The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man

Great story and well written. Enjoyed the back and forth of time segments that helped tell the story in a more encompassing viewpoint. Being from a Navy family I can truly understand the pomposity of Naval Command being obstructive I’m allowing this officer to have his named finally cleared. And what a shame it had to be posthumously! The Admirals at the time of this event in the Pacific theatre should have all been courtmartlialed for their dereliction of duty-resulting in unbelievable suffering by the men of the USS Indianapolis.

A compelling book from beginning to end. A tribute to many from The Greatest Generation and revelations about cover ups that cost hundreds of American lives at sea and devastation to hundreds more at home.

Best researched and documented book I have ever read. It touched on the lives of all the survivors. I highly recommend this book and thank the writers. My dad was in the navy. That made it real for me.

Many people are familiar with the basics of the USS Indianapolis disaster in WW2, and there are several other books on the subject, but I found this book particularly enjoyable because it provides a really interesting fusion of naval history, survival stories, namesake ship, recent undersea discovery, and tops it all off with legal and courtroom drama over many years. Thus it brings the whole Indianapolis story together.

About the only thing missing about the Indianapolis is the pre-WW2 history of the ship, such as how the "treaty cruisers" came to be, their shortfalls, and pre-war actions. This book begins with the kamikaze attack on the ship late in the war, and goes on from there to include the atomic bomb carrying voyage and subsequent sinking. I think this was a good choice by the authors, because it did not burden the reader with unnecessary early details that would have detracted from the central story, which is about the sinking, how some survived, and the subsequent cover-up or blame shifting by US Navy brass that rightfully comes across as a great injustice that is only corrected after a long and persistent legal battle that unfortunately wasn't resolved until well after the suicide of Captain McVey, who was blamed for the loss.

An interesting side note concerns one of the participants in the whole affair: Oliver Naquin. As the captain of USS Squalus when it sank prior to the war, he was a hero in that amazing survival story. But in this incident, his reckless negligence was clearly a major contributor to the tragedy. It was interesting that the same mid-level officer would be involved in two famous naval incidents, although in completely different directions.

Overall, well-written and very interesting.

Book Review: Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man
by Lynn Vincent, Sara Vladic

Many famous books have been written about the sinking of USS Indianapolis. Movies too. Richard Newcomb, author of "Abandon Ship" was the first to realize that an injustice had occurred with respect to the ship's commanding officer, Charles B. McVay III. Of all captains in the history of the U. S. Navy, McVay is the only one to have been subjected to court-martial for losing a ship sunk by an act of war. McVay was posthumously exonerated in 2000.

Doug Stanton, author of "In Harm's Way", was the first to interview scores of survivors, then write a "survival story" that focused on the ordeal the men faced while adrift at sea.

Co-authors, Ms. Vincent and Ms. Vladic, in a lifetime's epic endeavor spanning sixteen years, assiduously narrates the ship's mission, the survival story, and the trial, scandal and exoneration of the ship's captain, all based on well-researched "primary sources". Plus, the inside story of how a superspy shepherded the core of the atomic bomb sailing on the Indy into its final assembly in Tinian, a first we are told.

Were the writers equal to the task? A third of the story is focused on the exoneration, legal proceedings and court records, and a fourth of the volume on appendices.

Neither first nor original, but overall the product makes for compelling reading, far beyond historical reportage, a well-written, chronologically-arranged "human naval history" that brings out feelings and emotions, and places the Indy and her sailors, once again, in proper historical context - one of the worst sea disasters ever.

Review based on an advance reading copy presented by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster.

Like many kids in the 1970s, seeing “Jaws” in the movie theater was a memorable experience. While the thought of a monstrous Great White shark roaming the beaches for humans was scary enough (especially for those of us living in a beach community), it was Quint’s eerie recollection of surviving the sinking of the USS Indianapolis that creeped me out the most. Over the years I’ve read books and seen documentaries and movies regarding the sinking of this ship and the horrible struggle endured by the survivors … they all seemed incomplete. Finally, over 70 years later, Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic bring the story of the ship’s demise full circle. INDIANAPOLIS is a thorough and thoughtfully written account of the doomed vessel and its legacy; it is a far more complex and thoughtful analysis that is much more than a story involving sharks.

I previously read another highly regarded book about the sinking of the Indianapolis (Doug Stanton’s “In Harm’s Way”) and found it to be a compelling, but horrific read as the book heavily focuses on the survivors’ ordeal in the waters of the Pacific. I accepted Stanton’s book as the best all-around source on the subject until I read this book. INDIANAPOLIS reveals that the story of the ship didn’t end when the survivors were rescued, and it didn’t end by the time “In Harm’s Way” was first published in 2001.

My initial expectation of this book was that it would simply be an effort to retell an old and familiar story … I was wrong. INDIANAPOLIS is an all-encompassing view of the ship … her life, her legacy and the lives of the sailors connected to her. Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic have authored a book that comes across as their life’s work … a thorough and passionately researched book that seems to give the ship and her crew a voice to finally tell the complete story. Instead of focusing on the plight of the survivors in the water, the authors broaden their scope to cover the survivors’ efforts to clear the ship’s Captain and remove the stigma of the sinking as the sole defining aspect of the Indianapolis. Their work exhibits exhaustive research that includes the remaining survivors, the commander of a retiring submarine that was named in honor of the “Indy” and the hard work of a pre-teen that triggered an actual Act of Congress. I like the way the authors provide a solid history of the ship, from it’s origins through World War II. I feel I got a better perspective of the Indy’s significant role in delivering critical parts of the atomic bomb and found the somewhat primitive efforts to disguise the classified material interesting. It’s simply hard to believe that the US Navy could have lost account of a ship involved with such an important/sensitive mission and ultimately sealing its fate.

While the ship’s sinking has always been THE story, events that followed are just as shocking. The book succinctly chronicles the Navy’s willingness to “save face” and devastate the lives of honorable men in the process, as well as a refusal to admit fault almost a half-century later. I had no idea how complicated, frustrating and ridiculous the process was for the government to re-examine the Indy’s demise in a rational manner. Vincent and Vladic do a good job providing the details without disrupting reading flow. The revelation that the wreckage of the Indianapolis was discovered late last year caught me off-guard as I wasn’t aware of that fact. That discovery proved to be a well-timed and fitting final chapter that seemed to reward the authors for their diligent work in telling the full story of the Indianapolis.

The plight of the Indianapolis did not end in 1945. The silent war being fought by the ship’s survivors for the last seventy years is a story worth telling. INDIANAPOLIS is an excellent book that serves as a one-stop resource that chronicles the FULL story of the ship. Well-researched and well-written, this is a worthy read.

I received this book as an advanced reader's copy from a sweepstakes. Also, I am a Historian with a Master's degree in History and an interest in World War II history among other areas. This book is very good. The narrative flows effortlessly from 1945 to 1997 and back again as the authors tell the story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis cruiser while introducing us to US Naval Commander William Toti. Commander Toti becomes readers' guide into the quest for exoneration of Captain Charles McVay. The ease of moving the reader from 1945 to 1997 and so forth really caught my attention. I didn't get lost in where the story was in time as the narrative moved back and forth.
The authors did well to bring the men of this story to life from their personalities to their character as seamen, war brothers, survivors, and family men. Even when the story moves into the legal hearings, court martial, and Congressional meetings, the authors did well not to overload the book with technical and legal jargon that might dissuade a reader to stop reading if they weren't a hardcore historian or history fanatic.
Instead, the authors managed to tell the story so that every person from a casual non-fiction reader with little history interests to the History Professor and scholar would pick this book up and not be disappointed in getting good read. I could see myself as an undergrad being able to read this book with ease for a class book review. I could see it as an excellent source for a research paper. I could also see this book as one I could convince a family member or friend (who might never read a history book) to read and they would enjoy it.
Despite the authors' inclusion of many characters, one has little trouble coming back to them in the story even when some time has passed in the story. Readers relate to them, but also cannot fathom their resilience, courage, and strength they must have possessed to even try to move on with life. From the book, we learn not all could keep their strength and live happily, but they braved what many of us hope we could endure, but fear we would not.
The sources of this book are top notch and expected to be from such dedicated and thorough historical authors.
The breaking up of the book in "Books" with subsections within those "Books" can help a reader take many breaks, not for lack of interest, but to digest the last read portion or to savor the read over a longer time as I did between work and daily life chores. Most books I read, I don't want to stop in the middle of chapters to return later and go back in the chapter to recollect the story where I left off. Yet, many books chapters are so long that it is difficult to not stop in mid-chapter to return to daily obligations. So this book's small breaks throughout is a great way to help readers with active lives be able to stop and go seamlessly without loosing the thread of the narrative in their heads by the time they pick the book back up. Overall, I highly recommend this book for any and all readers and encourage the persons thinking of dipping their toe into a non-fiction book to try this book; you won't be disappointed, but encouraged to keep going.

INDIANAPOLIS, The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man, by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic.
The late Paul Harvey might have reported that INDIANAPOLIS “tells the rest of the story”, for it is the most comprehensive of all other books combined that tell the story of the historic ship. It is the best researched and documented and is so well written. Nothing about this sad story is sugar-coated but it is written in a way that honors the men and their sacrifice, along with the pain of their families.
The first major book telling the backroom politics that led to the exoneration of Captain Charles Butler McVay, and reporting in depth on the 2017 discovery of Indianapolis by Paul Allen’s R/V Petrel, there is much new information researched by the authors. From reconciling the decades-long error in the number of crew, to exploring the possible coverups of naval stations failing to report distress calls from the sinking ship, this book leaves little to nothing unexplored.
Its easy to understand why INDIANAPOLIS is An the store Best Book of July 2018 and is in TIME’s Best Books to read in Summer 2018.
- Earl Henry, Jr., Nashville, TN – Son of Lost-at-Sea LTCD Earl O. Henry, Dental Officer of the USS Indianapolis

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent ManIndianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man

I received a free Kindle copy of Indianapolis by LynnVincent and Sara Vladic courtesy of Net Galley  and Simon snd Schuster, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, the store, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as  I read a couple of other books on the events surrounding the sinkng of the Indianapolis, but this one carried it forward to the present day.  This is the first book by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic that I have read.

This is an extremely well written and researched book. The subtitle is an accurate depiction of the contents of the book - The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man. This book reads more like a piece of fiction than history making it an engaging and interesting read.

The book covers the events leading up to the sinking of the Indianapolis, the stories of the crew adrift while waiting for resuce, the rescue effort, the hearings after the war and the long fight by the crew to exonerate their captain from blame for the events that occurred. It also points out the inflexibility of the Navy in admitting that they made a mistake even after Congress cleared the captain of any wrongdoing.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a comprehensive history of what took place with the sinking of the Indianapolis and the events afterwardes.

Coming from these two authors, I knew this was going to be a good book. And it was. I don’t usually do Military history. But something about this story pulled at me.

A true account of what happened to the ship and crew of the USS Indianapolis. After delivering precious cargo that would effectively end the war with Japan, she has limped on a course to complete the repairs that were not finished before they were pulled for a special top-secret mission. But they never made it. Torpedoed by the enemy and sank.

A story of bravery, of teen-aged boys stepping up when needed. Of the fight to survive for those left alive in the dark water surrounded by deadly oil slicks and sharks. I am not going to lie, it was hard to read some of this but then these young men sacrificed their lives and as we learn more about each one we become invested in their survival.

A story of how a crew and an enemy came forward to save their Captain from an unjust court-martial.

Any military fans will love this in-depth look at our military history. I know I will never forget this one.

Netgalley/ Simon and Schuster July 10, 2018

Exceptional non-fiction account of the greatest naval disaster in US history -- there were more lives lost in the sinking of this ship than any other in American history (only 316 of the 1195 aboard survived).

Part of the book's great appeal is that the story is so multi-faceted, relating the Indianaopolis's last secret mission (carrying parts of the nuclear bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima), the torpedoing of the ship, the ordeal of the men who survived the sinking only to be adrift at sea for nearly 4 days before being rescued, the rescue operation, and the subsequent court-martialing of the captain and the 50-year attempt to clear his name.

The book is not only a page-turner, but is that rare book that you can't help but tell others about. And although other accounts have been written of the Indianapolis, this is a must-read -- the definitive account-- as it includes recent developments and more details from interviews with survivors than have ever before been compiled.

This book is very straight-forward in it's fleshing out the story of The U.S.S. Indianapolis, it's crew, and all the aftermath. A big part of this story is the courtmartial of captain McVay for "hazarding his boat and crew" and how finally after over 50-years the survivors, a brilliant 14-yr. old boy, respected politicians, and finally The Navy intersected to vacate McVay's sentence. It was, sadly, too late for the the captain who passed away in 1968 after what must have been a strong show The Brits would have called "keeping a stiff upper-lip". His two sons however did see their father vindicated as well as a portion of the surviving crew. This is a good book I think every one should read as it shows how even the best equipped military force is always one fluke happening from disaster. It gives a bit of introduction to some of the soldiers which is a great pull deeper into the story. It is a meat and potatoes, no bombast, telling of all known facts leading up to and after the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. It shows the hardened culture of The Navy is so closed it took half a century and the will of all those who felt it necessary to exonerate Captain McVay. This is the kind of book I like enough that in a year or two I already know I'll want to read it again. That's a pretty good recommedation.

In 1945, the USS Indianapolis was on a covert mission to carry nuclear materials to the Pacific where they would be used against the Japanese. On July 30, the Japanese torpedoed and sank the ship. Hundreds escaped the fiery death trap, only to be stranded for days in the shark infested ocean. Only 316 members …

For over fifty years, the surviving crew members worked to exonerate their captain who was court marshalled for the disaster. Many questions were raised about the mission of the trip – which took years to have de-classified – and why the captain did not take evasive action to avoid the attack.
Despite having a US History degree and spending years studying the end of WWII, it was not until I moved to Indianapolis that I heard about this nightmare, again, the worst maritime disaster in US History. No high school or college text even alluded to the attack and subsequent sinking of the Indianapolis. It is at that point that anyone should start asking themselves “why?”

Lynn Vincent, an award winning author, and Sara Vladic, a historian for National Geographic, set out to discover the answers to that very question. What they found were lies, cover-ups, the destruction of the captain’s reputation and, ultimately, the crew – as well as the Japanese captain who sank the ship – who worked tirelessly to exonerate the US Captain of any wrong-doing.
The research found within this book is astounding. These authors overcame challenging circumstances to discover the truth about the USS Indianapolis, the captain and its crew. The result is an engaging, well-written account of the crew and their work in finally restoring the captain’s good name.

While the book is non-fiction, it truly doesn’t read that way. It is so fascinating that it comes across as a spy novel or thriller. Even if you are not fond of reading non-fiction, this is a book that is well worth your time. It finally answers the question of what happened on that fateful night and why this story took so long to see the light! It is long past time for this story to be told and for Americans to learn of the USS Indianapolis.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to learn about these men and their story!
 

Like just about every other member of the post World War II generation, I first learned of the Indianapolis when I saw JAWS. Some years later I ran across an audio version of another book on the subject - which may have been IN HARMS WAY. The story always fascinated me. When I saw INDIANAPOLIS at the book store I bought it immediately.

Before I attempted to write my review, I did note the several extremely negative reviews of the book. While those writers are entitled to their opinions, I totally disagree with them. I found the book extremely interesting and readable.

This question of re-writing history is very delicate and as a person with graduate degrees in history I am well aware of how some historians want to change facts and events. But I did not find that in this book. The story of how Captain Toti researched the issue of the conviction of Captain McVey is commendable. As a lawyer and former judge the legal issues in the book are presented in a fair and unbiased manner with the ultimate question being, would McVey have been court marshalled for not zig zagging had he made it to port without incident.

I found this book to be an amazing piece of research. For naval historians or just average citizens it is an extremely informative read.

My uncle, Earl P. Procai, was killed in action when a kamikaze plane hit the USS Indianapolis on March 31, 1945, about four months before the sinking. I have been around the Indianapolis story all my life, and I was happy to read a book that tells the WHOLE story of the ship, from her Christening in 1932 to the discovery of her wreckage in August 2017. The good, the bad AND the ugly. When men are put in the most dangerous and excruciating of circumstances, many will be heroes and a few will not. The authors never sensationalize the parts where men were pushed beyond their breaking points and acted in ways they would never have dreamed of had this not happened to them. They just tell it straight. This book is very well documented with about 100 pages of end notes and sources. As a USS Indianapolis family member, I've read everything there is to read about the USS Indianapolis. This is the definitive book on the history of this great ship.

What an incredible, compelling, and absorbing read. My interest in the Indianapolis began with that scene in Jaws where the crusty Quint reveals he was on board the vessel that delivered the bomb, the USS Indianapolis. It was a chilling story. The best part of this book are the survivors' stories. I had no idea what transpired during those 5 days afloat in the Pacific. It was also sad to read the stories of some of the survivors after the sinking, but heartwarming to read others' tales as well. This book is a comprehensive study of the Indianapolis' story in its entirety. I remember when it was found last year and this book is an excellent testament to the ship and her crew. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read

Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic have crafted an amazing read in "Indianapolis", with great insight into mission details, the actions and personalities of the crew. They write the "facts" but have the ability to wrap the facts with humanity that makes the story move. Captain Charles McVay is a case in point where even the good guys look bad, often for a long time. I enjoyed it and learned some more stuff.

Most people today know the story of the Indianapolis, if they know it at all, from the movie Jaws. While hunting a great white shark, boat captain Quint tells Hooper and Brody of being on the Indy (as she was known by the crew) when she sunk, sharks circling until the men were pulled from the water after delivering "the bomb". The full story, told here for the first time, is much more complex, dramatic, and heartbreaking. Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic do full justice to the story of the Indy, her crew, and her captain in this new book, The Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man.

Vincent and Vladic have done incredible, in-depth research with only primary sources- including speaking with survivors- to piece together a saga every bit as gripping and full of personal drama as the sinking of the Titanic or Lusitania. The stories of the crew, how they lived, how they came to be on Indy in the first place, their families and plans for the future connect you to them intimately. Indy's final, famous mission was a series of coincidences and Naval negligence from first to last. Originally she was not slated to carry uranium for the first atomic bomb, but due to damage from a kamikaze strike she was in California finishing repairs and called into action because of the sterling reputation of her captain, Charles McVay III. After successfully delivering the uranium, Indy was slated to travel to Guam for training. Despite knowing there was submarine activity in the route McVay was to take, he was told by authorities the route was safe, and given no escort. The recounting of the torpedo strikes, the sinking, and the five nights the survivors spent in the water are told in a straightforward piecing together of memories. No additional drama is needed to make the tale emotional, dramatic,, and viscerally terrifying and heartbreaking.

The story of the Indianapolis does not end when the 316 survivors were pulled out of the water. Vincent and Vladic follow the crew back to the States, and then all too troubling tale of the courtmarshal of Captain McVay for negligence in allowing his ship to be sunk. It took over fifty years and an amazing amount of intense battling before this injustice was rectified and McVay's record cleared.

Thoroughly researched and deeply moving, the story of the Indianapolis is a tale of courage, strength, and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. Despite Vincent and Vladic's prose occasionally falling victim to non-fiction book's tendency of dramatically foreshadowing what is to come (the typical "it was a mistake they would soon come to regret" type of chapter ending) and the fact that they can't seem to go more than three sentences without using similes or metaphors in describing anything, The Indianapolis is a well told, compelling story.

Fans of Erik Larson's Dead Wake will appreciate the attention to detail not only from the American point of view, but the Japanese as well. An absolute must-read for military history buffs, naval history buffs, or anyone curious about the story behind the tale told in Jaws, The Indianapolis is a powerful, fast-paced, emotionally moving, account of the greatest disaster in U.S. naval history.

Thank you Good Reads and Simon and Shuster for an advanced copy of Indianapolis, The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-year fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic. This book is available today at book stores.

Charles McVay is the Captain of the USS Indianapolis, the largest naval fleet in the history of the modern world commissioned in 1932. The ship is like a tank on the water. From bow to fantail the USS Indianapolis was 610 feet, had a beam of 66 feet from port rail to starboard. It spanned 13 presidents from FDR to GW Bush, it inspired filmmaker Spielberg, and a 11 boy name Hunter Scott.

On March 19, 1945 the USS Franklin while in the pacific ocean was hit by Japanese Kamikaze's and killed 724 and wounded 265 but didn't sink.

The USS Indianapolis was ordered to carry a top secret package to Tinian, which was successful. After leaving to their next location, on Sunday July 31st 1945 the unthinkable happened, Hashimoto's submarine (Japanese) hit the ship with two torpedoes and it sunk and fast. Captain McVay made the decision for all aboard to get a life jacket and abandon ship. Most jumped, a lot drown, some committed suicide, some got stuck and went down with the ship. One particular guy got lucky SFC Outland got tangled in a line and the ship dragged him under water and he almost died, just at the last second somehow the line untangled and he got free. On the water the ones that didn't have life jackets would let others put their arms of someone in front of them. These men fought to stay alive despite watching others getting eaten by sharks and hearing the screams of that horror. Despite the horror, some men managed to keep somewhat of a sense of humor with witticism. They talked a lot to each other, some fights broke out and some men didn't want the ones that were bit by sharks near them due to the blood. They talked about the most humane way to kill a friend when they were starting to hallucinate, dying from burns, shark bites, dehydration, and pain. The men were covered in so much oil and you couldn't really tell whom most were.

Even though the SOS was sent it was ignored by George Atteberry whom recalled the rescue boats saying it could be an enemy trap "jap trap." No one reported that the Indianapolis did not arrive at it's next scheduled location either.

On Thursday after 4 days on the oil slick waters burnt from the sun, starving,and dehydrated, some of the survivors noticed a plane in the sky and then were screaming and using mirrors from the kits of the rafts to reflect. It was Aviation Jim Graham that noticed the oil slick, then several hundred men in the water several miles apart from each other. From the plane more rafts were dropped for the floaters. Then from Chuck Gwinn's plane whom was checking an antenna line flapping from the rear of his plane noticed people in the water too. Lt Andrian Marks is flying his plane the Doyle reported a message at Peleliu of the survivors to send help. The office didn't pass on the message and sat on it.

Soon there is a court marshall for Captain McVay for not zig zagging to avoid enemy sub. Then comes Hunter Scott an 11 yo boy who did a project on USS Indianapolis for school and went to interview survivors on the horror suffered by these men, he took it all the way to the President. It took Hunter to help exonerate Captain McVay convicted due to not zig zaging.

After the rescue, Captain McVay told his wife: everyday I will see the faces of men I lost, I will live a long, long time with that punishment, Then chapter 6 ends with: He was wrong about that which keeps you reading for more.

In court to exonerate, the guy Hashimoto is called to the stand, you know the guy who torpedoed the USS Indianapolis. I mean could you imagine if Bin Laden showed up in court?

I enjoyed this book very much, my book is full of sticky's as I kept notes, the Authors told you just enough about the USS Indianapolis crew that you could remember them throughout the book. This book has a lot of emotions, including shock, funny moments, horror, faith, courage, and tragedy. It is full of scandal then ultimate justice. This book will stay with me a long time plus knowing that my dad served for over 20 years and this could of happened to him aboard his ship. Not likely in the 80's and 90's but there is always that chance.

Thank you to the Authors for their thorough research and not giving up on this book and I have an understanding of the importance and legacy of the USS Indianapolis.

Cherie'

5 stars

A wholly American ship, she was built between 1930 and 1932. She first sailed in 1932 and was christened the USS Indianapolis. By 1945, the Indianapolis became master of the seas from Pearl Harbor all the way to Japan. The end of the Pacific War was fast coming when she was tasked with a top secret mission at the end of July to deliver the core of the bomb that was to fall on Hiroshima. Her commander was Captain Charles B. McVay. Four days later, the Indianapolis was struck by two Japanese torpedoes and she went down. Three hundred men went down with the ship. Nearly nine hundred made it into the sea. Only three hundred and sixteen men survived the harrowing tale of endurance, determination and sheer luck.

What follows in this remarkable tale is the story of the Indianapolis’ war in the Pacific. It tells the story of the grit and determination of Admiral Spruance, the sharp wits of Captain McVay and the bravery of her men. It also tells of McVay’s court martial and the fifty-year battle to clear his name. It speaks of the lack of the Navy’s ability to admit their responsibility in the disaster, the survivors’ struggle to survive in the water against all odds in a sea surrounded by sharks and the loyalty of the surviving men to their Captain is joining the fight to clear his name.

This is an extremely well-researched story. The two authors did everything in their power to tell the real story of the Indianapolis – from her birth to her death. It is written in a clear and concise manner, not in overly technical or legalese in language. It is easy for anyone to read, whether an historian or a casual reader who is interest in the Indianapolis’ history. It is a wonderful book and very informative and interesting. I am glad that I read it. Of course, I’ve seen the Spielberg film about the ship and have seen the Jaws film where Robert Shaw speaks his immortal lines.

I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable history to read, enjoy and review.

This was a fantastic read. It’s obvious the writers had access to WAY MORE information than could even be fathomed. This is the most interesting account of the USS Indianapolis history and sad finale. I literally “Netflix Binge” read this book. Honestly, I just kept reading, as each layer of drama unfolded page by page. I’ve already recommended it to other friends who appreciate Naval history and a compelling account of true events.

This is serious history that reads like a page-turning thriller. I thought I knew the story of the USS Indianapolis until I read this book. It is so much more than a sinking story. Indianapolis was the flagship of the 5th Fleet, and you could even argue that it was the ship from which the Pacific war was won. This book takes you through famous sea battles, adventures, homefront romance, courtroom drama, and backroom political deals, as well as the survivors’ terrifying ordeal in which they spent 5 nights and 4 days fighting sun, dehydration, sharks and even each other in the middle of the ocean, almost 300 miles from the nearest land. It also weaves in the modern-day story in which the survivors keep fighting all the way to 2001 to exonerate their captain after he was wrongfully court-martialed way back in 1945. I love a book that completely pulls me into its world and that has me thinking about the characters even when I’m not reading it. Indianapolis does just that!

Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic’s collaborative history of the nation’s worst naval catastrophe is well constructed and researched. The result is an astounding record of submarine warfare against American warships and how a ship’s commander can be made culpable for over 800 deaths, a wrong only rectified after 50 years of bitter dispute.

The USS Indianapolis was a heavy cruiser launched in 1932 and through the years, before her sinking on July 30, 1945, she amassed a distinguished record of service. Eight battle stars had been awarded to her crew. She was instrumental in America’s victory at Iwo Jima and delivered the parts for the atomic bomb that demolished Hiroshima. But with the torpedoing that killed almost 900 of her 1,195 crewmen, her story became more about the sinking and the survivors of 4 days of brutal suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, saltwater virulence, drowning, and shark attacks.

The court-martialing of the ship’s commander, Captain Charles B. McKay III, painfully extended the drama. Naval officers far from the scene were more interested in covering their own rear ends than in finding the real cause of the sinking. They piled on McKay and he was shamefully convicted of failing to zigzag his ship despite testimony from numerous experts that it wouldn’t have made of difference in getting torpedoed. It was a pitifully weak conviction. He suffered with that indignity until 1968 when he shot himself in despair. Congress eventually exonerated him in 2000, long after his death. The surviving crewmembers never waivered in their support for their commander.

The book extensively covers the sinking, the survival, the trial, and the painful aftermath using straightforward language and thorough research. The trial proceedings deserve special mention for their accuracy and interest.

Both authors had accumulated an immense amount of research materials; Vincent in her role as a veteran investigative reporter and Vladic as an acclaimed filmmaker with a particular interest in the Indianapolis disaster. It’s an amazing collaboration of material that combines the explicit facts with riveting personal accounts. One cannot read the story without both being disgusted with naval authority failings and sorrowful at the suffering of the victims and the ship’s commander. It’s an amazing accounting that I won’t soon forget.

Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES

Reading the book you can tell the tremendous amount of research that went into it. I didn't know much of the history of the Indianapolis prior to reading this book so for me it was an education. Nice to also see some of the human side of some of the Japanese military and the way they copped with the war. Hard to believe the manner in which the crew from the Indianapolis managed to survive that many days in the water. I think many of us would have lost courage and taken the easy way out by no longer holding on. These man including their captain where real heroes and should have been treated as such instead it turned into a real witch hunt to discredit and blaim the captain. It made me sad and mad that the brass in the Navy who should be the example to what or military stands for resorted to lies and covering up the truth in order to protecting their own mismanagement of information that if having acted upon could have avoided the disaster from happening. Even later after the ship had been sunk had even one person of many acted upon the receiving of information so many more lives could have been saved. In a lot of ways this book is a real eye-opener. It isn't an easy book to read but well worth it.

When a book like Lynn Vincent’s and Sara Vladic’s INDIANAPOLIS lies open on lap or desk, a reader sometimes forces himself from page to page. This one does, at any rate.

This slow march signals no deficiency in the book itself. In fact, this latest entry on the U.S. Navy’s single worst disaster is fluid, witty, somber, and smart. The book *ought* to be a page-turner.

It’s the story that hurts, the awful, aching tale of seawater, sharks, men driven to lunacy, a breathtakingly inept response to the disappearance of one of the era’s most storied (heavy) cruisers, and then the arguable scapegoating of the ship’s captain for failing to avoid the Japanese submarine he could never have known was there.

This new work on Indy is a terrible tale, finely told. Particularly after the recent discovery of the Indianapolis deep on the floor of the Pacific where it came to rest days before the end of hostilities with Japan, it is a story that must be read.

Others have told Indy’s story. Vincent’s and Vladic’s new edition adds to that legacy in two ways. First, the authors have found their way into the embrace of the fast-diminishing Indy survivor family and so have heard many versions of Indy’s loss that had not been told heretofore. Secondly, they have meticulously pieced together the unlikely events that led to the posthumous rehabilitation of Captain Charles B. McVay, III, the man at Indy’s helm in the summer of ’45. This part of the ongoing drama of Indy has never, to my knowledge, been told in such detail.

My mother lost an adoptive cousin when the Indy went down. By appearances, he perished in the initial submarine assault and Indy's subsequent plunge to the bottom. Perhaps some measure of blessing accrues to not having had to face the sharks and the oil-drenched seas during the terrible days that followed. He would have been a kind of uncle to this reader, had he not too young become known only to God and the sea.

There appear, in Vincent’s and Vladic’s difficult pages, both heroism and shame, and then everything that falls between those somewhat artificial extremes. The writers have worked hard not to reduce the story to one or the other, a task that is always difficult when the passage of decades has blurred memory of the large middle place.

Indy will soon be forgotten, except by those who force themselves from one page to another of works like these, a latter-day tragedy that is perhaps unavoidable but no less sad for the inevitability of it. For a while, though, this new telling of the U.S.S. Indianapolis’ deeply moving story will keep memory alive, honoring men like Dougald Bruce McLean, EM3, known only to God.

This book is not receiving the accolades it should. It takes the snippet we know from the Jaws movie, and turns it into one of the most gripping and heartbreaking and riveting stories you will ever read. The authors have done a terrific job of combining facts with drama and stories of the most extremes of bravery and ass covering. If this is done right, I believe Indianapolis could be turned into an academy award winning movie. If you think you know the story, you will learn there is so much more. I offer my highest rating, and believe me, I can be tough.

Lynn Vincent has done it again, this time partnering with Sara Vladic. Vivid story telling is Lynn's forte, coupled with Sara's dedication to document the true stories of the surviving Sailors of the worst Naval disaster in history. This book captures you, weaving the words of the Sailors, the Japanese submarine skipper and those who in the 1990's took up the call to clear the service record of CAPT McVay, the Indy's last skipper. This book is a grand nod to the sacrifices of the greatest generation and a must-read for everyone!

Absorbing and well told historical retelling of the fateful final year of the USS Indianapolis with the saga of its story spanning from 1945 to 2017. Along the way readers are exposed to multiple elements comprising the narrative ranging from the Pacific Theater of WW2, Naval tactics - both American and Japanese, the atomic bomb, survival, perseverance, and the judicial system of the US Military. There's plenty to absorb but the presentation put forth by Vincent and Vladic is accessible and well paced. It should be pointed out, however, that there are some liberties taken with the historical retelling as many of the WW2 era passages are told with dialogue and inner monologues (from both American and Japanese personas) that are clearly interpreted fictionalizations of how certain moments played out. If you can look beyond this styling, however - the journey itself makes for a worthwhile read from start to finish.

With literary precision, the real story of the World War II USS Indianapolis, the disaster that let to horrors for the survivors, and the injustices that occurred afterward is told for all generations – past, present and future - to digest. This book is the ship’s history as unearthed by researching endless archives and military documents to correct, and accurately reveal, the compelling story of the survivors, and what led up to the court-martial Captain. Let the record, and this book, paint the the REAL story. This book is a must read!

Having seen Jaws and remembering the speech Captain Quint gave about the grim fate of the survivors of the legendary Indianapolis, I expected this book to focus primarily on the ordeal of the men in the water, but I was eventually glad for the detail of the surrounding information. A knowledge of the War in the Pacific and some understanding of naval procedures would be helpful here, but not necessary. The authors have made the details easily comprehensible and they have remembered the human beings under the uniforms at every step of the tale. As is the case in any genuine tragedy, the nightmare of the Indianapolis survivors was not caused by just one event, but by a perfect storm of circumstances that combined to make a bad situation truly disastrous. And the actions of the Navy in the aftermath were almost as appalling as the sinking itself. Ultimately, the story of the Indianapolis defies description, and no horror movie could ever do it justice, but the fact that there were any survivors is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and should inspire absolutely anyone who reads this book.