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(NEW YORK) The last surviving Marine of the USS Indianapolis, the U.S. Navy ship that sank in July 1945, died this weekend.
Edgar Harrell was 96 and lived at the Tennessee State Veterans Home in Clarksville, Tennessee, the official Facebook page of the ship posted Saturday.
Harrell was one of the Indianapolis s 316 members who survived the attack by Japanese forces, waiting for help in shark-infested waters for four days. During his time aboard ship, he helped guard components of the atomic bomb. After the torpedoing, he was a hero amongst his shipmates, the post said.
Born on Oct. 10, 1924, in Trigg County, Kentucky, Harrell joined the Marines during World War II and was stationed aboard the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific. Harrell chronicled his experience during the war in a book that he co-authored with his son David. The book was called Out of the Depths.
Last surviving Marine of USS Indianapolis dies at age 96
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Replay Video UP NEXT The last surviving Marine of the USS Indianapolis, the U.S. Navy ship that sank in July 1945, died this weekend. Edgar Harrell was 96 and lived at the Tennessee State Veterans Home in Clarksville, Tennessee, the official Facebook page of the ship posted Saturday. Harrell was one of 316 crew members who survived the attack by Japanese forces, waiting for help in shark-infested waters for four days.MORE: Oldest survivor of USS Indianapolis has died at 98 During his time aboard ship, he helped guard components of the atomic bomb. After the torpedoing, he was a hero amongst his shipmates, the post said.