USS Indianapolis sinking: 'You could see sharks circling'

When USS Indianapolis was hit by Japanese torpedoes in the final weeks of WWII, hundreds of crewmen jumped into the water to escape the burning ship. Surrounded by sharks, they waited for a response to their SOS. But no one had been sent to look for them.

In late July 1945, USS Indianapolis had been on a special secret mission, delivering parts of the first atomic bomb to the Pacific Island of Tinian where American B-29 bombers were based. Its job done, the warship, with 1,197 men on board, was sailing west towards Leyte in the Philippines when it was attacked.

The first torpedo struck, without warning, just after midnight on 30 July 1945. A 19-year-old seaman, Loel Dean Cox, was on duty on the bridge. Now 87, he recalls the moment when the torpedo hit...

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Reegor said:

Years ago, I read a novel by a pretty well-known writer, which was a fictionalized account of the Indianapolis and its sinking. It was told entirely from the viewpoint of the enlisted men, and was very eye-opening about what enlisted life was like on WW II warships. The account of the survivors in the water was horrifying.
Unfortunately, I can't recall the title or author. It was not Herman Wouk, but like Wouk it was clear that the author had been in the Navy.

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