This Memorial Day special is offered as a tribute to American sailors and marines, living and passed on, for their service and sacrifice for America.

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Late July, 1945. The USS Indianapolis had just completed its top secret mission delivering the atomic bomb to Tinian Island. On the Indy's return trip to the Philippines, she was hit by two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine and sunk in 12 minutes.

Due to communication fouls ups, no one knows the ship is lost at sea. After spending 5 nights and 4 days in the ocean, without food or water, battling burns, injuries, dehydration, shark attacks and insanity, the crew of the Indianapolis was discovered by accident and a rescue begun. Of the 1195 men aboard ship, only 316 men would survive. 879 men would die in the water.

The sinking of the USS Indianapolis is the worst sea disaster in US Naval History. In years past, four of these survivors, Ed Harrell, Paul Murphy, Lyle Pasket, and Erwin Hensch, were interviewed for this program. Now, the voices of these brave men, though they have all passed on, are brought to life. These survivors share unforgettable and heartbreaking memories about the tragic sinking of their battle tested ship and their struggle to survive against nearly impossible odds. We hear their story of tragedy, survival, heroism and redemption — all part of the enormous cost of liberty.

To complement the survivor interviews, this program includes interview segments with Sara Vladic, co-author of the book, “Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man.”

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Producer Ron Duffy is a fiscal year 2024 recipient of a creative individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.