70th Anniversary of the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis



Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Of the crew of about 1200, only 900 survived the initial sinking. Before they were rescued four days after the sinking, another 600 would die of exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks. Most Americans only know about this because of the movie Jaws, where Quint describes the ordeal of the sailors and Marines who survived the initial sinking. But because it was described in a movie, most people assume it is a work of fiction.

It was not.

I encourage everyone to watch the following video and hear the first hand account of a survivor of the USS Indianapolis.


2 comments:

Elise said...

Nicolas Cage is filming a movie about the USS Indianapolis. I only know this because he's filming in my area (Mobile and Baldwin Counties in Alabama). It's due for release around Labor Day 2016.

Texan99 said...

I must be very gullible! I believed the story implicitly the first time I heard Robert Shaw tell it.