Oct. 28, 2004

Nearly 60 years after he survived the U.S. Navy's worst disaster at sea, Richard Thelen still thinks about the ordeal every day.   The World War II vet will share his story with the public on Sunday, Nov. 7, during the 2004 Veterans Tribute at the Michigan Historical Museum in downtown Lansing.  This free event begins at 2 p.m.

In the summer of 1945, Thelen was an 18-year-old seaman second class from Lansing, serving on the USS Indianapolis.  On July 30, just weeks before the end of the war, the Indianapolis was hit by a torpedo fired by a Japanese submarine.  Nearly 900 men survived the sinking but as they waited for rescue over five nights and four days, men succumbed to sharks, dehydration, exposure and exhaustion.

"There was lots of luck involved in our survival," Thelen said of the 317 survivors of the 104-hour ordeal.  "All that kept me afloat was the life jacket I was in, including the one I took off a dead man.  None of us thought we were going to make it.  I still think about it every day."

The 2004 Veterans Tribute is sponsored by the Friends of Michigan History and the Mid-Michigan Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars.

The Michigan Historical Museum is a year-round museum in downtown Lansing.  Five exhibit levels - surrounding visitors with Michigan's past, from prehistoric times through the late 20th century - include an Upper Peninsula copper mine, the 1957 Detroit Auto Show and a one-room school.

The Michigan Historical Museum is inside the Michigan Library and Historical Center, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., two blocks west of the State Capitol in downtown Lansing.  The main entrance and visitor parking are located north of Kalamazoo Street, just east of M.L. King Jr. Boulevard.  Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.  The museum is closed on official state holidays.

For more information on museum exhibits, programs and activities, please visit www.michiganhistory.org or call (517) 373-3559 or TDD (517) 373-1592.

The Michigan Historical Museum System - accredited by the American Association of Museums - is a division of the Michigan Historical Center, an agency of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.  Dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Michigan, the department also includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Film Office and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.