Although it has more recently been the name of an attack submarine, the USS Indianapolis is most associated with the World War II ship that was lost just days before the end of the war, and the harrowing story of those who survived.
Just after
Although it has more recently been the name of an attack submarine, the USS Indianapolis is most associated with the World War II ship that was lost just days before the end of the war, and the harrowing story of those who survived.
Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the Indianapolis, carrying 1,197 sailors and Marines, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The heavy cruiser, on its way back to the Philippines after delivering components for the atomic bomb, went down in about 12 minutes.
About 900 crewmen survived the sinking. Some were in lifeboats, but most bobbed in the water with only life jackets.
Before the ship went down, radio operators sent distress signals to alert the Navy of its fate and position. But in one of the the many controversies over the incident, the messages were not received or went unnoticed in the days just before the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. One soldier later claimed he delivered the message and that Navy brass ignored it.
Whatever the cause, there was no search, and the men floated in the open ocean for nearly five days. Many died of exposure, thirst or were drowned, and others were attacked by sharks.
Finally, on Aug. 2, the men were spotted by accident. On anti-submarine patrol, Lt. Chuck Gwinn spotted the wreckage of the Indianapolis and radioed the military base on Palau, an island in the Pacific Ocean. Three hours later, a Catalina PB-Y fl