Matt Lanter, Joe Lanter and Nicolas Cage, from left, gather together on the set of “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage.”

THOMASVILLE — Near the end of World War II, Thomasville native Kenley (Ken) MacKendree Lanter found himself somewhere in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, not knowing if he would be rescued. Fighting off sharks, hypothermia and struggling just to survive, one can assume his thoughts turned to his life at home and any future he might have.

During that contemplation, it is unlikely that Lanter could have foreseen that exactly 70 years later his grandson would be out in open ocean, struggling with the elements, reenacting for a movie the dramatic struggle he endured as one of only a few men to survive the sinking of the USS Indianapolis.

Not only is his grandson in the movie, “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage,” his son also has a cameo appearance and his daughters and wife were in the crowd watching the filming. The only one missing was Ken who, after a long and full life, died in 2013 at the age of 88.

The USS Indianapolis was sunk by Japanese submarine torpedoes after completing a top secret mission, delivering components for the atomic bomb that ended World War II.

The ship sank, in 12 horrific minutes, just after midnight in the Pacific Ocean on July 30, 1945.

Close to 900 sailors were cast into the shark-infested waters where they remained undetected for nearly five days. Only 317 survived and were recovered, including Ken.

Ken’s grandson, Matt Lanter, said that the scenes for the movie were shot in the open Gulf waters off of Mobile, Alabama. Filming was wrapping up on July 30, exactly 70 years later.

He said, “First and foremost, we were only in the water for eight to 12 hours a day. Only in a very, very small way did we experience what they went through.”

It was not a pleasant experience.

He said, “We experienced motion sickness for many hours, just did not feel well. We had sunscreen. They didn’t. Even with the protection, we felt the saltwater chapping our skin.”

Matt said his grandfather talked about his ordeal quite often and was very proud of it. But being in the water, especially the first day or two, Matt gained a much deeper appreciation for the hell his grandfather endured.

An accomplished actor before this movie was filmed, Matt was cast as the second lead role after Nicolas Cage, who plays Capt. Charles Butler McVay.

Matt plays a fictitious character, Bama, who is a mix of several different people, including his grandfather.

Matt’s father, Joe, was a film consultant. He said Matt didn’t want to use his family connection to the story to land the part.

Matt said, “The producers wanted the right actor for the role. They were in shock when they found out that they had not only found the right actor, but my grandfather was on the ship.”

That family connection made the movie more real to the people making the movie.

“It became a personal family story they got to recreate,” Matt said.

He explained that once they knew the family connection, the writers inserted bits and pieces of his grandfather’s story.

“They added small parts here and there,” he said. “For example, my grandpa’s duty, as a signalman, was to collect the secret documents and codes and stuff them into a leaded bag and throw it off the ship.”

Matt’s character was originally a petty officer but was changed to a signalman, “so I threw the bag off. It was surreal doing some of the things my grandpa actually did.”

After the sinking of the ship, the captain became a scapegoat for the Navy. He was recommended for a general court-martial for the loss of the ship and the delayed rescue of its crew. McVay was charged with a failure to zigzag and to order his crew to abandon ship.

During the trial, Ken testified that McVay did give the order to abandon ship. Matt reenacted that moment

Joe’s cameo appearance was during the court room scene. He sits behind the captain in the audience..

Joe said that this was the moment “that tied myself, my father and son to the movie. I was in the front row seat in a Navy uniform, watching my son do something loosely based on what my father actually did.”

He said, “I got a little teary eyed thinking of my dad giving testimony and watching my son act it out.”

“I always wanted to do World War II (acting job),” confessed Matt. “I always had such an appreciation for what by grandpa did. I grew up knowing the story.”

Matt described the movie as “an amazing story of brave war heroes. I want the younger generation to know what they went through to be here.”

“USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage,” is due out on Memorial Day 2016.

Joe said, “I am thankful for how the production team handled (the story). It was emotional and moving. I can’t wait to see it.”