But they realized the grim truth the next morning, in the quiet dawn. Someone was still alive, trapped deep in the forward hull of the sunken battleship.
Bang. Bang.
The Marines standing guard covered their ears. There was nothing anyone could do. Cut a hole to get someone out and you'd flood the whole thing. Use a torch and risk an explosion.
The Navy never told the families how long their loved ones had survived. And for those brothers and sisters who eventually found out, the truth was so devastating they kept it a secret. Even from their own parents.