July 29, 1945. After delivering the atomic bomb to Tinian Island, the American cruiser Indianapolis was headed for Okinawa to train for the invasion of Japan when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Of 1,196 crew members, more than 350 were immediately killed in the explosion or went down with the ship. There were no rescue ships nearby, and those fortunate enough to survive endured the next 84 hours in ocean waters. By thetime they were spotted by air on Aug 2, only 318 sailors remained alive,the others having either drowned or been eaten by sharks. This is the US Navys worst loss at sea.

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