World War II Survivor Shares Story of Strength

John Heller needed his mother’s permission to quit high school and join the Navy. He was only 17 in 1944, but he knew he wanted to serve.

He was the youngest sailor aboard the USS Indianapolis, his first assignment. The mission of the heavy cruiser, measuring more than 610 feet long and 66 feet wide, was to deliver top-secret cargo to the tiny Pacific island of Tinian, where a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay waited.

That cargo included components of the first atomic bombs used in warfare. They would soon be dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forcing the Japanese surrender that ended World War II.

But what happened to the USS Indianapolis along the way would be referred to by the Navy as “the worst disaster at sea in naval history.”

Heller, now 83 and a resident of Clawson, told his story to a rapt audience July 13 at the Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 19, facility in Berkley.

He shared memories of being one of 250 new crew members to swell the ship's ranks to 1,199. He also told of the Japanese submarine that torpedoed the Indianapolis, sinking it in minutes.

At the end of the ordeal, Heller was one of only 317 survivors.

Heller’s is a story of courage and strength and sadness. Sixty-six years later, he believes he is able to live with his memories of the tragedy because he talks about them, openly and often.

Heller remembers two big boxes being loaded on the ship and two observation planes that were guarded constantly by Marines.

“I also remember a box that was probably pretty heavy because two soldiers had to carry it,” said Heller. “Now I know that was the plutonium needed to complete the atomic bombs.”

Attacked at night

July 30, 1945, was a hot night, too uncomfortable to sleep below deck, so when Heller’s helmsman watch was over at 8 that evening, he ate dinner and returned to the deck. That's where he was when the first torpedo hit.

“It tore off 20 feet of the bow right away and burned my feet,” remembered Heller. “I jumped out but couldn’t get a raft, which was stuck as the boat started to list.”

Flames shot up, and Heller made it to the water, landing amid ship oil, gasoline and about 60 other men. They clung together in a group, clinging to their life vests and each other.

“We tried to do the best we could,” said Heller. “As some of us started to drink salt water or die because of injuries, a Marine would take the life jacket off.”

In the end, 18 of those 60 men were rescued. “We didn’t dare tie ourselves to another man because if he went berserk or wandered off, you’d be pulled with him,” said Heller.

Many men were attacked and eaten by sharks.

As there was no distress call received, there were no search parties scanning the area for survivors. For four days, Heller bobbed in the cold water, with no food or fresh water to drink.

Help came by accident. Lt. Wilbur Gwinn, pilot of a PV-1 Ventura bomber, was taking a cigarette break when he saw what he thought was an enemy submarine. Instead, it was an oil slick dotted with men.

In the ensuing rescue effort, 317 men spread out over 70 miles of ocean would be pulled to safety.

“I was 5 feet 2 inches and 111 pounds when I joined the service, and when I was rescued, I weighed 98 pounds,” said Heller.

Sharing the story

Although Heller still receives treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and admits to crying jags at night, he said that simply sharing his experience has helped him heal.

Energetic and friendly, Heller retired from business life just 18 months ago and now volunteers at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Detroit. He is active with the American Legion in Clawson — and tells his story as often as he can.

Heller and fellow survivors received Purple Hearts to honor their experience, and they eventually published their stories in the book Only 317 Survived! USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Navy’s Worst Tragedy at Sea … 880 Men Died, for which they receive royalties.

Anatomy of a disaster

Here is a timeline of the events surrounding the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945:

• Under the command of Capt. Charles Butler McVay, the USS Indianapolis left Mare Island on July 15, 1945, en route to the Hunters Point naval shipyard to receive cargo — components of the first atomic bombs dropped in wartime.
• The ship's mission was to deliver the top-secret cargo to the Pacific island of Tinian, where a silver B-29 named Enola Gay awaited.
• According to the book Left for Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis, McVay was to provide the utmost care and protection of the cargo, “and if for any reason his ship sank along the way, and somehow there was only one lifeboat available, the cargo was to be given the lifeboat.”
• The Indianapolis sailed to Pearl Harbor, HA, on July 17, then to Tinian, 3,300 miles to the west, where it arrived July 26. With the precious cargo safely delivered, the ship sailed to Guam for dispatch to Leyte and 10 days of ginnery training.
• The Indianapolis departed at 9 a.m. July 28 and was due to arrive at its destination by 11:00 a.m. July 31.
• Shortly after midnight July 30, the Indianapolis and its crew of 1,199 was torpedoed by a Japanese I-58 submarine under the command of Capt. Michitsura Hashimoto. The ship sank in just 14 minutes, spilling what crew members survived the blast into shark-infested waters. Her loss went unnoticed until a passing aircraft spotted survivors bobbing in the water Aug. 2, 1945. Only 317 men survived.
• On Aug. 6, U.S. forces dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and on Aug. 8, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Japan surrendered, ending World War II on Aug. 15, 1945.

Learn more about the USS Indianapolis at the U.S. Navy’s historical website.