mary Neubauer, to allow him to enlist in the Navy. He needed their consent because he was only 17 years old. His father reluctantly agreed and signed the necessary paperwork.
He enlisted at Milwaukee and arrived at the Navy Training Center, Great Lakes, IL, on Jan 27, 1945. While at boot camp, Dick was advanced from AS (Apprentice Seaman) to S2c (Seaman 2nd class) on April 12th. On April 23rd he was transferred to the Navy Training and Distribution Center at Shoemaker, CA. He likely traveled by train to CA where he arrived on April 27th. His time at Shoemaker would be brief before he traveled to Mare Island, Vallejo, CA, for his first duty assignment on board USS Indianapolis CA-35.
Indianapolis had limped several thousand miles back to Mare Island for repairs from a kamikaze attack off Okinawa on Mar 31, 1945. She arrived at San Francisco, then forwarded to Mare Island on May 2, 1945. In addition to repairs, the ship would be overhauled, refitted and painted over the next two-and-a-half months.
On May 12, 1945, Dick saw his ship for the first time, but it was not what he expected to see. She was not in the water. Indianapolis was resting on massive wooden keel blocks designed specifically for her hull and labeled with her name. Yard workers were busy repairing two holes in the bottom of her keel as well as one on her deck on the port quarter that had been temporarily repaired by USS Clamp ARS-33 at Kerama Retto. Additional emergency repairs had been performed at Guam and needed expert attention by the yard workers.
Dick walked the gangway and was granted permission to come aboard. He found only a small crew of enlisted men and officers present. Most of the ship's complement had been moved to housing at the Mare Island Navy Yard and due likely to the need for repairs to an enlisted berthing compartment and mess hall, as well as general repairs and refitting. It is not known if Dick remained on board. He was one of 76 new crewmmembers who reported aboard May 12, 1945. Many seasoned crewmen had been transferred to other ships, shore installations or were discharged from service and all needed to be replaced. In addition, other crewmembers were away on furlough or attending training schools to advance their skills for further rate and rating advancement. It was a time of organized chaos for the crew.
Even in dry dock, Indianapolis was impressive. While not as large as a battleship, she was huge with a length of 610 ft. (202 yards) and a beam of 66 ft. A destroyer was 240 ft., 80 yards shorter than Indy. Her height towered 133 ft. from her waterline to the top of her radar antennae. Upon seeing the ship for the first time, other crewmembers had described her as the most beautiful ship they had ever seen. No doubt Dick was in awe of his new home as he envisioned time on the high seas in this famed veteran of WWII. However, his first trip to sea would be delayed for several weeks.
Dick would spend time learning his new duties with the deck crew and performing routine assignments. It is likely he assisted in a job he had not considered when he enlisted - scraping rust, years of old paint and repainting! Inside and out, Indy would be coated with new paint.
It was not all work and no play for Dick. He was likely granted shore leave to enjoy Vallejo, CA. Mare Island was the oldest Navy Yard on the west coast and at the height of the war employed over 41,000 men and women. The streets were lined with all the merchandise, food, beverage and entertainment anyone could want. At such a young age, this overcrowded bustling place would be an eye-opening experience for Dick. If time allowed, San Francisco was only 20 miles to the northeast and was a popular place to visit.
On June 22, 1945, Indianapolis was floated from dry dock. The enlisted crew moved from the barracks at the navy yard back to the ship. Their time on board would be spent assisting yard workers with repairs and attending to everyday duties and upkeep. Each division had a job to do and no one was exempt.
Despite the continuing repairs and chaos on board, Capt. McVay announced there would be a "open house" for the ship on July 4th. Most families and friends of crewmembers had only seen the ship from a distance and would now be granted a full tour. The crew and visitors were served cake and ice cream and children were given balloons. After the event, families had picnics and barbecues and some men with no family present joined them. Other men chose to enjoy their time in town. Fireworks filled the skies that night. Any homesickness felt by Dick was surely eased by the events of the day.
With the joy of the holiday still being remembered, on July 12th Capt. McVay received a sudden order to ready his crew and ship for departure from Mare Island in four days - no later than July 16, 1945. No reason for the departure was given. Men on furlough were ordered to return to the ship immediately and men were ordered to return from training schools.
In addition to the 76 new crewmembers who came aboard the same day as Dick, almost 200 more had been assigned to the ship while at Mare Island. These men composed almost one-quarter of the ship's complement and most, like Dick, were straight from boot camp and had never been to sea.
Capt. McVay knew the new crewmembers needed a refresher course and additional training before departing, but time allowed for only one overnight trip off California for this purpose as well as an abbreviated sea trial. The exercises included speed runs, emergency turns, full backdown as well as radar, radio and fire control procedures. Dick was likely overwhelmed by this crash course at sea, but was thankful that the seas were calm.
The next morning, before daylight, Indy put back into Mare Island. McVay disembarked for a meeting in San Francisco where he would receive his final sailing orders.
The ship was to depart Mare Island that day for Hunter's Point Navy Yard at San Francisco where top-secret cargo would be brought aboard for delivery to the island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands. Time was of the essence in delivering the cargo and the ship was to proceed at top speed with only a brief stop at Pearl Harbor to refuel. McVay was not told the contents of the cargo, so no one else on board knew either.
In the early morning hours of July 16, 1945, Indy prepared to depart Hunter's Point and by 8:30 a.m. she was outside San Francisco harbor. Over the PA system, Capt. McVay ordered the crew to stay clear of the forward part of the main deck because the speed of the ship could cause large waves to break over the bow.
A few hours later, Indy hit rough seas with swells of fifteen feet. Even with a slight reduction in speed, with each wave the ship rose then suddenly slammed into the troughs with a violent jarring accompanied by a roll from side-to-side. The old salts on board had experienced a much worse ride, but Dick was not likely reassured by their calmness and secretly feared for his life.
The weather improved the next day and the screws of the four massive engines were pushing the ship along at an average of 29 knots. Indy shuttered as she plowed through the warm water with her engines almost at their limits.
High speed did not deter Capt. McVay from taking the opportunity to train his crew. He ordered General Quarters where all men were to immediately report to their assigned battle stations. A live-ammunition drill was conducted. The firing of the 8-inch guns was described by Ensign Blum: "I thought the front of our ship was coming off since the turret from which the guns protruded tipped way back and the deck under the muzzles formed waves in the deck. There was a lot of recoil and I felt the whole ship jump sideways. I wore earmuffs and still the noise was deafening." This was an experience that Dick would not be able to describe adequately to his family and friends. Since they were not there, how could he make them understand what a harrowing trial he had endured. He could not have imaged that he would never have the chance to tell his story.
Indy arrived safely and after the delivery of her cargo she departed Tinian. After a short stop at Apra Harbor, Guam, she sailed on July 27th bound for Leyte, her final destination. On July 30th, about half-way to Leyte, Indianapolis was struck by two torpedoes from Japanese submarine I-58 and sank in 12 minutes. It is unknown if Dick was one of the approximately 900 men who made it off the ship and into the water.
He had served in the Navy for only 2 months and 18 days at the time of his death. He was still only 17 years old.
He shared many letters home with his sister, Dee, which showed the closeness of their relationship. Today, these cherished letters remain in the family. Mary Ellen Edwards, Dick's niece, stated that his death "deeply affected the lives of my grandparents for the rest of their lives."
Richard Neubauer's name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Philippines. He was awarded the Purple Heart, posthumously.
In 2001, the crew of Indianapolis was awarded a Navy Unit Commendation for their service "in transporting the components of the atomic bomb from Hunter's Point Navy Yard, CA, to Tinian, July 1945 to 26 July 1945."
On July 30, 2020, The Congressional Gold Medal was award to the final sailing crew of USS Indianapolis during a virtual ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the sinking. The medal "recognizes a fighting ship’s crew, one that helped end the most terrible war this world has ever known," Bill Toti stated. He called the crewmembers "among the best the United States Navy has to offer."
Bravo Zulu, Dick. You are not forgotten.
Source CreditsUSN, Official Records, Application for Enlistment of Richard (n) Neubauer, Milwaukee, WI.
USN WWII Muster Rolls, 1938-1949; Ancestry database
USN Ships, Stations and Other Naval Activities, 1939-1949; Ancestry database
USN USS Indianapolis CA-35 Final Sailing List, 17 Aug 1945; Ancestry database
Navy Department, Casualty Section, Office of Public Information (1946): Combat Connected Naval Casualties, WWII, by States; Vol. MY-WY; WI, p. 15; citing parents of Richard Neubauer.
Newcomb, Richard F. (2001) Abandon Ship!: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the Navy’s Greatest Sea Disaster. Introduction and afterword by Peter Maas. Harper Collins Publishers.
Moore, Katherine D. (1991). Goodbye Indy Maru. Lori Publications, Knoxville, TN.
Department of the Navy, Office of the Secretary, NAVY PENTAGON, WASHINGTON, D.C.; 1650; Ser NDBDM/0409; dated 30 Jan 2001. Signed by Robert B. Pirie, Jr., Secretary of the Navy, Acting; citing awarding of Navy Unit Commendation.
Hulver, Richard A. A Grave Misfortune: The USS Indianapolis Tragedy (p. 330). Kindle Edition. Citing Navy Unit Commendation.
Navy Times; Congress awards its highest honor to WWII crew of USS Indianapolis, Matthew Daly, The Associated Press, 2 Aug 2020.
Rank / Rating: S2-Seaman Second Class
ABBOTT, George Stanley 
FRONTINO, Vincent Fred 
AMICK, Homer Irwin