A human drama unlike any other—the riveting and definitive full story of the worst sea disaster in United States naval history.
Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, days after delivering the components of the atomic bomb from California to the Pacific Islands in the most highly classified naval mission of the war, USS Indianapolis is sailing alone in the center of the Philippine Sea when she is struck by two Japanese torpedoes. The ship is instantly transformed into a fiery cauldron and sinks within minutes. Some 300 men go down with the ship. Nearly 900 make it into the water alive. For the next five nights and four days, almost three hundred miles from the nearest land, the men battle injuries, sharks, dehydration, insanity, and eventually each other. Only 316 will survive.
Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man by Lynn Vincent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an excellent account of the USS Indianapolis crew and mission which ultimately transpired into a series of events that resulted in the sinking of the ship after having sustained torpedo hits just after midnight on July 30, 1945. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
The story was told in a semi-chronological fashion and included incredible detail of tactical information and personal testimonies. The narrative included points of views from survivors telling about their own experiences as the tragedies unfolded. This made for raw and accurate story telling. It was a heavy-hearted read for me. It was very well-researched and I appreciated the maps, photos, and the telling of commemoratives that took place to honor these men.
