USS Indianapolis Survivor John Heller Dies-- Part 1

From the April 12, 2014, Detroit Free Press "Michigan vet who survived naval disaster honored as hero with kind heart" by Robert Allen. //// After writing the last several entries on John Heller and his experiences on the USS Indianapolis, I decided to see if there were any other articles about him. I was very sorry to se that he had died on April 2nd. //// John Thomas Heller, 86, died of natural causes April 2, 2014. A memorial service was held at Big Beaver United Methodist Church in Troy, Michigan. //// In 1945, he was just 17 and the youngest crewmember of te heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis which was sunk by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945, after delivering the components for the atom bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. //// The ship sank in just 12 minutes. Of its crew of 1,197, 910 went into the sea. By the time they were rescued five days later, after dehydration and sharks, just 317 were still alive. Since the ship had been on a top secret mission, it was not noticed to be missing except by accident. //// --GreGen