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Born in a small Alabama town in 1922, Woody enlisted in the Navy at age 19. He joined the crew of the Indianapolis in June, 1943, and by the summer of 1945 he was serving as a gun captain for one of the main 8-inch guns with additional, periodic duty as the ship's diver. Woody left the Navy after World War II and moved to Salt Lake City, where he started a trucking business and, as he puts it, "found and married the woman I love with a ready-made family." Today he is the proud patriarch of a brood that includes 32 grandchildren, 77 great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild.
When the torpedoes hit: Woody had just come off his watch and had bedded down on deck.
 Woody recounts 4 1/2 days in the water.  Read the transcript.
He remembers the rescue.
The struggle to recuperate.
Memories of Captain McVay.
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After graduating high school in 1944, Giles left his home in St. John's, Mo., to enlist in the Marine Corps. That fall, he joined the 39-man Marine detachment on board the Indianapolis. In addition to maintaining security and serving on a gun crew, Giles also performed orderly duty for Capt. McVay and other officers. After the war, Giles returned to Missouri, started a family and became a chiropractor. Retired since 1988, Giles has tirelessly committed himself to the vow made by the survivors back at their first reunion in 1960, to "never forget the men who did not make it."
When the torpedoes hit: Giles had just gone on guard duty at the brig, located three decks down in the ship's sternmost section.
Giles describes the sinking. Read the transcript.
Working for McVay after the sinking.
On fighting for their captain.
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Born and raised in Gilbertville, Mass., Harlan graduated with the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1945 at the age of 23. A month after receiving his officer's commission, Harlan reported for duty aboard the Indianapolis, not long before it set sail on its final voyage. For his actions during and after the sinking of the ship, the young ensign was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. After leaving the service in 1953, Harlan embarked on a 20-year career as a business executive. Like other survivors, he frequently travels to give talks on the history of the Indianapolis.
When the torpedoes hit: Harlan was descending a ladder after being relieved from the late evening watch.
Twible tells his story of the sinking. Read the transcript.
He remembers the attacking sharks.
Twible discusses the Indianapolis's legacy.
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Not long after his 18th birthday, Ed left his home in Sioux Falls, S.D., to join the Navy. He boarded the Indianapolis in March 1944 and was assigned to the deck crew where he manned one of the anti-aircraft guns. As part of his additional duties operating the aviation crane, he helped unload the first atomic bomb at Tinian on July 26, 1945. After his discharge from the Navy in 1946, Ed moved to California and finally settled on a career as a sales manager. Retired with five grown children, he now spends his time playing golf for martinis and entertaining his fellow survivors with a lively wit.
When the torpedoes hit: Ed had just reported for the midnight watch at one of the portside 5-inch guns.
Brown discusses his early Navy career. Read the transcript.
He recounts sinking, desperation and sharks.
Brown re-enacts the rescue.
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Lewis completed his medical degree in 1938 and joined the Navy for what was to be a one-year internship. He was asked to extend his service when Hitler marched into Poland in 1939. After the war, the Navy granted Dr. Haynes a surgical residency at Philadelphia Naval Hospital. Later, he moved to Boston and helped develop a method to freeze and preserve blood for use in blood banks. He went to Vietnam in 1965 to set up blood banks. Now retired after a 30-year naval career, Dr. Haynes spends his time with his wife, Margaret.
Note: Discovery.com interviewed Lewis Haynes in the summer of 2000. He died on March 11, 2001, at his winter home in Florida, a month before his 89th birthday.
When the torpedoes hit: Lewis was thrown from his bunk when the torpedoes hit, then forced his body through a 20-inch porthole and climbed onto the hangar deck. There he saw some of his patients slide from their cool resting places into the sea.
Haynes remembers the atomic trip to Tinian. Read the transcript.
The doctor recounts being "coroner" in the sea.
Haynes talks about how this shaped his life.
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Loel Dean Cox was born and raised on a livestock farming ranch in Comanche County, Texas. Leaving college to volunteer for the Navy, L.D. went straight from boot camp to the flagship of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, the Indianapolis, in the fall of 1944. Soon part of the ship's navigation division, L.D. took part in the battle of (and witnessed Marines raising the U.S. flag over) Iwo Jima; the attack on Tokyo; and the battle of Okinawa, when a kamikaze plane with a delayed action bomb struck the Indianapolis, killing nine men. When he left the Navy, L.D. returned to his ranch in Texas. He has been active with the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization for many years.
When the torpedoes hit: L.D. had just gone on duty on the ship's bridge, beginning the midnight shift.
Cox remembers delivering the atomic bomb. Read the transcript.
The ship's final voyage.
Life and death in the water.
He discusses rescue and recovery.
Cox lauds the pilot who found the survivors.
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Michael grew up near Chicago and joined the Navy on June 2, 1943. Until then, the largest boat he had ever seen was on Lake Michigan, but his first assignment was apprentice seaman aboard the Indianapolis, which he boarded in San Francisco. "It was the biggest thrill of my life," he says now. "It looked so massive." After the war, Michael returned to Chicago and met his wife, Lorraine, who became an Air Force master sergeant and -- much later -- took part in the Persian Gulf war at the age of 63 (her kids nicknamed her "Grambo"). Michael says he feels lucky to have lived to see three children and five grandchildren. He gives frequent talks about the Indianapolis, "Not for myself but for the men who were left behind."
When the torpedoes hit: Michael was sleeping on the hangar deck. Less than an hour earlier he had opted for the open air of the deck rather than his bunk below, where it was warm that night. "There was a tremendous explosion," he remembers. "It stung my whole body on that steel deck."
Kuryla recounts the night of the sinking. Read the transcript.
He talks about the fight for Capt. McVay.
Kuryla discusses life since the war.
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Born and raised in Seattle, Gene joined the Navy at the end of 1941. He went aboard the Indianapolis one month later, where his brother was already stationed. But because of new military rules meant to keep siblings from facing conflict together, his brother was stationed elsewhere. After the war, Gene returned to Seattle and joined the fire department, where he worked for 27 years before retiring.
When the torpedoes hit: Gene was asleep in the port hangar.
Morgan remembers the torpedo attack. Read the transcript.
He talks about survival in the sea.
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