Shark Attack Trivia

What was the worst shark attack in history?

According to a number of sources including the Discovery Channel, the worst shark attack in history occurred in July of 1945. After being hit by Japanese torpedoes, the U.S.S. Indianapolis Portland-class Cruiser sank in 12 minutes. The ship had just left Guam and was enroute to Leyte with 1196 crew on board. It is estimated that at least 300 men were killed when the ship went down, and the rest of the crew were forced to wait in the ocean for someone to rescue them.

It is estimated that 800 men went into the water on July 30th,  with very few lifeboats or life jackets. The men floated in the open sea hoping for a rescue, but unfortunately, the Navy was unaware that the ship had not reached its destination.  Although the ship, according to some sources, had sent out distress signals, they were not acted upon. Three stations later reported that they heard the call. Sadly none of these stations, for a number of reasons, (including one station that thought it was a Japanese trick) did anything about the message. Continue reading