World War II Vet Recounts Sinking of USS Indianapolis-- Part 3

John Heller remembers: "I was sleeping on deck near the guns and the deck got so hot that I burned my feet. I grabbed a life vest and ended up in the water as the ship began to list. We watched as she drifted away, listing heavily to one side. Then she went straight up and then straight down." //// No one noticed that the Indianapolis had failed to arrive at her station in Leyte Gulf. Days later, Navy planes hunting for subs followed a ship's oil slick and found the survivors scattered over 200 square miles of araea. //// Of the 60 survivors who went into the water in Heller's group, only 18 were alive five days later. //// Today, only 41 are still alive (probably fewer now since the article is from February 2012). They meet in Indianapolis for a reunion every two years. A book was written about the ship, "USS Indianapolis (CA-35): Only 317 Survived." //// --GreGen