Last updated on March 25th, 2023 at 06:45 pm
In 1945, World War II was still raging in the Pacific. Though Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8 and the Italians on April 29, Japan still fought in the Pacific Theater. It was a brutal effort that tested the mettle of ordinary soldiers.
The Americans wanted a quick end to the war, and they finally created a bomb that they believed would do it. This weapon was so top secret that it had to be assembled on Tinian Island in the Marianas.
Some of the uranium was transported by plane, but some were transported aboard ships like the USS Indianapolis.
The mission of the USS Indianapolis on July 26 was to deliver a vital component of the bomb to Tinian, which it accomplished. By July 28, they had a new mission: to join the USS Idaho in the Philippines to prepare for an invasion of Japan.
The ship traveled unescorted on July 30 in the Philippine Sea at 17 knots per hour. Then, just after midnight, two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine hit the ship and effectively ripped the Indianapolis in two. In 12 minutes, the ship sank to the bottom of the sea, taking 300 men down with her.
For the remaining 879 men still alive in the water, it was only the beginning of a brutal fight for survival in the open sea. The event would be known as the worst shark attack in history.
Water, Water Everywhere
When daylight came, the survivors assessed their situation. Oil and blood colored the water, and there were too few lifeboats for 879 men.
Some didn’t even have life vests. They were forced to take the vests of the dead, which had begun floating around them.
They were in open water, surrounded by the scent of blood and the dead, in an area where dangerous sharks were known to thrive. The men knew they had to organize themselves to survive. Many scrambled to gather those who were floating in the waters.
The Philippines has one of the highest shark diversities in the world, with more than 200 species living in its waters. Of the species found in these waters, white-tipped sharks are the most aggressive, along with tiger sharks and bull sharks.
White-tipped sharks often attack prey near the water’s surface and are easily excited by the smell of blood. Tiger sharks and bull sharks are apex predators and will eat anything. Once the scent of blood is upon them, they attack.
It was only a matter of time before the men realized that the explosions, their thrashing on the surface, and the scent of blood had attracted sharks.
They Came for the Dead First
The sharks first came for the dead. For a time, many survivors were thankful that the animals focused on the floating corpses instead of them. However, since there were few lifeboats, many had to stay afloat and bob on the surface, holding on to the edge of their life rafts.
The survivors knew that their only chance was to stay in large groups. Many of them had wounds and were covered in oil, with sharks circling just below their feet. They were waiting for anyone to show signs of weakness, and then they would attack.
But the sharks were only one of their problems. They had no food, water, or way to treat their wounded. Soon, many succumbed to exposure and thirst, and many began to experience hallucinations.
These hallucinations made the men let go of the life rafts. Once a man was separated from the group, the sharks would attack and go on a feeding frenzy.
The men watched helplessly as their friends were dragged down into the deep, and in a few minutes, only the life vest would float on the bloody waters.
