Raising the Indianapolis

Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis went down in a blaze after a Japanese torpedo attack, but some 900 sailors made it into the water alive. For five nights and four days, the men battled injuries, dehydration, insanity—and the horrifying specter of hundreds of man-eating sharks. Only 316 survived.

This harrowing minute-by-minute chronicle of the disaster also recounts the full life of the ship: her string of victories in the Pacific, her classified final mission delivering the core of the atomic bomb, and the survivors’ fifty-year fight to exonerate their skipper, who was wrongly court-martialed for the sinking.

Indianapolis is a groundbreaking naval history and a spellbinding saga of survival, sacrifice, and justice.

Review Quotes

“Valuable and illuminating. Vladic and Vincent’s work brings to life the history of this valorous and extraordinary ship.”—Doug Stanton, bestselling author of In Harm’s Way, Horse Soldiers, and The Odyssey of Echo Company

“Vincent and Vladic have rendered this long-overdue story in a way few writers of narrative nonfiction could ever achieve. They are consummate storytellers, and their research is impeccable, including accounts not only from the sailors and officers who survived, but also from the Japanese kamikaze and submarine commanders who were there. The authors reveal all that is good and all that is bad about humanity: the destruction and the courage, the selfishness and selflessness, and ultimately the shared respect and dignity of those who were once enemies. Few other books will satisfy a reader’s longing for a true and truly great story more than Indianapolis.”—Gary Kinder, bestselling author of Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea

“Our hearts quickened while racing through this page-turning book. You may think you know the story of the worst seafaring disaster in the history of the United States Navy. You would be wrong. As Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic’s propulsive narrative segues from wartime action-adventure to riveting courtroom drama, their newly unearthed mountain of details will not only enhance your understanding of the courage, sacrifice, and dedication of the American sailors so evocatively portrayed in Indianapolis, but shine a light on their dogged pursuit of truth and justice. It is astonishingly rare when such a significant work of history also brings tears to your eyes. Vincent and Vladic’s ultimate tale of redemption accomplishes just that feat.”—Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, bestselling co-authors of Halsey’s Typhoon, The Heart of Everything That Is, and Valley Forge

“This is a brilliant, highly readable, and ultimately groundbreaking account of a proud ship’s life and times, not simply a rendering of her tragic ending. Absolutely superb.”—James Stavridis, U.S. Navy Admiral (Ret.), Supreme Allied Commander at NATO (2009-2013), and Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

“This is an absorbing book. The attention to detail is superb, the clear result of lots of plain hard work. Yet the detail doesn’t get in the way, but rather serves, along with a driving narrative, to get the reader as close to experiencing this most tragic episode of World War II as is possible without living through it.”—Karl Marlantes, bestselling author of Matterhorn

“The voices of the Greatest Generation come alive in Indianapolis. Through first-person accounts we hear horrific stories of fear, pain, and anger but also of resilience, hope, and courage. Stories of the friendships the sailors forged with each other on board and the sacrifices they made for each other in their darkest hours are inspirational. Ultimately, Indianapolis is about the sacrifice these men made for our country at a time of unparalleled risk and of their lifelong search for justice for the captain of their ship. It’s a beautifully told and incredibly detailed narrative that brings this famous disaster to life.” —Kate Andersen Brower, bestselling author of The Residence and First Women

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