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    Most gruesome shark attack in history saw 150 sailors eaten one by one

    Home> News> Animals

    Published 20:48 28 Nov 2023 GMT

    Most gruesome shark attack in history saw 150 sailors eaten one by one

    You might be familiar with the most gruesome shark attack ever as it saw 150 sailors eaten.

    Callum Jones

    Callum Jones

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    Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images / Bettmann

    Topics: News, US News, Animals, Shark

    Callum Jones
    Callum Jones

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    Many of us would consider being eaten by sharks as one of the worst ways to die, and that fate befell 150 people in the worst attack of all time.

    The worst shark attack the world has ever seen is connected to a very famous incident you've probably heard of before.

    I think we can all imagine how dangerous sharks really are, they really are the last animal we'd one to see when taking a dip in the sea.

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    While thousands of people enjoy swimming with sharks across the globe every single year, the fear of shark attacks is often there.

    Their carnivorous diet, rows of razor sharp teeth and ability to sniff out the smallest drop of blood from great distances away makes them champion chompers.

    There have been plenty of narrow escapes from shark attacks and they have been spotted deploying some very devious tactics to sneak up on unsuspecting swimmers.

    However, when sharks attack, the number of victims tends to be incredibly low, whereas history's worst ever shark attack claimed around 150 lives over the course of several days.

    The USS Indianapolis, a heavy cruiser which was sunk in 1945 after delivering uranium for the 'Little Boy' nuclear bomb.
    PhotoQuest/Getty Images

    In the final days of the Second World War, a US heavy cruiser called the USS Indianapolis was sent on a secret mission to deliver uranium and other components for the nuclear bomb, which would later be known as the 'Little Boy' and dropped on the city of Hiroshima.

    Four days after the Indianapolis delivered her secret cargo, she was attacked by a Japanese submarine and hit by two torpedoes, sinking the vessel in about 12 minutes.

    Of the almost 1,200 strong crew of the Indianapolis, around 300 went down with the ship, while the remaining 900 were left stranded in the Pacific Ocean.

    It would be three-and-a-half days before anyone actually knew the survivors were still out there floating in the ocean, and in that time they were forced to endure the worst shark attack in history.

    The shark attack is the world's most deadly.
    Pexels

    Drawn by the sound of explosions and the movement of 1,800 legs thrashing around in the water, hundreds of incredibly aggressive Oceanic Whitetip sharks appeared and began feasting on the dead.

    However, they didn't stay eating the dead for long and the ravenous sharks soon turned their teeth towards the surviving sailors.

    Of the 900 who went into the water, only 316 survived, and of those who died in the sinking of the Indianapolis 150 of them were eaten alive by the swarming sharks.

    There's a very good chance you've heard of this incident before, and that's because it's the centrepiece of one of the most iconic scenes from Jaws.

    The sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the subsequent shark attack formed part of a major scene in Jaws.
    Universal Pictures

    In the movie Quint (Robert Shaw) reveals he was on the Indianapolis and gives a harrowing account of the shark attack.

    While Quint says one of the reasons for so many lives being lost is that the ship never sent out a distress signal due to the top secret nature of its mission, that's actually not true.

    Tragically, three stations received a distress signal from the Indianapolis but received no response as one station commander was drunk, another told his men not to disturb him and a third assumed the signal was a Japanese trap.

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