Cover image for In harm's way : the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the extraordinary story of its survivors / Doug Stanton.
TITLE:
In harm's way : the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the extraordinary story of its survivors / Doug Stanton.
Publication Date:
2001
Publication Information:
New York : harry Holt and Company
Edition:
1st ed.
Physical Description:
333 p. : ill., map.
Summary:
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated 300 men were killed upon impact; close to 900 sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they remained undetected by the navy for nearly four days and nights. Battered by a savage sea, they struggled to stay alive, fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and dementia. By the time rescue arrived, all but 317 men had died. The captain's subsequent court-martial left many questions unanswered: How did the navy fail to realize the Indianapolis was missing? Why was the cruiser traveling unescorted in enemy waters? And perhaps most amazing of all, how did these 317 men manage to survive?Interweaving the stories of three survivors -- the captain, the ship's doctor, and a young marine -- journalist Doug Stanton has brought this astonishing human drama to life in a narrative that is at once immediate and timeless. The definitive account of a little-known chapter in World War II history, In Harm's Way is destined to become a classic tale of war, survival, and extraordinary courage.
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780805066326