Captain Charles B. McVay III, last Commanding Officer of USS Indianapolis (CA-35), tells War Correspondents about the sinking of his ship. Photographed on Guam in August 1945, following the rescue of her survivors. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives

Captain Charles Butler McVay III (July 30, 1898 – November 6, 1968) was the Commanding Officer of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) when it was lost in action in 1945 and rescue efforts were delayed, resulting in a tragic and massive loss of life. Captain McVay was a career naval officer with an exemplary record before the Indianapolis incident. In the wake of the tragedy he was unfairly blamed for the incident. After years of mental health problems he committed suicide, a broken man. Following years of efforts by survivors and others to clear his name, Captain McVay was finally exonerated by the United States Congress posthumously in 2000. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Indianapolis' sinking was the U.S. Navy's greatest loss of life in a single incident. The tragedy and the subsequent treatment of Captain McVay are two of the darker events in the history of the U.S. Navy. It took over 50 years, the efforts of the survivors, the motivation and determination of a concerned 12 year old schoolboy, and the U.S. Congress to finally set the record straight. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ...

In 1978, the events surrounding McVay's court-martial were dramatized in The Failure to ZigZag by playwright John B. Ferzacca. Actor Stacy Keach portrayed McVay in the 1991 made-for-television movie Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, which depicted the ordeal of the men of the Indianapolis during her last, fateful voyage. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Stacy Keach (born Walter Stacy Keach, Jr. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...

For additional information, see the main article USS Indianapolis (CA-35). USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. ...

Education and career

Charles Butler McVay III was born in Ephrata, Pennsylvania on July 30, 1898 to a Navy family. His father, Charles Butler McVay Jr., had commanded the tender, Yankton during the cruise of the Great White Fleet (1907-1909). He was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War I. Later, in the earlier 1930s, he served as Commander-in-Chief, Asiatic Fleet. Ephrata is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 38 miles (61 km) east by south of Harrisburg and about 57 miles (91 km) west by north of Philadelphia. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Charles Butler McVay II (1868 - 1949) was an admiral in the United States Navy after World War I. In 1907-1909, After the cruise of the Great White Fleet, he commanded the tender, Yankton. ... Mort Kuntsler 1977 painting The Great White Fleet Sails. ... For other uses, see Admiral (disambiguation). ... {{ USN redirects here. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The Asiatic Fleet was part of the US Navy. ...

Charles III was a 1920 graduate of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Before taking command of the Indianapolis in November 1944, Captain McVay was chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee of the combined chiefs of staff in Washington, D.C., the Allies' highest intelligence unit. Earlier in World War II, he won the Silver Star for displaying courage under fire. 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Teamwork: Fourth Class Midshipmen lock arms and use ropes made from uniform items as they brace themselves climbing the Herndon Monument The United States Naval Academy, or USNA, is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - District Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Silver Star is the fourth highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. ...

Captain McVay led the ship through the invasion of Iwo Jima, then the bombardment of Okinawa in the spring of 1945, during which Indianapolis antiaircraft guns shot down seven enemy planes before the ship was struck by a kamikaze on March 31, inflicting heavy casualties, including 13 dead, and penetrating the ship's hull. McVay returned the ship safely to Mare Island in California for repairs. For other uses, see Iwo Jima (disambiguation). ... This article is about the prefecture. ... USS Bunker Hill was hit by Ogawa (see picture left) and another kamikaze near KyÅ«shÅ« on May 11, 1945. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

A secret mission, and destruction

Later that year, Indianapolis received orders to carry parts and nuclear material to be used in the atomic bombs which were soon to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to Tinian. After delivering her top secret cargo, the ship was en route to report for further duty off Okinawa. The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... The Japanese city of Hiroshima ) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the ChÅ«goku region of western HonshÅ«, the largest of Japans islands. ... Nagasaki (Japanese: 長崎市, Nagasaki-shi  ) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about the prefecture. ...

Early in the morning of July 30, 1945, she was attacked by Japanese submarine I-58, Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto in command. Hit by two torpedoes, two heavy explosions occurred against the starboard side forward, and Indianapolis capsized and sank in twelve minutes. is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Japanese submarine I-58 Forward torpedo room of I-58. ... Mochitsura Hashimoto (Japanese: , Hashimoto Mochitsura) (-October 25, 2000) was the commander of the Japanese submarine Japanese submarine I-58 which sank the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945. ... The torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ...

Delayed rescue: 5 days of horror in the water

About 300 of the 1,196 men on board died in the attack. The rest of the crew, nearly 900 men, floated in the water without lifeboats until the rescue was completed five days later. Because of Navy protocol regarding secret missions, the ship was not reported "overdue" and the rescue only came after survivors were spotted by pilot Lieutenant Wilber (Chuck) Gwinn and copilot Lieutenant Warren Colwell on a routine patrol flight. Survivors suffered from lack of food and water, but the worst hazard came from constant shark attacks. Only 316 men survived. The horrific tale was made famous by Quint's monologue in the movie Jaws. Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes Symmoriida(extinct) Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton[1] and a streamlined body. ... It has been suggested that Orca (Jaws boat) be merged into this article or section. ...

The seas had been moderate, the visibility good. Indianapolis had been steaming at 15.7 knots (31 km/h). When the ship did not reach Leyte on the 31st, as scheduled, no report was made that she was overdue. This omission was officially recorded later as "due to a misunderstanding of the Movement Report System". It was not until 10:25 on August 2 that the survivors were sighted, mostly held afloat by life jackets, although there were a few rafts which had been cut loose before the ship went down. They were sighted by a plane on routine patrol; the pilot immediately dropped a life raft and a radio transmitter. All air and surface units capable of rescue operations were dispatched to the scene at once. Leyte (pronounced LAY-teh or LAY-tee) is an island in the Visayas group of the Philippines. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Future U.S. Secretary of the Navy W. Graham Claytor Jr. was commander of the destroyer escort Cecil J. Doyle. After receiving the location from the seaplane, without orders, Captain Claytor took the initiative to speed to the area to check the reports of men floating in the water. As he approached at night, he turned searchlights on the water and straight up on low clouds, lighting up the night and exposing his ship to possible attack by Japanese submarines but rescuing almost 100 survivors of the sunken cruiser. Destroyers Madison and Ralph Talbot were ordered from Ulithi, and the destroyer escort Dufilho with attack transports Bassett and Ringness from the Philippine Frontier to the rescue scene, searching thoroughly for any survivors. Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy. ... Lieutenant Commander Claytor (center) and some crew members in Japan, 1945 William Graham Claytor, Jr. ... A Destroyer Escort (DE) is classification for a small, comparatively slower warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Navy in World War II. It is usually employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also some protection against aircraft and smaller... U.S.S. (DE-368) was a United States Navy John C. Butler-class destroyer escort commissioned in 1944. ... The third USS Madison (DD-424) was a Benson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for James Jonas Madison. ... USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390) was a Bagley-class destroyer in the United States Navy, named for USMC Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot (1897–1918), who was awarded the Medal of Honor during World War I. Talbot served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, from the attack on Pearl... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Upon completion of rescue operations, August 8, a radius of 100 miles (160 km) had been combed by day and by night. However, the effort was able to save only 316 of the crew of 1,199 men. is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Controversy: a scapegoat

Although he was wounded, Captain McVay, commander of Indianapolis, survived and was among those rescued. He repeatedly asked the Navy why it took five days to rescue his men, and he never received an answer. The Navy long claimed that SOS messages were never received because the ship was operating under a policy of radio silence; declassified records now show that the Navy lied. At least three SOS messages were received separately, but none were acted upon because one commander was drunk, another had ordered his men not to disturb him and a third thought it was a Japanese prank. [1]

There was much controversy over the incident. In November 1945, McVay was court-martialed and convicted of "hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag." Several circumstances of the court-martial were controversial: there was overwhelming evidence that the United States Navy itself had placed the ship in harm's way; the commander of I-58, Mochitsura Hashimoto, testified that zigzagging would have made no difference; [2] and, although 700 ships of the U.S. Navy were lost in combat in World War II, McVay was the only captain to be court-martialed. A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a military court that determines punishments for members of the military subject to military law. ... {{ USN redirects here. ... Mochitsura Hashimoto (Japanese: , Hashimoto Mochitsura) (-October 25, 2000) was the commander of the Japanese submarine Japanese submarine I-58 which sank the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

It was widely felt that he had been a scapegoat for the Navy. Despite the fact McVay was promoted to rear admiral when he retired in 1949, the conviction effectively ended McVay's career in the Navy, and he was hounded and blamed the rest of his life by grief-stricken relatives of the dead crewmen. McVay committed suicide by shooting himself with his service S&W Model 10 Victory revolver at his home in Litchfield, Connecticut on 6 November 1968, oddly, holding a toy soldier in his hand. He was found just outside of his back porch by his gardener. [3] The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt, 1854. ... The Smith & Wesson Military & Police revolver, later known as the Smith & Wesson Model 10 and (for those produced during WWII) the Smith & Wesson Victory Model, is a . ... Litchfield is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut and is known as a affluent summer resort. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Largest metro area Hartford Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[2] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ...

Exoneration: a 50-year struggle

USS Indianapolis survivors organized, and many spent years attempting to clear their skipper's name. Many people, from son Charles McVay IV to author Dan Kurzman, who chronicled the Indianapolis tragedy in Fatal Voyage, to members of Congress long believed Capt. McVay was unfairly convicted. Paul Murphy, president of the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization, said: "Capt. McVay's court-martial was simply to divert attention from the terrible loss of life caused by procedural mistakes which never alerted anyone that we were missing." USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. ...

Finally, just over fifty years after the tragedy, a schoolboy in Pensacola, Florida, Hunter Scott (12 years old at the time), was instrumental in raising awareness of the miscarriage of justice carried out at the captain's court-martial. As part of a school history project, the young man interviewed nearly 150 survivors of the Indianapolis sinking and reviewed 800 documents. His testimony before the US Congress brought national attention to the longstanding injustice. Source: Detroit News, April 23, 1998 Nickname: Location of Pensacola, Florida (top left) Coordinates: Country United States State Florida County Escambia Government  - Mayor John Fogg Area  - City 39. ... Hunter Alan Scott (born June 9, 1985) is currently studying journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Naval ROTC scholarship. ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

In October of 2000, the United States Congress passed a resolution that Captain McVay's record should reflect that "he is exonerated for the loss of the USS Indianapolis." President Clinton also signed the resolution [4]. 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ...

"I would not have hesitated to serve under him again. His treatment by the Navy was unforgivable and shameful."

From statement submitted at September 1999 Senate hearing by Florian Stamm, one of the USS Indianapolis survivors

Despite this congressional resolution, and a later admission by the U.S. Navy of his not being responsible, the formal conviction still remains on McVays service record. The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ...

See also

• USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
• W. Graham Claytor Jr.
• List of U.S. Navy losses in World War II for other Navy ships lost in WWII.

USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. ... Lieutenant Commander Claytor (center) and some crew members in Japan, 1945 William Graham Claytor, Jr. ... List of U.S. Navy ships lost during World War II, from 7 December 1941 to 1 October 1945, sorted by type and name. ...

References

• This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
• Doug Stanton, In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors ISBN 0-8050-7366-3

The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS for short) is the primary reference work for the basic facts about every ship ever used by the United States Navy. ...

External links

• USS Indianapolis — Still at sea
• Photographs of Indianapolis
• Allied Warships: USS Indianapolis (CA 35), Heavy cruiser of the Portland class
• USS INDIANAPOLIS COLLECTION, 1898-1991 — an "artificially-created" collection of materials regarding the history of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA 35).
• [5] "Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis"