The USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese
torpedo on route from Guam to the Gulf of Leyte in the Philippines at
0015 hrs. July 30, 1945. What happened is recounted by Captain Quint (
Robert Shaw) on board the Orca in the
first great block-buster movie Jaws,
but not the entire story which gave rise to a controversy not settled until
2017.
300 men went down with the ship. Of the nearly 900 who went into the water, only 316 survived their battle injuries, sharks, dehydration, insanity and breakdowns in military discipline. They were in the water for five nights and four days.
Was the captain properly informed of the presence of enemy submarines on his route? Why wasn’t he taking the standard ‘zig-zag’ evasive action. If he had, would it have made any difference? A hastily convened trial convicted Captain McVay of dereliction of duty, a verdict not overturned until an Act of Congress in 2017.
Immediately following the original verdict, Captain McVay began receiving letters in envelopes sealed with venom.
If it weren’t for you, my son would be 25 years old today.
300 men went down with the ship. Of the nearly 900 who went into the water, only 316 survived their battle injuries, sharks, dehydration, insanity and breakdowns in military discipline. They were in the water for five nights and four days.
Was the captain properly informed of the presence of enemy submarines on his route? Why wasn’t he taking the standard ‘zig-zag’ evasive action. If he had, would it have made any difference? A hastily convened trial convicted Captain McVay of dereliction of duty, a verdict not overturned until an Act of Congress in 2017.
Immediately following the original verdict, Captain McVay began receiving letters in envelopes sealed with venom.
If it weren’t for you, my son would be 25 years old today.
If it weren’t for you, I’d be
celebrating Christmas with my husband!
If it weren’t for you, my girls would have a
father!
At first these rants came weekly from families like the Brophys. The Joseys, and the Flynns. Then they tapered down and came mainly around Christmas and other milestone dates, such as the anniversary of the sinking or birthdays of those lost at sea. But they never stopped. Not all families of the lost blamed McVay. But in the ensuing decades, many dunned the captain with hateful letters that arrived like due-bills that could never be paid.
[ Rather rare in the annals of American military history as far as I know; many other admirals, generals and captains- Congressmen, Senators and Presidents were far more deserving of this treatment than captain McVay]
No others were disciplined. Not the operations officers who failed to report Indy’s non-arrival in Leyte. Nor the officers would failed to report the intelligence about enemy activity to captain McVay. Not Admiral King who retired from the navy in December 1945 shortly after McVay’s court-marshal concluded.
At first these rants came weekly from families like the Brophys. The Joseys, and the Flynns. Then they tapered down and came mainly around Christmas and other milestone dates, such as the anniversary of the sinking or birthdays of those lost at sea. But they never stopped. Not all families of the lost blamed McVay. But in the ensuing decades, many dunned the captain with hateful letters that arrived like due-bills that could never be paid.
[ Rather rare in the annals of American military history as far as I know; many other admirals, generals and captains- Congressmen, Senators and Presidents were far more deserving of this treatment than captain McVay]
No others were disciplined. Not the operations officers who failed to report Indy’s non-arrival in Leyte. Nor the officers would failed to report the intelligence about enemy activity to captain McVay. Not Admiral King who retired from the navy in December 1945 shortly after McVay’s court-marshal concluded.
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