In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors

Doug Stanton

May 2003 · Sold by Henry Holt and Company

About this ebook

A harrowing, adrenaline-charged account of America's worst naval disaster -- and of the heroism of the men who, against all odds, survived.

On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated 300 men were killed upon impact; close to 900 sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they remained undetected by the navy for nearly four days and nights. Battered by a savage sea, they struggled to stay alive, fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and dementia. By the time rescue arrived, all but 317 men had died. The captain's subsequent court-martial left many questions unanswered: How did the navy fail to realize the Indianapolis was missing? Why was the cruiser traveling unescorted in enemy waters? And perhaps most amazing of all, how did these 317 men manage to survive?

Interweaving the stories of three survivors -- the captain, the ship's doctor, and a young marine -- journalist Doug Stanton has brought this astonishing human drama to life in a narrative that is at once immediate and timeless. The definitive account of a little-known chapter in World War II history, In Harm's Way is destined to become a classic tale of war, survival, and extraordinary courage.

Ratings and reviews

This is an extraordinary story. The book not completely extraordinary. I think the first half of the book was so technical that it made me lose my interest in it. I didn't need to know all the little details of all the names of all the things in ship with complete and detailed description, it was just too much for somebody interested in the history but not necessarily into ships. It felt way too long because of it. Now, the second half was great, unbelievable and sad. I'm glad I stuck with it

There are several books written about this same event. I looked through several of them and it seemed to me some had an agenda. This author chose to just tell the story, and what an amazing story it was. Amazing and engaging.

This book was awesome and sad at the same time, as a former sailor I placed myself mentally in each of those sailor's shoes. A very good read!!!

About the author

A former contributing editor at Esquire and Outside, Doug Stanton is now a contributing editor at Men's Journal. He received an M.F.A. from the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan. He is the author of In Harm's Way.