The Sharks of the USS Indianapolis
In July 1945, the USS Indianapolis was returning from delivering uranium for the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 (‘Little Boy’), bound for the Leyte Gulf in the Philippines to prepare for the invasion of Japan. En route, it was hit by two torpedoes from the Japanese submarine I-58. It took only twelve minutes to sink, killing 296 sailors instantly. 900 survivors were left floating in the Pacific, awaiting rescue. But things would only get worse, for within the water were hundreds of hungry sharks.
With few lifeboats available, many survivors had to resort to plundering dead comrades for their life jackets or clinging onto those who had one. The night was cold, and the survivors had to pray that hypothermia would not set in. With the welcome arrival of dawn came the sharks. Attracted by the sound of explosions, the canny creatures began consuming the lifeless bodies of the brave sailors. When this supply of food was exhausted, they turned their attention to the survivors bobbing helplessly on the surface. All hell broke loose.
As more and more sharks arrived, frenzied by the scent of blood, the groups of survivors could only watch as the men next to them were attacked and consumed in a flurry of briny froth and blood. The chief suspect amongst shark species, the Oceanic whitetip, is known for attacking near the surface, and so there was no escape from the spectacle. Desperately trying to stay alive, some sailors opened a can of Spam from their salvaged rations, but this only attracted the sharks further, and they had no choice but to give their only food to their assailants.
Shockingly, the crew of the USS Indianapolis were stranded in the water for four days, during which there was no let-up from the frenzied sharks. Suffering from delirium, hunger, thirst, and the extremes of scorching days and freezing nights, some even committing suicide, the helpless survivors could only wait and pray for rescue. Finally, help arrived in the form of a navy plane, which radioed for help. Receiving the call, Lieutenant Adrian Marks had a panoramic view of the stranded sailors being picked off one-by-one by sharks, and disobeyed orders to land his plane and begin the rescue.
It is impossible to say how many of the nine-hundred men were eaten by sharks, as opposed to hypothermia, exposure to the sun, or thirst. The nebulous statistic we have is that only 317 survived four days adrift in the Pacific. Researchers have estimated that between a few dozen and 150 sailors were killed and eaten by the sharks. What we can be certain of, however, is that few can understand the horror of seeing their fellow men eaten by sharks or the great fear that they might be next. See also the Battle of Ramree Island below.