Left for Dead

Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the USSIndianapoliswas torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The ship sank in 14 minutes. More than 1,000 men were thrown into shark-infested waters. Those who survived the fiery sinkingsome injured, many without life jacketsstruggled to stay afloat in shark-infested waters as they waited for rescue. But the United States Navy did not even know they were missing. The Navy needed a scapegoat for this disaster. So it court-martialed the captain for "hazarding" his ship. The survivors of theIndianapolisknew that their captain was not to blame. For 50 years they worked to clear his name, even after his untimely death. But the navy would not budgeuntil an 11-year-old boy named Hunter Scott entered the picture. His history fair project on theIndianapolissoon became a crusade to restore the captain's good name and the honor of the men who served under him.

Pete Nelson is the author of 18 books of fiction and nonfiction and has written for numerous magazines. His most recent adult book is <i>That Others May Live</i> (Random House).