Today marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped by the United States on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Commemorations are being made around the world. Such moments provide a powerful opportunity to reflect on what happened in the past, and to teach the next generation about the history—and the meaning of the history—of such events.
One story related to the Hiroshima event is the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, a U.S. Navy cruiser that delivered key component parts and enriched uranium to the island of Tinian at the end of July. The crew did not know what they were delivering, but given the nature of the secrecy and the rush of the assignment, they had an idea that something important was delivered. The materials finished the “Little Boy” atomic bomb that dropped less than two weeks later.
But what happened to the Indianapolis? As it left Tinian and headed for her next port, a Japanese submarine spotted it at night and hit the cruiser with torpedoes around midnight on July 30. The ship sunk in 12 minutes, and around 300 of the crew died at that time. However, nearly 900 were left floating in the Pacific Ocean.
Because of the top-secret nature of the ship’s mission and some miscues by the U.S. Navy, the men were not discovered for 3 1/2 days. By that time, only 321 men were rescued. The remainder had succumbed to their initial wounds from the torpedoes, hypothermia, dehydration and sharks.
Do you remember the crusty old seaman, Quint, from the original “Jaws” movie? In the story, he was one of the survivors of the Indianapolis.
An excerpt from Quint’s famous monologue:
Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, chief. It was comin’ back, from the island of Tinian to Laytee, just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in twelve minutes. Didn’t see the first shark for about a half an hour. … So, eleven hundred men went in the water, three hundred and sixteen men come out, the sharks took the rest…Anyway, we delivered the bomb.
That is a memorable retelling of the event from the lips of a fictional character.
But if you want to read an account of those days in the water, written by an actual survivor of the ordeal, then read Out of the Depths: An Unforgettable WWII Story of Survival, Courage, and the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis.
It is written by two Christian gentlemen who are friends of mine, Edgar Harrell (the Marine who survived the sinking) and his son, David Harrell.
Mr. Harrell opens with these words:
“Every survivor of war has stories to tell—stories of triumph and tragedy, faith and fear—stories like mine, where fact is often stranger than fiction. Since that fateful night in 1945 when I stepped off a sinking ship into the unknown depths of the Pacific Ocean, there has never been a day when I have not reflected upon the horrors I experienced in the four and a half days of swimming in shark-infested waters. However, while those frightening memories remain vivid in my mind’s eye, one memory eclipses them all-namely, the unfailing presence of God that sustained me.”
I read the entire book aloud to my sons—they loved it. Then, a few months later, we met up with Mr. Harrell on Memorial Day, as he stood next to the memorial to the U.S.S. Indianapolis—located in the downtown area of the city the ship was named after. He stood there telling the story of his fallen comrades as dozens of people stopped to listen. There were moist eyes throughout the crowd.
As we are now 70 years removed from the end of World War II, with each passing year there will be fewer opportunities to thank a veteran of that war. Look for opportunities to do so, and also to veterans of all of our armed conflicts.
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