America at War: The Tragedy of the USS Indianapolis

In July 1945, the USS Indianapolis completed a top-secret mission to deliver uranium and other components for the first atomic bomb to Tinian. On their way to the Philippines on July 30, the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sank in 12 minutes. Of 1,195 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 890 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks while stranded in the open ocean with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy only learned of the sinking four days later, when survivors were spotted by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. Join Duane E. Shaffer for a discussion of this naval tragedy.