“Word came to abandon ship, and I made my way to the port side and got ahold of the rail. I looked out into the blackness of the night and thought, ‘Life is over. This is the end.’ And then to see all the oil on the water. You have to dive into it as the ship is sinking, which it did in 12 minutes. I often say there are times when you pray and there are times when you PRAY. There is a difference.”
The riveting (and harrowing) tale of heroism, survival and perseverance was delivered Monday by Edgar Harrell who, at age 94, is the last living Marine to survive the sinking of USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945.
With a crew of 1,196, the Indianapolis was struck by two Japanese torpedoes while sailing from Guam to Leyte, sending 900 men into the water.
In part due to the top-secret nature of their mission (delivering the atomic bomb that was eventually used against Japan), as well as a series of miscommunications, the crew was forced to endure five days of hypothermia, thirst, hunger, shark attacks, drowning, madness and a host of other horrors.
After inadvertently being spotted by American forces, they were rescued, but only 317 men survived.
Considered the worst sea disaster in U.S. Naval history, a combination of blame-shifting and scapegoating by military brass means the American public is still largely unaware of what took place.
It’s a wrong Harrell and many other survivors dedicated themselves to righting.
Hosted by Greg Poplarski, senior vice president of Allianz Global Investors, at a best-practices gathering of retirement plan professionals, Harrell’s presentation on Veterans Day was one of many he’s delivered in all parts of the country over the years.
“We typically have speakers that are very industry-specific, like [Drinker Biddle partner] Brad Campbell,” Poplarski explained. “This year we’re taking a different approach. On Veterans Day, we want to celebrate an American hero, which we’re doing with Edgar. We live in the greatest country with the greatest economy in the history of the world. But in 1945, if these men were not successful in their mission, would we have the freedoms that we have today?”
Ironically, it was Hollywood that first alerted many Americans to what had transpired.
A seminal scene from the blockbuster Jaws saw boozy good humor take a serious turn as salty sea-dog and shark hunter Quint (played by Robert Shaw) described his tattoo, which was a replica of the Indianapolis.
The terrifying and heartbreaking monologue he delivered, describing his experience, sobered his companions and gave movie-goers a glimpse into what drove his Ahab-like revenge.
Its inclusion in the film was something survivors appreciated, many of whom are still angry at what they feel was the incompetence and coverups in the investigation that followed.
The ship’s captain, Charles B. McVay, was held responsible and court-martialed as a result of the sinking, although many felt the incorrect intelligence he received was to blame. He was posthumously exonerated of any wrongdoing in 2000 but, compounding the tragedy, he committed suicide with his Navy-issued revolver in 1968.
“It was a miscarriage of justice on the part of the Navy in court-martialing a good captain,” Harrell emphatically stated in a booming baritone reminiscent of the late Paul Harvey. “They knew there were Japanese submarines in those waters, and yet they dared to send us out unescorted. They sat on their hands rather than bringing the truth of the whole matter to mind.”
Fifty years later, the archives were opened, and a joint resolution of Congress “finally got our good captain exonerated, but it was too late for him.”
Harrell owned the Pella Window Company in Rock Island, Illinois for 35 years, and now lives in Clarksville, Tennessee with his wife Ola. He credits his faith for seeing him through those dark days.
“The lord came to me through scripture, ‘I’ll never leave you, nor forsake you.’ I knew somehow, someway that I was going to endure. I made him many more promises than I’ve been able to keep, but I’ve tried to be faithful and he has so helped me.”
Together with his son, David, Harrell wrote Out of the Depths, a book about his experience, the foreword of which was contributed by Oliver North. More information on the book, Harrell and the USS Indianapolis can be found on his website at indysurvivor.com.
In a poignant postscript, the USS Indianapolis was discovered 18,044 feet below the Philippine Sea on August 19, 2017.
The expedition was led by recently-deceased Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen.
“Important chapter of WWII history concludes,” Allen wrote on Twitter of the discovery. “I hope survivors/families gain some closure.”
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.
