USN
Heavy Cruiser
October 1942
July 10, 1945
Sinking History
At 12:14 a.m. on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis
was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea and sank
in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 men on board, approximately 300 went down with
the ship. The remainder, about 900 men, were left floating in shark-infested
waters with no lifeboats and most with no food or water.
The ship's failure to arrive not detected at its scheduled arrival point and by the time the survivors were spotted by accident four days later by a PBY from Peleliu on August 3. Only 316 men were still alive.
