63 Years Ago Today - USS INDIANAPOLIS

[BOSSHOG]

30 JULY 1945, the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese Torpedo in the south Pacific after delivering the Atom Bomb components to Guam.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0730.html#article

About a third of the crew floated around for almost a week before being rescued, many being eaten by Sharks. The episode was referenced on the Movie Jaws by the Robert Shaw character. As the attached NYT shows, the sinking was relegated to below the fold on the front page because of other War News.

[Junkdrawer]

1. Just in time for Shark Week on the Discovery Channel....

:sarcasm:

[Bake]

6. They showed "Ocean of Fear" last night on Discovery

One-hour program about the Indianapolis. Very moving.

Bake

[Sequoia]

12. Oh no, I missed it.

That book about the Indianappolis is most excellent.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JPXXQN1EL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

[Bake]

13. Check the listings, I'm sure they'll show it again.

Great program!

Bake

[BOSSHOG]

27. I used that book

in Navy leadership classes for years. It is most excellent.

[Sequoia]

32. It's the best navy book I've read about that sort of thing.

I remember you posting about this ship several months ago, almost a year I think and that's what got me to check out this book.

[BOSSHOG]

35. "A Glimpse of Hell" by Charles Thompson

is a great accounting of the explosion on the Iowa back in 89.

[LeftyMom]

41. It replays this weekend.

[Sequoia]

46. Good, thank you.

[Scout]

23. i think there is a second part to that show?? i watched it last night

how awful for all those men.

war fucking sucks so bad :cry:

[TexasObserver]

2. "Twenty-FIVE!!"

Couldn't dangle my feet in the ocean for a year after that bad body came out.

[BOSSHOG]

7. You're gonna need a bigger boat!

[Bill219]

3. I watched a show on Discovery Channel last night about this

It was called "Ocean of Fear" and was narrarated by Richard Dreyfuss

[elehhhhna]

4. 2 (!) of my FIL's childhood pals survived the Indy sinking...

God Bless 'em -- hubs & were honored to have them celebrate our wedding.



Mr. McGuiggan, left, & Mr. Kuryla, second from right -- before they sailed.

They didn't discuss it much until later in life --here's an account of their story;

I had just about dozed off when the torpedo hit,” Kuryla stated. “It just stung my whole body. It threw my shoes and me up in the air. I didn’t know what happened. I thought a boiler blew. I looked at the guy next to me and we... headed to our battle stations.”

“The battery officer told me to get life jackets on, so I went down to the boat deck,” explained McGuiggan. “We had to form a human chain because so many of the guys were trapped up against the bulkhead. We had to pull them up the high side where we waited to abandon ship.”

McGuiggan sat on the side of the ship watching the screw turn. With one leg swung over the side, he and several shipmates inched away from the screws before they dropped some 50 feet into the water.

For Kuryla, abandoning ship was a more harrowing experience. Unable to make it up to the high side of the fast-sinking ship, Kuryla ended up sliding toward the low side. Grabbing a rope that someone left hanging, Kuryla tried to pull himself up but to no avail.

“The next thing I know,” says Kuryla, “the ship rolls over, and the deck is over my head. I held my breath and put my feet and hands on the deck and kicked down trying to swim out from under her, but she sucked me back in.

“I couldn’t hold my breath anymore,” he continued, surprisingly calm. “They say your life flashes before you, and it does. I remember seeing the street that I lived on, my parents, and my brother, sister. I started praying because I thought this was the end. I blacked out and the next thing I know... I’m out, and there’s a raft.”

After being helped into the raft, Kuryla turned in time to see the stern of the ship go down. McGuiggan, meanwhile, had ended up in another group.

Much more --

http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/museum/INDIANAPOLIS/Indianapolis1.htm

[BOSSHOG]

8. God Bless ya

for that wonderful picture. I tear up everytime I see pictures of old white hats in their Crackerjacks. I have several of myself with my old buddies. They are priceless to me.

[elehhhhna]

11. My FIL was very sad when they were assigned to the same ship & he to another --

imagine!

So...hubby's family friends sunk on the Indy, and his great aunt perished on the Titanic. Lesson: Do not go boating with friends & family on my hub's side. Ever.

[Sequoia]

14. Did that boy, Hunter Scott, interview them for his project?

He grew up and is now in the navy. It seems he was the one responsible for getting the Captain's name cleared. The navy really tried to cover up this one and use him as the ultimate scapegoat. Poor guy, shot himself and his selfish 3rd wife was only concerned about what the neighbors would think with her beautiful lawn covered in blood.

[elehhhhna]

16. IIRC he did meet w/ one if not both. The survivors pushed hard to have

Captain McVey exonerated, which finally happened in 2000. That boy, Duncan, did a great job, btw.

[ellie]

28. Look at how young those men are!

Just kids!

[BOSSHOG]

38. Ain't nothing more handsome

then a young Sailor in his dress blues on liberty. Oh my good ole days.

[elehhhhna]

40. They were pretty snazzy.

[elehhhhna]

39. 17 & 18, iirc. Lots of guys lied about their ages to get in --

my step FIL enlisted at 14 & was at Guadalcanal at 16.

[soleft]

5. I'll never put on a life jacket again

Mr. Hoopah

[BOSSHOG]

9. Mr Hoopah

kicked his ass when he crushed that styrofoam cup as if it were .. well .. a styrofoam cup.

[Parche]

10. Hey Boss

I have a model of the USS Indianapolis on my shelf....along with 30 other '700' scale
ships, including Essex class carriers, submarines, destroyers, battleships.


The one think I have always had a problem with this episode, they did not, but should have had
at least 1 destroyer escort, it was travelling alone, a heavy cruiser, Admiral Spruance's flagship at one time (5th fleet Task Force 58) and they did not have 1 escort.
The US Navy is responsible for this tragedy.....
The ship was sailing to the Phillipines to join up with VADM Jesse Oldendorf's fire support force, and from there was to sail to Okinawa for bombardment and screening support.


:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

:hi:

[BOSSHOG]

29. Sadly

Japanese submarines were most likely the last thing on anybody's mind in July 1945.

[AngryAmish]

15. Black eyes, like a doll's eyes

[tuckessee]

17. No one ever remembers the Juneau. n/t

[Parche]

18. I Do

The Sullivan brothers were on that ship, it was being towed to be repaired, and a Japanese submarine torpedoed it, near Guadalcanal 1942...........

:hi: :patriot:

[RamboLiberal]

19. I always thought the Juneau was still under her own power

Due to bad weather and confused communications, the battle occurred in close to pitch darkness and at almost point-blank range as the ships of the two sides intermingled with each other. During the melee, Juneau was struck on the port side by a torpedo causing a severe list, stopping her dead in the water, and necessitating withdrawal. Before noon 13 November, Juneau, along with two other cruisers damaged in the battle — Helena, and San Francisco — left the Guadalcanal area to return to Espiritu Santo for repairs. Juneau was steaming on one screw, keeping station 800 yards on the starboard quarter of the likewise severely damaged San Francisco (CA-38). She was down 12 feet by the bow, but able to maintain 13 knots. A few minutes after 11:00 three torpedoes were launched from the B1 type submarine I-26. Juneau successfully avoided two, but the third struck her at the same point which had been damaged during the surface action. There was a great explosion; Juneau broke in two and disappeared in 20 seconds. Fearing more attacks from the I-26, the Helena and San Francisco continued-on without attempting to rescue survivors. Although the ship went down with heavy loss of life, more than 100 survivors had survived the sinking. They were left to fend on their own in the open ocean for eight days before rescue aircraft belatedly arrived. While awaiting rescue, all but 10 died from the elements and savage shark attacks, including Captain Swenson and the two remaining Sullivan brothers. (The other three died as a direct result of the 2nd torpedo.) (Kurzman, 1994).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Juneau_(CL-52)

[Parche]

21. Right You Are Sir

I confused it with the USS Chicago, that was torpedoed while being towed.......:hi:

[tuckessee]

20. And what about the Jarvis (DD 393)?

Another Guadalcanal fiasco. No one knows how many if any survived its sinking.

As far as the Navy knew it just vanished off the face of the earth until searches of post war Japanese records gleaned some clues.

Was the captain's judgement impaired because of atabrine or was it something else?

No one will ever know.....

[Parche]

22. Biggest Tragedy Of Guadalcanal

The Savo Island tragedy, where the USS Vincennes, Astoria, Quincy, and the Canberra
all heavy cruisers were sunk, in a night battle engagement August 1942

[tuckessee]

24. Yep, it was such a lopsided ass kicking

that it shocked the Japanese commander and convinced him he'd better take his winnings & go home instead of sticking around to blow the American transports out of the water.

Interestingly, the Jarvis skirted the Battle of Savo Island, being spotted at long range as she limped away by a Japanese vanguard destroyer in Mikawa's task force that launched a futile torpedo attack on the "crusier".

That misidentification (crusier for destroyer) sealed her fate. A destroyer? - not worth the effort. A cruiser? - worth sending bombers after.

[Parche]

25. Fletcher

And with Fletcher sending the fleet far to the South East, for as he said refueling
they could not send any SBD's after the ships saling back in the slot....

[Sequoia]

33. Me too, I also read that book.

I remember seeing the movie about it when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, around 6 years old. I remember seeing the star flags in the window and the last scene where the brothers had their arms around each other walking towards the sun which was to signify heaven.

[BOSSHOG]

30. I do. Hopefully I remember them all

If one US Ship of WWII has been forgotten its most likely the Houston.

[Parche]

36. Hey Boss, The First USS Houston?

The battle of the Java sea?

The 2nd USS Houston was hit near the Phillipines, and almost used as bait to get the Japanese
to bring their forces and attack it........:hi:

[BOSSHOG]

37. The first one

Sorry about the lack of specificity. "Ship of Ghosts" nice book about the plight of the surviving crew who were forced to build a railroad line in Burma and Thailand (ala Bridge of the River Kwai.) Also served as President Roosevelt's personal waterbound runaround.

[Ilsa]

26. Movie: Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis

made in 1991 with Stacy Keach as Capt. McVay. Great film, A horrific story.

[Bake]

31. Yep. I saw that one.

Stacey Keach was excellent as the Captain.

Bake

[Sequoia]

34. I'll have to look for it. I had no idea. Thanx.

[CatWoman]

45. it's available on Ebay

think I'll order it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=220241650995

[CatWoman]

42. Hi, Boss

:hi:

I saw a special on this subject on The History Channel.

still gives me shivers thinking about it :scared:

[BOSSHOG]

47. God Bless My Shipmates

How's My Favorite CatWoman??

[Obamanaut]

43. To pick a nit with the nytimes story, the cargo went to Tinian, and

from there the ship reported to CINCPACFLT in Guam for further orders.


http://www.ussindianapolis.org/story.htm
<snip>
The world's first operational atomic bomb was delivered by the Indianapolis, (CA-35) to the island of Tinian on 26 July 1945. <more>

[BOSSHOG]

48. Thanks Mate for that info

[RamboLiberal]

44. One thing that always bugged me was Shaw getting the month

wrong. In the movie he said June 29 when it really was July 30th. I hate when historical facts are gotten wrong in movies and books.

[BOSSHOG]

49. Happened around midnight of the 29th???

I agree with you teammate, a fact lost here, a fact lost there and before you know it, Italy won the war.

As Mark Twain said, always tell the truth and you will never have to remember anything.