USS Indianapolis survivors reunite 70 years later

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – About a dozen of the men who were aboard the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945, are back together after the ship they were on was attacked by the Japanese Navy.

There were 1,196 people aboard the ship when it was attacked. Of those, about 900 made it into the water in the 12 minutes before the ship sank.

USMC Edgar Harrell, a USS Indianapolis survivor who turns 91 years old in October, said, “We literally swam with the sharks for four-and-a-half days. I can take you through those all four days.” He added, “Of the 317 that survived, only 31 of us, I think, are still living and I believe there are 13 or 14 of us here today.”

Harrell was referring to the number of survivors who attended the survivors reunion at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis.

James Belcher, Jr., the son of USS Indianapolis survivor James Belcher, Sr., said, “It’s closure for a lot of the guys. First and foremost, the living survivors who are here it’s closure for them. It’s a time for them to remember and pay some respect and honor to the 880 boys who didn’t come home.”

For more information on the USS Indianapolis Survivors Reunion click here.