Name: Billy George CANTRELL
Rank / Rating: F2-Fireman Second Class
Service #: 358 18 60
DOB: Aug 26, 1926
From: Dallas, TX
Parents: Julius and Ruby Cantrell
Went Aboard: December 1, 1944
Age When Ship Went Down: 18 years, 11 months, 4 days
Spouse:
Children:
Grandchildren:
Bio Submitted By: Admin
Date Posted:

Billy George Cantrell was 18 years old when the USS Indianapolis sank. He was born in rural Grayson County, and at a young age his father moved them all to Dallas, Texas where Billy eventually enlisted.

He was the youngest of three sons born to Julius and Ruby Cantrell. His oldest brother died at a young age, and middle brother J.W. was in the Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Billy also had a first cousin, William Henry, who was like a younger brother to him. Elders in the family remember talking to a survivor of the sinking from the North Texas area who remembered seeing Billy in the water.