(weapons blasting) - [Narrator] During the Second World War, some of the most devastating naval battles were fought.

In both the Atlantic and Pacific, control of the high seas were deemed critical to winning the war.

Undoubtedly, the most devastating naval disaster of the war was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

But the greatest US naval tragedy ever to take place on the high seas, occurred on a warm July morning just days before the end of the conflict.

It involved a Japanese submarine captained by Mochitsura Hashimoto, and the Navy's heavy cruiser, the Indianapolis.

Just a few days earlier, the Indianapolis had completed possibly the most important mission of the war.

It carried parts of the atomic bomb to Guam.

So the ship which would help bring the war to a swift end, would itself come to sudden destruction.

Its crew numbered over 1,100.

After being hit by torpedoes, it's estimated that over 800 men were forced into the water.

Hoosier, James O'Donald, was aboard the Indianapolis on that fateful night.

He was asleep on the deck when the torpedoes hit.

- Just like if you've ever been in an earthquake or anything and felt the whole thing just jump up and down, it did that about three times.

And when it woke you up, of course, right away, and I looked forward and all you could see was a big flash of flame and everything.

And I understand it took the bow off and it hit back a little farther than that.

Supposedly, we took two torpedoes and one of 'em took the bow off and the other hit in the ICC room, which was the communication center.

So we went to a basket, which they're had all rolled around the ship different places, and to get these kapoks, these big lifejackets.

And I found two of 'em, and one of 'em I give 'em to these other two fellas, then we went to another and I found one for myself.

And we waited for a while, and then finally, when it rolled over and was on its side, well then, I went over the side and I went between the shafts where the screws are, you know, I went between the shaft and the bottom of the boat, ship, not a boat, a ship, before I hit the water.

- [Narrator] Now the men were in the inhospitable environment of the Pacific.

After a few days, many men begin to give up hope, drank the poison saltwater and died.

Others, however, continued to hold out.

- You gotta stop and realize now that all that's sticking outta the water, when you got one of those kapok lifejackets on, is your head right up in here, see?

And you got the sun beating down on you all day like that.

And the oil we were in burnt your eyes.

And then you get, in the evening, where it maybe drops a few degrees, but it's cool, cold, so to speak.

And I think it just preyed on a lot of guys' minds and a lot of 'em would get hallucinations and say, "Well, I'm gonna swim over to the island."

And there's no island out there.

And then another guy would say, "Well, I'm going down to the mess hall and get a drink of water," and swim outta the way and dive down and probably drink some saltwater and everything, just makes you delirious.

Well, you just got to have hopes and everything and not give up, you know?

And no matter in what you do, if you give up, well, you're lost.

- [Narrator] After four and a half days in the deadly waters of the Pacific, help happened by.

An oil slick mistaken as a possible enemy target caused a routine patrol plane to discover the men.

The first rescue plane on the scene was that of Hoosier native, Lieutenant Adrian Marks.

Initial reports caused him to look for one survivor in a life raft.

But it was only as Marks flew over the area that the tremendous measure of the tragedy became apparent.

- We dropped a great big package of rations with water in it and food and all sorts of goodies.

And they said, "They don't seem to be able to handle it."

They can't use it.

They're not opening it.

And that worried me very much.

And then in a minute or two, they called up and said, "We see men being eaten by sharks."

And that really sent cold shivers up my back.

- [Narrator] With the men in the water disoriented, Marks decided to take desperate measures.

He landed his PBY on the open sea and begin to take on survivors.

- We had that airplane filled for men like sardines in a can.

And we had 'em three and four deep in the fuselage, lying one on top of another.

And finally, they simply couldn't get any more men in.

And at that time, I cut the engines, streamed a sea anchor, and I climbed out of my cockpit up over the wing and we went back and we found a whole bunch a men in a group, and we brought them and we hauled them up on top of the wing.

- [Narrator] After the rescue, the world was amazed to learn that the Indianapolis was destroyed.

Its Captain, Charles McVay, was court-martialed and found guilty, a fact which many of the survivors resent.

- The only thing he was convicted of was failure to zigzag.

The captain of the submarine, Hashimoto, stated that he had that ship bracketed so that it wouldn't have mattered whether they had zigzagged it or not, he would've gotten it.

- [Narrator] Periodically, survivors of the Indianapolis meet in the Hoosier capital.

This aging generation of heroes want nothing better than for a memorial to be erected on behalf of those who perished.

Red Bolduc has been working toward this end for years.

- We've been trying to get this for many years and we was fortunate enough that the city of Indianapolis, through Marcia's company and everybody wanting to get this, we finally received the luck from the city and we've got a piece of land now, and now the survivors are real happy that this is finally gonna come true.

- [Narrator] Happily, in recent years, progress has been made.

Marcia Mackey is certain that the project will be realized very soon.

- We were able to put together a deal where they could get a site right on the canal for this memorial.

And construction will begin on it real soon and we hope to at least have it partially completed, enough for a partial dedication, in July of 1992 when the survivors are here for their reunion.

It's a rather stylized version of a ship.

It's made of black granite with a lighter gray granite base.

And the names of all 1,197 men will be engraved around the base of it.

So you can walk right up to it and touch it.

It will have a little reflective pond in the back of it.

It really is a beautiful memorial and a fitting tribute to these people.

- [Narrator] Three wars and two and a half generations ago, World War II was a stark reality, but today its veterans are aging and its memories fade.

That's why, for the survivors, establishing a memorial is of the utmost importance.

- It's going to have the names of all the men that was aboard ship, and some way or other, a designation of the ones that were lost and the ones that were saved.

And of course, even the ones that were saved, now there's a lot of them that have gone.

A lot of 'em.

Each reunion, there's more names read that have passed away.

(bell tolling) (bright music) - [Announcer] For more "Across Indiana" stories go to wfyi.org/acrossindiana.