Fatal Voyage: The Sinking of the Uss Indianapolis

From Publishers Weekly The cruiser Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945. Most of its crew went down with the ship, but many died during the extraordinary five-day delay in rescue. The ship's captain was one of 316 who survived of a crew of 1196. Charles B. McVay III was court-martialed for negligence, becoming the first captain ever tried by the U.S. Navy for losing his ship in battle. (He later committed suicide.) Kurzman ( A Killing Wind ) here presents a shocking, convincing tale of how a good officer became a political pawn and scapegoat for high-level administrative negligence. He also describes the efforts by McVay's family and survivors of the tragedy to overturn the conviction, efforts which continue despite the "total resistance" of the Navy. The sinking of the Indianapolis has been called the Navy's worst sea disaster; Kurzman suggests that it is the Navy's worst moral disaster as well. This is a first-rate work, covering the details of the sinking, the five-day ordeal of the survivors in shark-infested water, and the unusual court-martial (it featured in-person testimony by the Japanese submarine commander). Photos. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal In July 1945 the cruiser Indianapolis sailed from San Francisco to Tinian in the Marianas to deliver components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Then, en route from Tinian to Leyte, sailing alone, the ship was torpedoed and sunk. Incredibly, it was not missed for five days, by which time the survivors had been diminished to under 200 from shark attack, thirst, and exposure. Kurzman argues that the Navy railroaded the captain to court-martial and eventual suicide while covering up indifference and incompetence by higher officials, all to protect the service's public image. Recommended for coverage of the inquiry, which many readers will find distressingly similar to the treatment of more recent disasters. For public and military libraries.