In Harm's Way The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors

Now available for the first time in trade paperback, the bestselling account of America's worst naval disaster-and of the heroism of the men who, against all odds, survivedOn July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated three hundred men were killed upon impact; close to nine hundred sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they struggled to stay alive, battered by a savage sea and fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and dementia. By the time help arrived-nearly four days and nights later-all but 317 men had died. How did the navy fail to realize the Indianapolis was missing? Why was the cruiser traveling unescorted in enemy waters? And 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 this harrowing chapter of World War II history-already a bestseller in its hardcover and mass market editions-In Harm's Way is a classic tale of war, survival, and extraordinary courage.

A former contributing editor at Esquire, Outside, and Men’s Journal, Doug Stanton received an M.F.A. from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan.