Three and a Half Days
The Navy didn’t know of the ship’s sinking until survivors were spotted in the ocean three and a half days later. Now, just think of what three and a half days would be like after such a disaster, in the shark-infested ocean. Those three and half days were so intense and horrific that those who survived basically have never had a bad day since.
A ship’s bell is visible amid the wreckage of the USS Indianapolis. Photo By Navigea Ltd. R/V Petrel
Survivors of the sinking spent days bobbing in the sea, enduring sharks, the blistering sun, and dehydration. And the way they managed to survive and how they conducted themselves in those waters and even afterward is an affirmation of life. Today, only 12 of those men are still living, and each summer since 1960, they meet in Indianapolis for a reunion.