Daily Event for July 30, 2005

On July 16, 1945 the cruiser USS Indianapolis CA-35 departed San Francisco for the most important mission of her career. She was to carry the parts for the atomic bombs to the Island of Tinian. Built in New York in 1930 the Indianapolis was already a famous ship by the time World War II began. She had sailed more than once with President Roosevelt including a good-will cruise to South America. On Dec. 7, 1941 she was there at Pearl Harbor, receiving no damage she was deployed to search for the Japanese carriers that had launched the aircraft that attacked the U.S. Fleet.

After returning Indianapolis was sent to the South Pacific and saw action in New Britain and New Guinea before returning the Mare Island for overhaul. She then went to the Aleutians to assist in retaking the islands occupied by  the Japanese. During this time she sank a Japanese freighter, the Akagane Maru on Feb. 19, 1943. The freighter exploded and sank leaving no survivors.

After the successful campaign to retake the Aleutians, Indianapolis was again taken to Mare Island for overhaul. She was then made Flagship of Admiral Spruance's 5th fleet and departed for the Gilbert Islands. Followed by actions in the Marshall Islands, Western Caroline Islands, Saipan, Tinian, Pelelieu and Palaus Islands. She was also present for the Battle of the Philippine Sea shooting down one aircraft.

After all this action she went back to Mare Island for overhaul again. Coming out with Admiral Mitscher's battle group. This time she was to see action at Iwo Jima, the Japanese home Islands and Okinawa. It was at Okinawa on Mar. 31, 1945 the Indianapolis was struck by a Kamikaze. The gun crews managed to hit the plane and divert its course, but not in time. The pilot dropped his bomb and crashed the ship on the port side. The aircraft strike did little damage, but the bomb slammed through the main deck and continued through all decks below including the fuel tanks and the mess. Finally the bomb went through the bottom of the ship exploding underwater causing two holes in the bottom of the ship. Nine of the crew were killed and the ship was damaged, but she made it back to Mare Island under her own power and the skill of the crew and was repaired.

She then received her orders for Tinian. Indianapolis departed San Francisco on July 16, 1945. She made a stop at Pearl Harbor and then set a record time and arrived at Tinian on July 26. Delivering the device that would end the war she then departed for Guam. Leaving Guam with orders to proceed to Leyte.... she would never arrive.

It is popular to say that the Japanese submarine I-58 departed on patrol on the same day that the Indianapolis departed San Francisco. This is partially true. The I-58 did depart Kure en route for the submarine base at Hirao, she then left Hirao for deep diving exercises, but found that the periscope seals were defective and returned to Hirao for repairs. She then departed for her patrol on July 18. The commander of I-58, Mochitura Hashimoto had never sunk a large U.S. warship and was eager to do so. On the evening of July 29, 1945 he got his chance. A little after 23:00 one of the officers on the I-58 spots a ship, Hashimoto identifies the ship as an Iowa class battleship, of course in reality it was the Indianapolis. When the range was right Hashimoto launched his torpedoes. Indianapolis was struck by at least two of the six fired. Her radio was knocked out and she began to sink rapidly. In twelve minuets she was gone and about 800 men were left in the water.

The men of the Indianapolis were left in shark infested waters and were not even being searched for. This was due to the many factors not the least of which was incompetence on the part of many Navy officials. However, on Aug. 2 the survivors, now fewer because of relentless shark attacks and exposure were found quite by accident by a PV-1 piloted by Wilbur C. Gwinn. A PBY, under the command of Adrian Marks, was dispatched to the scene. He flew over a destroyer, the USS Cecil Doyle DD-368, while enroute and signaled the captain of the ship of the disaster. The captain of the Doyle did not wait for orders and proceeded to the scene under his own authority.

The PBY arrived to a scene of horrors. While dropping life rafts and supplies the crew could clearly see men being attacked by sharks. Marks put down in spite of orders not to land at sea and begun to rescue survivors. By the end of the day he and his crew had pulled 56 from the water. When the destroyer arrived on scene, he was able to locate the area because of the PBY in the water. Finally on Aug. 3 the rescue was complete, between 4 and 500 men had died in the water. The Indianapolis had a crew of 1,195 when she was sunk, between 800 and 900 men had managed to get off the ship, only 316 were rescued alive. A total of 879 men had died in the worst wartime disaster in U.S. naval history (the worst loss of life on a U.S. Navy ship was the USS Arizona).

But the story does not end there. Capt. Charles B. McVay III was one of the survivors. He was later court-martialed for the loss of his ship (he was the only captain charged for the loss of a ship in WWII). The trial began on Dec. 3, 1945, only five months after the terrible ordeal in the sea. McVay was found guilty of not zig-zagging and causing the loss of his ship. In an unbelievable outrage the Navy even brought to the court room the commander of the I-58, Hashimoto, to testify against McVay. It is worthy to note that Admirals Nimitz and Spruance were both against the prosecution of McVay and that Nimitz later restored him to duty.

McVay however never received another command at sea. He was later promoted to Rear Admiral, but after years of grief McVay committed suicide on Nov. 6, 1968. He would not live to see his name finally exonerated, but on May 25, 1999 in the 106th Congress his name was exonerated by S.J. Res 26.

Here is part of the joint resolution:

SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING THE COURT-MARTIAL CONVICTION OF CHARLES BUTLER MCVAY, III.
    It is the sense of Congress that--

      (1) the court-martial charges against then-Captain Charles Butler McVay III, United States Navy, arising from the sinking of the U.S.S. INDIANAPOLIS (CA-35) on July 30, 1945, while under his command were not morally sustainable;

      (2) Captain McVay's conviction was a miscarriage of justice that led to his unjust humiliation and damage to his naval career; and

      (3) the American people should now recognize Captain McVay's lack of culpability for the tragic loss of the U.S.S. INDIANAPOLIS and the lives of the men who died as a result of her sinking.
President William J. Clinton signed the legislation on Oct. 30, 2000. The effort to clear McVay's name was lead by Hunter Scott, an 11 year-old boy from Florida. As for Mochitura Hashimoto, he later became a Shinto Priest, and aided in the effort to clear McVay's name. He died at the age of 91 on Oct. 25, 2000.
© 2005 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com


USS Indianapolis CA-35.