Get The Indianapolis

Harold Bray is the last living survivor of USS Indianapolis (CA-35). Click here to read more about his story and the current effort to erect a statue in his hometown that will honor Harold and his shipmates from the final sailing crew.

Approximately 300 of the 1,195 sailors died during the explosion. The rest of the sailors jumped ship, only to land in the Philippine Sea, which was full of not only salt water, but massive amounts of oil and sharks. Only 317 sailors would survive three and half days in the sea. Of those 317, two were Lebow and Bray.

However, they didn't stay eating the dead for long and the ravenous sharks soon turned their teeth towards the surviving sailors. Of the 900 who went into the water only 316 survived, and of those who died in the sinking of the Indianapolis 150 of them were eaten alive by the swarming sharks.

USS Indianapolis, U.S. Navy heavy cruiser that was sunk by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945, shortly after delivering the internal components of the atomic bombs that were later dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

The sinking of Indianapolis was the greatest loss of life from a single ship lost at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. On 19 August 2017, a search team financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen located the wreckage in the Philippine Sea lying at a depth of approximately 18,000 ft (5,500 m).

The majority of the 800-plus Sailors and Marines who went into the water, and spent 4-5 days adrift, died from wounds sustained in the torpedo explosions that sunk the ship and by drowning caused by overexposure and dehydration. Sailors and Marines survived by forming groups in the water.

On July 29, 1945, “Indy” was sailing toward her rendezvous with the fleet at a speed of 17 knots, unescorted and alone. At 0015 on July 30, the heavy cruiser was struck by two Japanese torpedoes fired from the submarine I-58.

Rick Stone, retired chief naval historian the Naval History and Heritage Command, said researchers found the names of the 13 sailors in deck logs, commanders' reports and war diaries kept by the seven ships that recovered bodies.

Hit by two torpedoes and sunk by Japanese submarine I-58, 30 July 1945.