One of the best histories of a part of the U. S. Navy in WWII. Amazing book. Should be read. ( )

True story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis torpedoed and sunk near the end of WWII by a Japanese submarine. Based on interviews with survivors, extensive research, and review of declassified information, the author sheds light on what really happened to the ship and its crew. It starts with an ending, then traces the ship’s last journey from San Francisco to Tinian to deliver an important cargo to its final resting place at the bottom of the Philippine Sea. It brings to light the series of miscommunications, misguided naval directives, and errors in judgment that led to the survivors spending an inordinate amount of time awaiting rescue, resulting in unnecessary deaths at sea. The captain became a scapegoat for an act of war to divert attention from this series of fiascos. In addition to the riveting human saga, it includes scientific explanations for the miseries endured by the survivors. This book comprises a crisp, well-told, powerful piece of history. Recommended to those interested in the history of WWII, survival stories, or rectification of injustice. An impressive work that made a difference. ( )

In July 1945, The USS Indianapolis made a fast, secret trip from San Francisco to the of island of Tinian, in the South Pacific. What they carried and delivered were the parts of Little Boy, the first nuclear weapon to be dropped on Japan. The delivery safely made, the Indianapolis headed for training maneuvers. On July 30th the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, hit twice, the ship went down in 12 minutes. Of 1,195 men aboard, only 317 survived.

Of all the WWII stories I have read, this is probably the most horrific. Not only due to the loss of life, the injuries and suffering the sailors endured. Once again WWII Military minds were in CYA mode and blamed the ships Captain for the "incident". There was a lot of blame to go around and none of it, IMO, should have fallen on Captain McVAy.

Well researched and written. Recommended for those with an interest in history and/or WWII. ( )

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 waiting to be rescued. I recommend this book to anyone interested in joining the Navy and any WWII history fan.

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 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. ( )