What was Tinian?

The island of Tinian, located 1,500 miles from the Japanese mainland, was retaken from the Empire of Japan in August 1944 and served as the departure point for American bombing raids, first those that used napalm to incinerate whole city blocks, then as the departure points for both the Enola Gay and Bockscar’s fateful missions. Tinian was also the final destination of the USS Indianapolis before its sinking by Japanese torpedoes, the worst single incident of loss of life in the U.S. Navy’s history.