By David Fleet
Editor
The USS Indianapolis sunk in about 12 minutes.
Just after midnight, July 30, 1945, 1,197 men were aboard when the 610-foot-long heavy cruiser named after the Indiana city when she was hit by a Japanese submarine with four torpedoes in the Philippine Sea. About 300 men died when the ship sank leaving nearly 900 survivors in the ocean. In the four and a half days that followed, 600 more died from dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks.
Lansing native Dick Thelen was an 18-year-old sailor sleeping on deck when the Indianapolis was hit.
From 2-3:30 p.m., Oct. 15, the Brandon Township Library, 304 South St., will host Thelen now 92 years old who will discuss his four days in the sea with no food or water.

He is one of only eight living survivors.
An hour-long DVD interview presentation in which Dick is interviewed by historian Larry Martin will begin at 2 p.m. An opportunity to ask Dick and Larry questions about the experience and their work will follow.
“Dick will tell you when he wanted to give up or take a drink of sea water he’d see his father’s image and he’d fight on to survive,” said Martin, who as tallied about 125 interviews of WWII veterans since 2000. “He was just 17 years old when he went into the service.”
About 600 men died while in the water from delirium because of no water as well as shark attacks. The Navy was not even looking for the ship because they did not know the Indy was missing. They were found by accident. The Indy had just dropped off parts for the Atomic bomb to the island of Tinian and was heading to the Philippines to assist in the battle of the Philippines Sea.
“Some of the men lost their minds,” said Martin regarding the interview with Thelen. “Today, Dick still suffers from saltwater ulcers.”
The 1945 sinking of the USS Indianapolis resulted in the US Navy’s greatest loss of life at sea from a single ship.
“We owe that generations everything,” said Martin. “Keep in mind WWII could have been lost. Our lives today would be unrecognizable, our freedoms would be gone. Consider what the Japanese did to the Chinese or what Germans did to the Jewish population or dissidents.”
Following the many interviews with WWII veterans, Martin said several characteristics are constant.
“They were all glad they did their share, but they would not want to do it again,” said Martin. “Many of the veterans coming home did not talk about it in the 1950s and 1960s for several reasons.. Others felt history needs to be shared and we need to keep this history alive.”
“Only 317 Survived!” by USS Indianapolis Survivors (edited by Mary Lou Murphy) will be sold at the event; all proceeds go to the preservation of the USS Indianapolis Memorial. Register (248) 627-1462 or online at www.brandonlibrary.org