Name: Wilbur Melvin BOTT
Rank / Rating: S2-Seaman Second Class
Service #: 314 94 10
DOB: Apr 27, 1927
From: Breckenridge, MI
Parents: Mr and Mrs Lawrence Bott
Went Aboard: Jun 23, 1945
Age When Ship Went Down: 18 years, 3 months, 3 days
Spouse:
Children:
Grandchildren:
Bio Submitted By: Patricia Stephens and Carl Fahnestock (Admins)
Date Posted:

Wilbur was the son of Mr and Mrs Lawrence Bott of near Wheeler, MI. He had two sisters, Mrs. Emma Rowley of Rockford, IL and Carol Bott and seven brothers, Laurel, Forrest and Norris, LaVerne, Clare, Ronald and Arlin Bott. In 1940, the family was living in Lafayette, Gratiot, Michigan.

Wilbur was received at Great Lakes Naval Training Station on March 25, 1945, from the Naval Recruiting Station, Detroit. While at Great Lakes he was advanced from AS (Apprentice Seaman) to S2c (Seaman 2nd class) on May 24, 1945. After basic training Wilbur was transferred to USN Shoemaker, CA Distribution Center on June 12, 1945. On June 23, 1945 he was transferred. The following day he was received aboard USS Indianapolis CA-35. He was only 18 years old and this was his first time on a ship. He was onboard on July 16, 1945, when Indy left Mare Island, CA, on a secret mission to deliver components of the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. After delivering the secret cargo to Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands, he must have be relieved that things would be back to normal on board. Only four days later Wilbur was lost at sea when Indianapolis was sunk from two torpedoes fired by Japanese submarine I-58. His 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 1983, Wilbur's brother, Forrest, requested a government issued memorial marker for Wilbur. The flat bronze marker was placed in Ridgelawn Cemetery, Breckenridge, MI. MICHIGAN MEMORIAL PLAQUE See photographs (posted below) to view a copy of a memorial plaque that was dedicated circa 1946 to honor seventy-two (72) State of Michigan men who served on USS Indianapolis CA-35 and who were Lost At Sea. Wilbur Melvin BOTT's name is listed on the plaque! Per the caption on one of the photos, the plaque was originally planned in 1946 for display at a proposed Detroit Civic Center. The plaque was initially displayed at the Detroit Naval Post VFW #233. However, the plaque had vanished for decades, fueling rumors of theft, being melted for scrap, or hidden away in a private basement. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Jeff Ortiz (nephew of LAS Y3 Orlando Ortiz) and Joni Deaver (cousin of LAS sailor S2c Charles Roof Jr.), this priceless piece of history has been re-discovered in the Detroit Historical Society storage basement in Michigan. One of the photos shows Jeff Ortiz and Ralph McNabb (nephew of LAS F2 Thomas McNabb, Jr) standing behind the very dusty plaque as it was found.