Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Henry Holt and Company (2001), Edition: 1st, 333 pages
Description
Chronicles the worst disaster in U.S. naval history, describing heroism in the face of persistent shark attacks and hypothermia after the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis in the South Pacific in the final days of World War II.
User reviews
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I am finding it very hard to sum up my feelings about In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis by Doug Stanton. I think what I mostly feel is anger at the system that helped this ship to it’s disaster and sadness for both the men and the captain of this ship that suffered horribly
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine while on it’s way from Guam to the Philippines. They has just completed a top secret mission of delivering parts of the atom bomb that was about to bring a close to the war. Captain McVay was never informed that a Japanese sub was known to be hunting is these waters. The ship was hit twice and went down in twelve minutes. Of the 1,200 men that were on the ship, only 317 survived. It is estimated that 300 died in the original blasts, but the rest suffered and died while waiting for a rescue that took four days to arrive. Heat exposure, lack of water, sickness from swallowing fuel and oil, and most frightful of all, shark attacks. Navy procedures at the time, meant that the ship, even though overdue, was not a cause for concern. Distress signals sent at the time of the sinking were ignored, misplaced or garbled to the point of misunderstanding.
To top it all off, Captain McVay was then forced to face a court martial with the charges being that he failed to run a zig zag course and that he failed to abandon his ship in a timely manner. McVay, being a Navy man through and through did little to help himself or fight these charges. But since his self-inflicted death in 1968, survivors and interested parties have been able force a congressional exoneration, but to this day the navy holds firm to it’s court martial verdict of guilty.
Doug Stanton lays out this story in a timely, factual manner, allowing it to build slowly. Thoroughly researched, with vivid eyewitness accounts, we are treated to a story of the selfless heroism of the men caught up in this gruesome tragedy and then it’s infuriating conclusion which I found heartbreaking. A fascinating and informative read.
Show More
and, perhaps, needlessly.On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine while on it’s way from Guam to the Philippines. They has just completed a top secret mission of delivering parts of the atom bomb that was about to bring a close to the war. Captain McVay was never informed that a Japanese sub was known to be hunting is these waters. The ship was hit twice and went down in twelve minutes. Of the 1,200 men that were on the ship, only 317 survived. It is estimated that 300 died in the original blasts, but the rest suffered and died while waiting for a rescue that took four days to arrive. Heat exposure, lack of water, sickness from swallowing fuel and oil, and most frightful of all, shark attacks. Navy procedures at the time, meant that the ship, even though overdue, was not a cause for concern. Distress signals sent at the time of the sinking were ignored, misplaced or garbled to the point of misunderstanding.
To top it all off, Captain McVay was then forced to face a court martial with the charges being that he failed to run a zig zag course and that he failed to abandon his ship in a timely manner. McVay, being a Navy man through and through did little to help himself or fight these charges. But since his self-inflicted death in 1968, survivors and interested parties have been able force a congressional exoneration, but to this day the navy holds firm to it’s court martial verdict of guilty.
Doug Stanton lays out this story in a timely, factual manner, allowing it to build slowly. Thoroughly researched, with vivid eyewitness accounts, we are treated to a story of the selfless heroism of the men caught up in this gruesome tragedy and then it’s infuriating conclusion which I found heartbreaking. A fascinating and informative read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member midlevelbureaucrat
Harrowing. Horrifying. And fascinating. This account of how one of America's premier warships simply vanished, first in 12 minutes from a Japanese torpedo, and then lost to the Navy through it's wartime bureaucracy and rules for 4 days. The details on salt-water drowning and shark attacks are
Show More
fascinating. I would've loved to hear more about the reaction of the Japanese sub commander and crew, but I suppose that wasn't the point. It's a tough book to put down, though. Show Less
LibraryThing member queencersei
Doug Stanton writes an amazing true life account of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. The story is full of accounts from the actual survivors and is absolutely compelling in its brutal retelling of men lost at sea.
LibraryThing member gregdehler
I once knew a survivor of the USS Indianapolis. He was kind enough to come to my US Survey classes and share his experiences as a young man facing war, the dramatic tale of the sinking of his beloved ship, the four terrifying days he spent in the water being attacked by sharks and without food or
In some ways Stanton's book mirrors the tale the survivor told my students. Only 300 or so of the 1100 sailors survived the torpedo attack and four days in the water. Sharks killed hundreds of sailors who floated in the water for rescue. It was the worst disaster in the history of the US Navy. In the end, the Navy hung the cost of the disaster around the neck of Captain McVay who had suspended zigzagging ( a tactic to evade submarine launched torpedoes) at his discretion due to poor visibility. The Navy even took the unprecedented step of calling in the skipper of the Japanese submarine who sunk the Indy to testify for the prosecution! Even he told the court that zigzagging would have made no difference at all. Blaming McVay (which might have been part of a vendetta that Admiral Ernest King had on McVay's father, also a navy officer) was a coverup on a series of failures all along the chain of command that included missed or ignored signals and SOS messages, lack of destroyer escorts, conflicting orders sent to various commands on the location of the Indy (so no one really noticed that if had failed to show up at its destination), etc. This book will make you mad.
Show More
water, the rescue they thought would never come, recovery, and the Navy's treatment of the story. He MOVED these students. In some ways Stanton's book mirrors the tale the survivor told my students. Only 300 or so of the 1100 sailors survived the torpedo attack and four days in the water. Sharks killed hundreds of sailors who floated in the water for rescue. It was the worst disaster in the history of the US Navy. In the end, the Navy hung the cost of the disaster around the neck of Captain McVay who had suspended zigzagging ( a tactic to evade submarine launched torpedoes) at his discretion due to poor visibility. The Navy even took the unprecedented step of calling in the skipper of the Japanese submarine who sunk the Indy to testify for the prosecution! Even he told the court that zigzagging would have made no difference at all. Blaming McVay (which might have been part of a vendetta that Admiral Ernest King had on McVay's father, also a navy officer) was a coverup on a series of failures all along the chain of command that included missed or ignored signals and SOS messages, lack of destroyer escorts, conflicting orders sent to various commands on the location of the Indy (so no one really noticed that if had failed to show up at its destination), etc. This book will make you mad.
Show Less
LibraryThing member meegeekai
Good book, but having served on a destroyer and sailed in the same waters the Indianapolis sank it may have had a bigger impact on me. Not a book for the squeamish as the description of the shark attacks is pretty bad. There is just no happy ending on this one folks.
LibraryThing member sergerca
A great and terrible story. The author won't win any awards for beautiful prose, but the book is easy to read and moves quickly. When you think you're having a bad day all you have to do is thank God you weren't on the USS Indianapolis.
LibraryThing member Jean_Roberts
Well written and fascinating, Doug Stanton interviewed dozens of the survivors of the USA Indianapolis to write this book. Until I read this, my only knowledge of this tragedy came from the movie Jaws. I highly recommend this book.
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Anyone who has seen the original Jaws movie will probably remember the story told by the character, Quint, about the USS Indianapolis. On the night of July 29th, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, returning from a secret mission to deliver the Hiroshima atomic bomb, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine
Upon rescue, the Navy decided to court-martial survivor, Captain McVay. In an amazing turn, the Navy summoned Japanese Commander Hashimoto to testify about the incident. The prosecution's theory of the case was that McVay's failure to zig-zag had been responsible for the sinking. I won't say any more because to do so would spoil a fascinating glimpse into the long lasting tragedy that became the legacy of the Indianapolis.
I decided to read this after attending my father-in-law's funeral. He was in the Navy during WWII and some of his old shipmates came to the cemetery. While speaking with one of the men, he mentioned he was a survivor of the Indianapolis. It's a tragic story filled with moments of great human endurance. The author did a wonderful job of laying out the timeline and making it a story you won't soon forget.
Show More
and sunk within minutes. Of the approximately 1200 men on board, around 300 were killed immediately, and about 900 made into into the water alive. Even though the ship radioed for help, the message couldn't be confirmed, so the messages were ignored. The surviving men were picked up four and half days later after a bomber flying overhead happened to notice the oil slick in the water and groups of men in the water. By the time they were rescued, only a little more than 300 of the original 900 had survived. The rest had succumbed to injuries, dehydration, hallucinations, and of course, the sharks. Upon rescue, the Navy decided to court-martial survivor, Captain McVay. In an amazing turn, the Navy summoned Japanese Commander Hashimoto to testify about the incident. The prosecution's theory of the case was that McVay's failure to zig-zag had been responsible for the sinking. I won't say any more because to do so would spoil a fascinating glimpse into the long lasting tragedy that became the legacy of the Indianapolis.
I decided to read this after attending my father-in-law's funeral. He was in the Navy during WWII and some of his old shipmates came to the cemetery. While speaking with one of the men, he mentioned he was a survivor of the Indianapolis. It's a tragic story filled with moments of great human endurance. The author did a wonderful job of laying out the timeline and making it a story you won't soon forget.
Show Less
LibraryThing member buffalogr
After delivering the components of Little Boy to Tinian, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis was redeployed to the Philippines. She didn’t get there; about halfway she was hit by two torpedoes from the submarine I-58 and sank in minutes. This is the story of the crew, from 3-4 person's
Show More
perspective; 4 days in the water attacked by sharks and each other. A thoroughly researched book. Captain MccVay is clearly the scapegoat for a hastily assembled, inadequate, board of inquiry--somebody ha to go down for it an it wasn't going to be the Admirals. This is nonfiction at its best. Show Less
LibraryThing member scuzzy
great book.
we have all heard the line from Jaws about the skipper going on about the shark attacks in WWII (and in fact it was a recent viewing that reminded me to read the book) and the book lives up to that hype.
it is beyond comprehension that such an incident could be allowed to happen...it is
we have all heard the line from Jaws about the skipper going on about the shark attacks in WWII (and in fact it was a recent viewing that reminded me to read the book) and the book lives up to that hype.
it is beyond comprehension that such an incident could be allowed to happen...it is
Show More
more like the storyline from some made up disaster movie, and i tell you what, if it were to be made into a movie, i would hope it (unlike titanic) was told and represented as the book does it justice. Show Less
LibraryThing member morganic
An excellent read about the great tragedy that befell the USS Indianapolis. Vividly told by Doug Stanton and I considered it a must read for anyone interested in World War 2 or nautical history.
LibraryThing member zmagic69
This is a story everyone who has seen JAWS has heard, and as emotional as Quint delivered it in the movie, this book is even better.
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
This book begins with a shocking anecdote that quickly draws the reader in - and then continues on to bore the reader with a too lengthy explanation of the events leading up to the torpedoing of the USS Indianapolis. I found this introductory material long, tedious, and at times, dull. I could
Show More
hardly focus on the story, which was quickly developing into a case of too many people, places, and jumps in the narrative's timeline to hold my interest, and I even contemplated what I consider the almost unthinkable - putting the book down and never finishing it. But I always hope a book will improve as I delve further into it so I continued on - and boy was I glad! The story of the sailors trying to survive while lost at sea for four days while facing insurmountable odds (dehydration, near starvation, hypothermia, injuries, shark attacks, and hallucinations) was fascinating and gripping. At this point, I could hardly put the book down and was feverish to know the end result for the boys and their rescue. It was intense, emotional, and thoroughly engaging. Stories of despair and hallucinations taking over (resulting in suicides and fist and knife fights among sailors) are dotted amongst some of the most compelling stories of courage and heroism. These stories are what struck me the most as I read - an exhausted Marine jumping out of a raft twice to save a man bent on suicide, a priest eventually succumbing to a death of exhaustion because he would not stop swimming around circles of dying boys to read them their last rites, another Marine dying because he gave his lifevest away to a weaker sailor, a group of exhausted sailors holding up another sailor's body so that salt water wouldn't enter into his badly burned body, a doctor who delayed his rescue so that he could bring drinkable water back to the men still waiting for rescue. These stories, both the tragic and the heroic, make the reader think about the effects of disasters and how they can bring the best or the worst out of men (and women). The ultimate fate of the ship's captain, Charles McVay, is a classic case of scapegoating and his story gives the reader an intimate look at one man's burden of guilt. The book's ending was somewhat odd because I thought this explanation of why and how the author came to write the book would have made more sense as an opening rather than a conclusion. Altogether, although I am not wildly fond of the author's writing style, I would still recommend this book as a thorough account of one slice of history. Show Less
LibraryThing member hermit
The USS Indianapolis and the horrific events surrounding its sinking are well known by most, even those who know nothing about the history that lead to this tragedy. It is made reference too in prominent in cultural events like the movie 'Jaws'. In this book the author uses first hand accounts from
This old cruiser was sitting in dockyard in San Francisco getting repairs after a direct hit by a kamikaze attack. The shipyard rush estimate was four months to make repairs. For not only was their a large hole in the structure but the fuel cells and water desalinization plant had been damaged. Unknown to the crew of the USS Indianapolis they were about to become infamous for not only transporting the first Atomic bomb that would be used to attack Japan but for what transpired once they had successfully completed their highly secretive mission at record speed. All this in a ship that was at that time given four days to get ready to sail instead of four months required.
The tragedy these 1,196 men stand out to other ship sinking because of all the aforementioned sequences of errors. When the I-58 submarine launched its spread of torpedoes at the USS Indianapolis no one in CNINCPAC knew where the ship was, what its true destination was or even what its arrival time was suppose to be. The damage to the ship caused by two powerful torpedo included both radio rooms so there would be no search and rescue for these men. Of the 1,196 men only 321 men survived to be rescued; it is assumed that 300 died from the attack while the remaining succumbed to the savages of the deep open sea.
From there, unfortunate coincidence turns to bitter irony and real tragedy. Damage to the radio rooms was so great and the ship sank so fast, that they did not get a chance to radio for help. Meanwhile, again for security reasons, port authorities had been ordered not to relay messages every time a ship arrived and had interpreted the order to mean that they shouldn't report non-arrivals either. Of the 1,196 men on board, 300 probably died immediately, but while the other 900 struggled in the water, no one yet knew of their dilemma. Eventually the remainder who perished succumbed to sharks, salt water, hypothermia, injuries sustained in the sinking, fights among the men, and a host of other maladies. Of the 321 rescued four died almost immediately and others would take decades before the nightmares of that time drove some to suicide.
We get to know about the staff and crew of this ship as the crew boards the USS Indianapolis when repairs were ordered accelerated and their time record breaking sail. The author brings the ship to life and makes us feel as if we know these sailors. The books is written in such an engaging narrative that it is a book you will not want to put down. For such a horrible tragedy it is a wonderful read that shows the endurance, strength despair and loyalty of the human spirit to survive. In the same light you will see the US Navy hide all their mistakes and lay it all on the shoulders of Captain McVay who killed himself in 1968. This was the only ships captain to that point in US Naval history to be brought before a Court-Martial for having been sunk by an act of war. And this at a time of war! Thanks to a High School student in Florida class project the US Congress finally passed an amendment exonerating McVay and recommending citations for the crew on 12 October 2000.
Show More
survivors of this tragedy whose burden was laid on the shoulder of the late Captain Charles Butler McVay. A man and commander you will learn had perform his duties well and ended up being a scape goat for the mistakes of the U.S. Military Intelligence service, erroneous assumptions by General Staff Officers and a series of unimaginable omissions by communication offices that received the ships messages and more. That these mistakes leading up to this incident could take place are unthinkable for a capital war ship.This old cruiser was sitting in dockyard in San Francisco getting repairs after a direct hit by a kamikaze attack. The shipyard rush estimate was four months to make repairs. For not only was their a large hole in the structure but the fuel cells and water desalinization plant had been damaged. Unknown to the crew of the USS Indianapolis they were about to become infamous for not only transporting the first Atomic bomb that would be used to attack Japan but for what transpired once they had successfully completed their highly secretive mission at record speed. All this in a ship that was at that time given four days to get ready to sail instead of four months required.
The tragedy these 1,196 men stand out to other ship sinking because of all the aforementioned sequences of errors. When the I-58 submarine launched its spread of torpedoes at the USS Indianapolis no one in CNINCPAC knew where the ship was, what its true destination was or even what its arrival time was suppose to be. The damage to the ship caused by two powerful torpedo included both radio rooms so there would be no search and rescue for these men. Of the 1,196 men only 321 men survived to be rescued; it is assumed that 300 died from the attack while the remaining succumbed to the savages of the deep open sea.
From there, unfortunate coincidence turns to bitter irony and real tragedy. Damage to the radio rooms was so great and the ship sank so fast, that they did not get a chance to radio for help. Meanwhile, again for security reasons, port authorities had been ordered not to relay messages every time a ship arrived and had interpreted the order to mean that they shouldn't report non-arrivals either. Of the 1,196 men on board, 300 probably died immediately, but while the other 900 struggled in the water, no one yet knew of their dilemma. Eventually the remainder who perished succumbed to sharks, salt water, hypothermia, injuries sustained in the sinking, fights among the men, and a host of other maladies. Of the 321 rescued four died almost immediately and others would take decades before the nightmares of that time drove some to suicide.
We get to know about the staff and crew of this ship as the crew boards the USS Indianapolis when repairs were ordered accelerated and their time record breaking sail. The author brings the ship to life and makes us feel as if we know these sailors. The books is written in such an engaging narrative that it is a book you will not want to put down. For such a horrible tragedy it is a wonderful read that shows the endurance, strength despair and loyalty of the human spirit to survive. In the same light you will see the US Navy hide all their mistakes and lay it all on the shoulders of Captain McVay who killed himself in 1968. This was the only ships captain to that point in US Naval history to be brought before a Court-Martial for having been sunk by an act of war. And this at a time of war! Thanks to a High School student in Florida class project the US Congress finally passed an amendment exonerating McVay and recommending citations for the crew on 12 October 2000.
Show Less
LibraryThing member linedog1848
A heart-rending account of men battered, killed, and scarred by forces beyond their control--forces of war, forces of nature, and forces of politics. The needless loss of hundreds of sailors' and marines' lives in a tragedy overshadowed by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the surrender of
This book should, as much as anything could, vindicate the survivors from the guilt they place on themselves and from the guilt placed on them by the hubris of the politics of war. But vindication will not bring back the heroes of the Indianapolis' survivors whose psychological wounds proved fatal in the intervening years.
This story is a horrible lesson that every military leader should read about the horrible consequences of discarding personal discretion, initiative, and reason in the interest of following the letter of the law.
Show More
Japan, and suppressed by a military beaurocracy using the victim as a scapegoat will leave your blood boiling with outrage. This book should, as much as anything could, vindicate the survivors from the guilt they place on themselves and from the guilt placed on them by the hubris of the politics of war. But vindication will not bring back the heroes of the Indianapolis' survivors whose psychological wounds proved fatal in the intervening years.
This story is a horrible lesson that every military leader should read about the horrible consequences of discarding personal discretion, initiative, and reason in the interest of following the letter of the law.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kcslade
Great account of the survival of those involved in the tragic sinking of the Indianopolis during the end of WW II. The sinking went unreported and survivors were only found by accident. Many died from shark attacks.
LibraryThing member CarlaR
I absolutely loved this book. It centers on the U.S.S. Indianapolis and it's sinking during WWII.
For those unfamiliar, the U.S.S. Indianapolis was the ship that carried "little boy" to where it would be assembled. This ship was sunk by a Japanese sub. While some of the men died instantly many were
Stanton does a good job of making you really feel what the men were going through without being too wordy. He also attacks the beaurucratic red tape that led to these men being left out in the waters for that long.
For those unfamiliar, the U.S.S. Indianapolis was the ship that carried "little boy" to where it would be assembled. This ship was sunk by a Japanese sub. While some of the men died instantly many were
Show More
left in shark infested waters for days. Just over 300 (out of over 1,000) survived.Stanton does a good job of making you really feel what the men were going through without being too wordy. He also attacks the beaurucratic red tape that led to these men being left out in the waters for that long.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TimBazzett
As the subtitle indicates, IN HARM'S WAY, is an "extraordinary" look at the tragedy of the USS Indianapolis, one of the last ships to be sunk by a Japanese submarine in the closing days of the war. Stanton makes history seem 'personal' by virtue of his exhaustive research, particularly the detailed
Show More
and compassionate interviews he conducted with the remaining survivors. Even if you are not a history buff, you will find this story riveting and real as it gets. This book deserves its bestsellerdom. Outstanding! Show Less
LibraryThing member SDWets
This was my first Doug Stanton book and is my favorite of his 3. I bought and read this in Oki. I read it very quickly and was intrigued by the details of the crucial mission of this ship, how it was sunk, how no one knew they were lost, and the tragedy that fell on the men of this crew while
Show More
waiting to be rescued. I recommend this book to anyone interested in joining the Navy and any WWII history fan. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookworm12
Right at the end of World War II a ship left from San Francisco carrying pieces of the atom bomb. The secret mission was an important one, crucial to ending the war. A lack of shared information and an unexpected Japanese submarine led to the torpedoing and sinking of the ship. The story of the USS
This is nonfiction at its best. The book sweeps you into the story immediately. It moves fast, hooking you and breaking your heart with every page. Trapped in the water, surrounded by sharks and without any drinkable water, the men began to drop like flies.
It’s horrifying to read about what the men in the water experienced. Some hallucinated, others gave up, and some fought to save their fellow men by giving them their life vests or diving off rafts to save someone. There were shark attacks, men drank the salt water out of desperation, others were burned badly when the ship was hit and were forced to sit in the water as their wounds festered. There were 1,196 crew members on the ship when it was torpedoed and only 321 survived, four more died in the weeks following. Those are not good odds.
The book also deals with the charges brought against the captain of the ship and how they affected him. There’s something particularly terrible about going through a trauma like that and knowing that it’s still not over when you get out of the water.
BOTTOM LINE: Just fantastic. If you enjoy good nonfiction, war stories or anything along those lines I would highly recommend it. It’s similar to Unbroken, but in my opinion was even better.
Show More
Indianapolis became famous after a scene in Jaws viscerally described the horror the men experienced. This is nonfiction at its best. The book sweeps you into the story immediately. It moves fast, hooking you and breaking your heart with every page. Trapped in the water, surrounded by sharks and without any drinkable water, the men began to drop like flies.
It’s horrifying to read about what the men in the water experienced. Some hallucinated, others gave up, and some fought to save their fellow men by giving them their life vests or diving off rafts to save someone. There were shark attacks, men drank the salt water out of desperation, others were burned badly when the ship was hit and were forced to sit in the water as their wounds festered. There were 1,196 crew members on the ship when it was torpedoed and only 321 survived, four more died in the weeks following. Those are not good odds.
The book also deals with the charges brought against the captain of the ship and how they affected him. There’s something particularly terrible about going through a trauma like that and knowing that it’s still not over when you get out of the water.
BOTTOM LINE: Just fantastic. If you enjoy good nonfiction, war stories or anything along those lines I would highly recommend it. It’s similar to Unbroken, but in my opinion was even better.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
EXCELLENT. The true story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and those who survived the attack. First rate writing and a story that can't be beat.
LibraryThing member AlCracka
Pretty fun. I read this entire thing in one evening while Kirs was out with the ladies.
LibraryThing member mldavis2
Interesting account of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the survivors. It is not exactly complimentary of Navy communications. The book seems to have been well researched and documented with interviews with survivors.
LibraryThing member breic
Fast and absorbing read. Not particularly suspenseful, since you know how everything turns out. I wasn't particularly convinced by the author's argument, promoted by the survivors, that the captain deserved no blame for the sinking. Perhaps not by today's military standards, where generals fail
> when a member of McCormick's radio staff aboard the Idaho received the message, he decoded the name of the addressee incorrectly. Since the message appeared to be addressed not to McCormick but to another commander, the staff member stopped deciphering it altogether. He never decoded the body of the message, which described McVay's arrival, and which had been marked "restricted," meaning it was not a "classified" or high-priority communication. As a result, Rear Admiral McCormick did not know to expect the arrival of the USS Indianapolis at Leyte.
> On board were nineteen oxygen-powered magnetic torpedoes, and six kaitens—kamikaze-like torpedoes piloted by crewmen grateful for the honor.
> They had spent about 112 hours—or more than four and a half days—adrift without food, water, or shelter from the sun. His group of five had drifted the farthest of any of the survivors, an astounding 124 miles.
> Of the 1,196 crew members who had sailed from Guam, only 321 had survived
> The court primarily blamed the sinking and ensuing deaths of the crew on two things: McVay's failure to zigzag in conditions that it considered "good with intermittent moonlight"; and his failure to send out a distress message. McVay himself testified that he doubted a message had left the ship during the short time it took to sink. The testimony of radio technician Jack Miner, who witnessed the SOS message leaving the transmitter during the sinking, was apparently disregarded. … the first captain in U.S. history to be court-martialed for losing his ship as the result of an act of war
> 2000, that war began drawing to a close when Congress passed a resolution exonerating Rear Admiral Charles Butler McVay III. It also recommended a Unit citation for the final crew of the USS Indianapolis, fifty-five years after they came home from their solitary victory parade in San Diego.
> for 56 years, he announced, he'd felt ashamed by the behavior of some of the men in the water. Why had some surrendered and died? Why had others acted less than admirably? It wasn't until he'd read In Harm's Way, he said, that he'd understood why. He was referring to passages describing the devastating effects of salt-water ingestion and exposure on the men.
> During my interviews with survivors, nearly all of them had recalled that, at some point, they had made a vow to themselves: I am going to live. This had always struck me as a startling, existential moment—it had haunted me, and still does. What the men were remembering were those people back on land who had at some point told them—in words or through deeds—"never to give up." I told the reporter that I wondered if I had ever said anything to my own son, to my daughter, to my wife, to any of my friends—to anybody—that would act as a lifeline if they found themselves in a similar situation.
Show More
up—but he pretty clearly was careless in not zigzagging on a clear night. > when a member of McCormick's radio staff aboard the Idaho received the message, he decoded the name of the addressee incorrectly. Since the message appeared to be addressed not to McCormick but to another commander, the staff member stopped deciphering it altogether. He never decoded the body of the message, which described McVay's arrival, and which had been marked "restricted," meaning it was not a "classified" or high-priority communication. As a result, Rear Admiral McCormick did not know to expect the arrival of the USS Indianapolis at Leyte.
> On board were nineteen oxygen-powered magnetic torpedoes, and six kaitens—kamikaze-like torpedoes piloted by crewmen grateful for the honor.
> They had spent about 112 hours—or more than four and a half days—adrift without food, water, or shelter from the sun. His group of five had drifted the farthest of any of the survivors, an astounding 124 miles.
> Of the 1,196 crew members who had sailed from Guam, only 321 had survived
> The court primarily blamed the sinking and ensuing deaths of the crew on two things: McVay's failure to zigzag in conditions that it considered "good with intermittent moonlight"; and his failure to send out a distress message. McVay himself testified that he doubted a message had left the ship during the short time it took to sink. The testimony of radio technician Jack Miner, who witnessed the SOS message leaving the transmitter during the sinking, was apparently disregarded. … the first captain in U.S. history to be court-martialed for losing his ship as the result of an act of war
> 2000, that war began drawing to a close when Congress passed a resolution exonerating Rear Admiral Charles Butler McVay III. It also recommended a Unit citation for the final crew of the USS Indianapolis, fifty-five years after they came home from their solitary victory parade in San Diego.
> for 56 years, he announced, he'd felt ashamed by the behavior of some of the men in the water. Why had some surrendered and died? Why had others acted less than admirably? It wasn't until he'd read In Harm's Way, he said, that he'd understood why. He was referring to passages describing the devastating effects of salt-water ingestion and exposure on the men.
> During my interviews with survivors, nearly all of them had recalled that, at some point, they had made a vow to themselves: I am going to live. This had always struck me as a startling, existential moment—it had haunted me, and still does. What the men were remembering were those people back on land who had at some point told them—in words or through deeds—"never to give up." I told the reporter that I wondered if I had ever said anything to my own son, to my daughter, to my wife, to any of my friends—to anybody—that would act as a lifeline if they found themselves in a similar situation.
Show Less
LibraryThing member danhibbert
Simply outstanding, riveting listening the whole way through.
Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — History/Biography — 2017)
Florida Teens Read Award (Nominee — 2024)
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Selection — 2023)
Michigan Notable Books (2002)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001-05
Physical description
333 p.; 6.2 inches
ISBN
0805066322 / 9780805066326