September 25th: Wheeling's Paul McGinnis

A Survivor's Story

Wheeling resident Paul McGinnis, a survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, will appear at the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program on Tuesday, September 25th at noon. The heavy cruiser Indianapolis was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1945 after delivering materials used to make the atomic bomb later detonated over Hiroshima. Mr. McGinnis was among the 317 who survived from a crew of nearly 1197 men. The remainder died from dehydration, exposure, and shark attack as the men drifted at sea for several days. The tragedy was the worst at sea loss of life in the US Navy’s history. Mr. McGinnis told his full story in the book Only 317 Survived. For more information, please call the library at 304-232-0244.