“Sinking of the USS Indianapolis: Disaster and Survival in WWII.”

Join the Gafney Library as we welcome NY Times best-selling author Michael Tougias present "Sinking of the USS Indianapolis
Disaster and Survival in WWII."

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 and close to 900 sailors were cast into the sea, fighting of sharks, hypothermia and hallucinations. They struggled for four days and nights and when they were finally discovered only 317 men were still alive.

Using slides, author Michael Tougias will answer the questions: Why did the Navy fail to realize the ship was missing? Why was it unescorted in enemy waters? How did the 317 men survive against all odds? Why was the captain court-martialed? Was the captain a scapegoat for the Navy’s own mistakes?

Tougias is the author of 31 books for adults and 8 for young adults. His latest books are Extreme Survival, No Will Set You Free, and The Waters Between Us.

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