Paul James Murphy, among the last surviving crew members of the USS Indianapolis, which sank in the shark-infested waters of the Philippine Sea after being hit by torpedoes during World War II, has died. Murphy, 91, a longtime Broomfield resident, was the last known Indianapolis survivor in Colorado.
Murphy died Sunday at the Colorado State Veterans Home at Fitzsimons, Aurora.
“He was one of the greats of the ‘Greatest Generation,’ ” said Joyce Persson, a longtime friend.
Murphy was among more than 1,190 men aboard the Indianapolis when she sank — in 12 minutes — after Japanese submarine torpedo strikes on July 30, 1945. About 900 men, with no lifeboats, food, or drinkable water, wound up in the sea . By the time survivors were spotted, four days later, only 316 survived.
Last July, the 70th anniversary of what many consider the worst naval disaster at sea in U.S. history, there were fewer than 40 Indianapolis survivors nationwide.
In 2010, Murphy was among those honored at Denver’s Veterans Day Parade.
“I’m the only one left in Colorado,” Murphy told The Post at Denver’s parade. “It’s important that the (Indianapolis) story be told.”
Persson, a retired high school teacher, became friends with Murphy years ago when he accepted an invitation to speak to her Standley Lake High School students.
“He returned many times, always engaging … encouraging them with pearls of wisdom,” Persson said.
Murphy, who described himself as “just a country boy from Missouri,” told students he was frightened and homesick when he first joined the Navy, Persson recalled.
Murphy told students about diving into water from a high platform during basic training. He gathered courage by “watching the other fellas and telling himself, ‘if they can do it, so can I,’ ” Persson said.
“Believe that,” Murphy told students, “and you will achieve more than you think is possible.”
Born on Sept. 18, 1924, in Chillicothe, Mo., Murphy graduated from Chillicothe High School in June 1943. He was drafted into the Navy two weeks later.
As part of the Indianapolis crew, Murphy participated in five of the cruiser’s 10 campaigns, including Saipan, Guam and the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
After finishing a watch, just prior to the torpedo strikes, Murphy was heading to his bunk and stopped by the ship’s canteen for a Baby Ruth candy bar. The chocolate was his last nourishment over a five-day span, as he battled dehydration, exposure, hallucination, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks.
He received numerous medals, including the Purple Heart. After an honorable discharge from the Navy, Murphy earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy.
In 1949, he married JoAnne Simmons in Chaska, Minn. They had five children. Divorced in 1975, Murphy moved to Broomfield.
Murphy was a member of Broomfield VFW Post 9565, Broomfield American Legion Post 11-11, and a 60-year member of Rotary International. He was a past chairman, vice chairman and treasurer of the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization.
Murphy is survived by his second wife, Mary Lou, whom he married in 1987; six children, Mary Welch, Virginia Geidt, Paula Watkins, Michael Murphy, Leonard Murphy, and Tammy Brown; numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A service will be held 9 a.m. Saturday at the Christian Church of Broomfield, 12601 Sheridan Blvd.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum, 12 Garden Center, Broomfield, Co. 80020.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or @kierannicholson
