The Definitive Account of the U.S. Navy's Greatest Tragedy and the Decades-Long Fight for Justice On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea. In just twelve minutes, America's Portland-class cruiser-fresh from delivering components of the atomic bomb that would end World War II-vanished beneath the waves. Of the 1,195 souls aboard, approximately 900 survived the sinking. Then the real nightmare began. For four days and five nights, survivors floated in shark-infested waters under the scorching Pacific sun. No distress signal had been sent. No one knew they were missing. As dehydration, madness, and oceanic whitetip sharks claimed victim after victim, one of the most harrowing survival stories in maritime history unfolded. When rescue finally came, only 316 men remained alive. But the tragedy didn't end there. In a shocking miscarriage of justice, the Navy court-martialed Captain Charles McVay III-the only U.S. Navy captain prosecuted for losing his ship in combat during World War II. The survivors knew their captain was a scapegoat for the Navy's own failures. It would take them over 50 years to clear his name. This comprehensive history reveals: - The minute-by-minute account of the Indianapolis's sinking and why no rescue came for four days - Firsthand survivor testimonies of unimaginable horror and extraordinary heroism in the water - The systemic intelligence failures and bureaucratic negligence that caused unnecessary deaths - Captain McVay's controversial court-martial and the Navy's cover-up of its own culpability - The survivors' five-decade battle for justice, culminating in Congressional exoneration - Paul Allen's 2017 discovery of the wreck at 18,000 feet, bringing closure to families From Presidential flagship to atomic bomb courier, from decorated warship to underwater tomb, the Indianapolis served with distinction throughout WWII only to meet a tragic end through human failure. More than a military history, this is a profound story of: Leadership under impossible circumstances The limits of human endurance Institutional failure and the courage to demand accountability The bonds forged between men facing death The long pursuit of truth and justice This definitive account ensures that the 879 men who perished and the 316 who survived will never be forgotten. Their story-terrible, inspiring, and ultimately redemptive-stands as both a memorial to their sacrifice and a warning about the cost of institutional failure. Order now to discover the full truth about America's worst naval disaster and the men who endured the unendurable.