By Ranjan Bhaduri
Jacksonville, Mar 16, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Her 12 minutes of sinking into the deep waters, falling 450 miles short of Philippines, earned her an immortal status in the history of US Navy forever. USS Indianapolis (CA-35), that was one of the mightiest Portland-class cruiser saw its longest survivor, William Hafford Sharp passing away last Sunday.

The 83 year old seaman who formed a crew member of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35), William Sharp was just 19 years old when the Jap torpedo which made CA-35 go down, threw him into the waters all filled with deadly sharks. William Sharp had to wait for four days untill the Navy officials found him. In an early instance, recalling his worst nightmare William Sharp had said how a Navy seaplane had him rescued and tied him to its wing as he couldn’t fit inside as it was all filled with other survivors from the ship wreck.

Coming back to Decatur, he stepped in to a new life when he assumed the duty of a pastor in five churches. He finally settled down at Jacksonville where he had joined as a teacher at the Victory Christian Academy. He was 83 years old as he breathed his last after he fell down and hurt his head, which caused his death. William Sharp was a good man and a prominent friend of the Mandarin Baptist Church for 30 years. He had always enjoyed sharing his testimony in being the one among all 22 survivors in the USS Indianapolis ship wreck. William Sharp leaves behind his wife, Faye Sharp, his daughter Ginger Greer, his sons Tenn and Jeff along with five grandchildren.