by Doug Stanton
In the early 1990s: Richard A. von Doenhoff, “ULTRA and the Sinking of USS Indianapolis.” Eleventh Naval History Symposium, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, October 1993.
CHAPTER ONE: ALL ABOARD
Interviews: John Spinelli, Giles McCoy, Mike Kuryla, Dr. Lewis Haynes, Ed Brown, Charlie Sullivan, Bob McGuiggan, Harlan Twible, Grover Carver, Richard Paroubek, Robert Gause, Bill Drayton, Richard Stephens, Gordon Linke.
p. 13 He had just come: Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay III, USN, Sinking of USS Indianapolis, 27 September 1945; Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey, No High Ground, pp. 101–2; Richard Newcomb, Abandon Ship!: Death of the USS Indianapolis, pp. 27–28.
McVay had a lot on his mind: Katherine D. Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, pp. 122, 132, 141–42; Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay.
p. 14 Hundreds of telegrams: Yankee, 1978, “The Last Secret Voyage of the USS Indianapolis,” Evan Wylie.
He’d been told that the earliest the ship: Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay.
p. 15 One of McVay’s boys: USS Indianapolis Deck Logs, March and April 1945.
Back on land: Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, p. 135.
p. 16 The city, still a Wild West town: “San Francisco History,” www.sf50.com/qaboard/qaboard.htm.
In the three and a half years: From the weekly reports of the Joint Army-Navy Personnel Shipping Committee. Two months earlier: Hanson W. Baldwin, Battles Lost and Won: Great Campaigns of World War II, p. 280.
But this paled in comparison: Thomas B. Allen and Norman Polmar, Code Name Downfall: The Secret Plan to Invade Japan—and Why Truman Dropped the Bomb, p. 208.
p. 17 On the island of Tinian: Walter J. Boyne, The Clash of the Titans, p. 281; Maj. Gen. Charles W. Sweeney with James Antonucci and Marion K. Antonucci, War’s End: An Eyewitness Account of America’s Last Atomic Mission, p. 136.
p. 18 In July, the Fillmore was showing: “San Francisco History,” www.sf50.com/qaboard/qaboard.htm.
p. 19 One sailor was arrested: USS Indianapolis DeckLog, June 1945. Captain McVay was billeted: Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, pp. 126–27.
The more serious business of preparing: USS Indianapolis Deck Log, June 1945.
p. 20 Their favorite flavors: Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, p. 82. In the military: Paul Fussell, Wartime Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War, pp. 251–67.
p. 23 Sailors called marines “gyrenes”: L. Peter Wren, Those in Peril on the Sea, p. 33.
p. 24 During the trip, Roosevelt: Life, November 30, 1936.
p. 25 Ever since the seventeenth century: Steve Ewing, American Cruisers of World War II, p. ix.
p. 26 They marched with it: Letter from James F. Nolan, M.D., to Richard F. Newcomb, August 12, 1957.
p. 27 “going to use biological warfare:” Ibid.
A noontime farewell luncheon: Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, p. 141. What the captain didn’t know: Ibid., p. 138.
p. 28 One of the ship’s major problems: Ibid., pp. 132–34, 159; Letter from Richard A. Paroubek to Captain William J. Toti, February 24, 1999.
Of his crew, more than 250: “Facts and Discussion of Facts,” unsigned, undated (NIG report); Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, p. 158.
p. 29 As the afternoon: “Record and Proceedings of a General Court Martial Convened at the Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. by Order of the Secretary of the Navy: Case of Charles B. McVay, 3rd, Captain, U.S. Navy, December 3, 1945”; Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay.
And to make mattersworse: Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, p. 142.
p. 32 It was an explosion: Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com
He gathered his officers: Letter from Nolan to Newcomb; Knebel and Bailey, No High Ground, p. 101.
p. 33 In the canister: Ibid.
For Nolan and Furman: Letter from Nolan to Newcomb; Knebel and Bailey, No High Ground, p. 46; Newcomb, Abandon Ship!, pp. 32-33.
p. 34 Now, as the Indy began steaming: Stanley Weintraub, The Last Great Victory: The End of WWII, July/August 1945, p. 83. by 8:30 a.m.: Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay.
CHAPTER TWO: GOOD-BYE, GOLDEN GATE
Interviews: Ed Brown, Robert Gause, Dr. Lewis Haynes, Mike Kuyrla, Jack Cassidy, Giles McCoy, Richard Stephens, Bob McGuiggan, Gus Kay, Harlan Twible, Jack Miner, Bill Drayton, John Spinelli, Dennis Covert, Charlie Sullivan, Gordon Linke, Jocelyn Linke, Winthrop Smith Jr.
p. 38 a careless word: Fussell, Wartime Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War, p. 37.
McVay’s orders for this mission: Phillip A. St. John, USS Indianapolis (CA-35), p. 31.
p. 43 Every ounce of freshwater: Plan of the Day, USS Indianapolis, July 16, 1945. McVay’s grandfather: Sultan, Gene, “Captain Charles Butler McVay, III,” 7/30/74; The Evening Star, August 15, 1945, “838 Lost, 315 Saved in Sinking of Indianapolis by Jap Sub: Cruiser Had Just Carried Atom Bomb from U.S. to Guam”; Service Record: McVay, Charles Butler.
p. 45 Today’s practice: Letter from Nolan to Newcomb.
p. 46 Japan, which began: St. John, USS Indianapolis (CA-35), p. 12; Stephen Ambrose, American Heritage New History of World War II, p. 122.
p. 47 The Indy was delivering supplies and troops: Patrick J. Finneran, “A Short History of the USS Indianapolis.” USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Survivors Organization; Testimony of Daniel E. Brady.
By 1942, however, as the Japanese attempted to fight: John Keegan, The Price of Admiralty, p. 198; Ambrose, American Heritage New History of World War II, p. 317. Later that year, Admiral Spruance: Thomas B. Buell, The Quiet Warrior: A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, pp. 185–86.
p. 48 During the battle of the Philippine Sea: James F. Dunnigan and Albert A. Nofi, Victory at Sea, p. 50.
p. 50 In less than three months: Dunnigan and Nofi, Victory at Sea, pp. 260–62; Allen and Polmar, Code Name Downfall: The Secret Plan to Invade Japan—and Why Truman Dropped the Bomb, pp. 86-88.
Even now, as the Japanese: John Keegan, The Battle for History: Refighting WWII, pp. 27–8. The term kamikaze: John Ray Skates, The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb, p. 148.
p. 51 The New York Times would call: 9 January 1946. The pilots, often dressed: Judgment at the Smithsonian.
p. 53 McVay received a message: Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, p. 115.
Generally speaking, however, the navy suffered: Boyne, Clash of Titans, p. 326.
p. 56 And, perhaps, for the green hands’ sake: Wren, Those in Peril on the Sea, pp. 33–35.
CHAPTER THREE: THE FIRST DOMINO
Interviews: Dr. Lewis Haynes, Giles McCoy, Ed Brown, Mike Kuryla, Bob McGuiggan, Robert Gause, Harlan Twible, Richard Stephens, Charlie Sullivan, Douw Mac Haffie, David Dorflinger.
p. 61 Tinian Island, a mere ten miles: Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts, Enola Gay, p. 81, 87, 151, 161; Sweeney with Antonucci and Antonucci, War’s End: An Eyewitness Account of America’s Last Atomic Mission, p. 137; Thomas and Witts.
p. 62 Capable of carrying a ten-ton load of bombs: “American Aircraft of World War II,” www.ixpress.com/aglcaf/usplanes/american.
The two officers were seeking: Newcomb, Abandon Ship!, p. 43.
p. 63 Tinian lay in what was now: Court Martial.
As the unloading of the bomb: Dispatch 260152. In fact, Nolan was spending: Letter from Nolan to Newcomb.
p. 65 a member of McCormick’s radio staff: A principle action source for Guam and Leyte is the 131-page Court of Inquiry document. Like the Court Martial, its concern lies with the order to abandon ship as well as with weather conditions on the night of the sinking. Unlike the Court Martial, however, it gives equal time to the administrative failure to recognize the absence of the Indianapolis. The other major source for land-based information is the series of reports carried out after the inquiry and finished in January 1946 by the Navy Inspector General (NIG).
Record of the Proceedings of a Court of Inquiry Convened at the Headquarters of the Commander, Marianas, by order of the Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet and Pacifi
c Ocean Areas for the purpose of inquiring into all the circumstances connected with the sinking of the USS Indianapolis (CA 35), on or about July 29, 1945, the rescue operations, and the delay in connection with reporting the loss of that ship. Signed: Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Vice Admiral George D. Murray, Rear Admiral Francis E. M. Whiting, and Captain William E. Hilbert, Judge Advocate, dated August 13, 1945; Progress Report (NIG); Discussion of Facts in the Further Investigation of the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Delay in Reporting the Loss of this Ship, unsigned, undated, (NIG); Investigation of the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Delay in Reporting the Loss of that Ship. From: The Naval Inspector General. To: The Chief of Naval Operations. Signed: C. P. Snyder. Dated: Received 7 January 1946; Facts and Discussion of Facts (NIG). En route to Guam: Narrative by Captain Charles B. McVay.
p. 67 At HQ, McVay met Nimitz’s: Discussion of Facts (NIG). McVay was frustrated: Court Martial; Raymond Lech, All the Drowned Sailors, p. 10.
Spruance had left the wounded ship: USS Indianapolis Deck Log, April 1945.
Spruance was relaxed: Court Martial.
Two days before this conversation: Skates, The Invasion of Japan, p. 242.
Essentially, there were two battle plans: Ibid., p. 5; Knebel and Bailey, No High Ground, p. 70.
p. 68 Sworn into office: Knebel and Bailey, No High Ground, pp. 55, 46. As they ate, the admiral noticed: Court Martial.
McVay exchanged pleasantries: Court of Inquiry; Court Martial; Discussion of Facts (NIG).
p. 69 McVay and the Indianapolis: Court of Inquiry.
Clear as this delineation was: Allen and Polmar, Code Name Downfall, pp. 135-40; Skates, The Invasion of Japan, pp. 158–59.
p. 70 The Indy had no sonar gear: Boyne, Clash of Titans, pp. 110–12.
When, in the course of the talk: Facts and Discussion of Facts (NIG); Court Martial; Progress Report (NIG); Court of Inquiry; Newcomb, Abandon Ship!, pp. 49–50.
p. 71 After McVay’s navigator: Court of Inquiry; Court Martial; Discussion of Facts (NIG).
“Here we go again”: Discussion of Facts (NIG). When McVay next met: Court of Inquiry; Progress Report (NIG); Court Martial; Discussion of Facts (NIG).
The intelligence report seemed: Court of Inquiry; Court Martial; Facts and Discussion of Facts (NIG); Office of the Port Director. Subject: Routing Instructions. To: Commanding Officer, USS Indianapolis (CA 35). From: Port Director, Guam. Dated 28 July 1945. Signed: J. J. Waldron; Operational Intelligence Section, NOB, Guam, M.I. Subject: Intelligence Brief for Guam to Philippines. Dated 27 July 1945. Signed: R. N. Orr, Intelligence Officer. Three days earlier, on July 24: Samuel Eliot Morison, Victory in the Pacific, pp. 317–18; Progress Report (NIG). p.
72 McVay’s intelligence report: Richard A. von Doenhoff, “ULTRA and the Sinking of USS Indianapolis,” Facts and Discussion of Facts (NIG).
Captain McVay, however, was not apprised: Ibid.; Hearing Before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixth Congress, First Session, September 14, 1999, “The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Subsequent Court Martial of Rear Admiral Charles B. McVay III; John Savard,”A Cryptographic Compendium”; Keegan, Battle for History, pp. 87–92; Edwin Layton with Roger Pineau and John Costello, And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway: Breaking the Secrets, pp. 139, 367, 449-56.
p. 74 Sixty feet below the swirling ink: Mochitsura Hashimoto, Sunk!: The Story of the Japanese Submarine Fleet, 1942–1945, pp. 140-48; Weintraub, The Last Great Victory p. 73.; “Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy,” http://www.combinedfleet.com/ss.htm; Court Martial; Investigation of the Sinking, 7 January 1946; “Sinking the Indianapolis: A Japanese Perspective,” The Quan, 1996. “very low order”: Court Martial.
p. 77 One well-known disaster: Boyne, Clash of Titans, p. 292. The carriers Yorktown and Wasp: Dunnigan and Nofi, Victory at Sea, pp. 113–14.
Shortly before the Indy’s departure: Dispatch 280032; Lech, All the Drowned Sailors, p. 19; Court of Inquiry; Progress Report (NIG); Discussion of Facts (NIG); Facts and Discussion of Facts (NIG).
p. 79 At some point during the early evening: Thomas Helm, Ordeal by Sea, p. 38; A&E Home Video “Sea Tales: Missing! The Indianapolis.”
p. 80 Indeed, while Loran A: Correspondence with Air-Commander “Pinky” Grocott and Walter Blanchard.
And subs were on everyone’s minds: Progress Report (NIG); Blue Summary; Discussion of Facts (NIG); Court Martial.
p. 81 Sometime between 7:30 and 8 P.M.: Court Martial; Progress Report (NIG).
CHAPTER FOUR: THE BURNING SEA
Interviews: Giles McCoy, Dr. Lewis Haynes, Mike Kuryla, Jack Miner, Harlan Twible, Robert Gause, Jack Cassidy, Richard Stephens, Ed Brown, Charlie Sullivan, Curt Newport, Dennis Covert.
p. 87 About twelve miles from where: Hashimoto, Sunk! , pp. 140–48; Court Martial.
As later explained by Goro Yamada: “Sinking the Indianapolis: A Japanese Perspective,” The Quan, 1996.
p. 89 On board the Indy: Survivor Statements, 7 August 1945.
p. 92 Back in his native Tennessee: Moore, Goodbye Indy Maru, pp. 130–31.
p. 93 Since July 27, a typhoon: Court of Inquiry.
About twenty men were stationed: Progress Report (NIG). The officer of the deck: Court Martial.
p. 94 Three miles away and closing: Hashimoto, Sunk!, pp. 140–48; Court Martial.
The Indy was actually travelling: Court Martial.
p. 95 The first torpedo hit: Ibid; Court of Inquiry; Personal Narrative of Captain Charles B. McVay, III, USN. Undated.
p. 97 Down in engine room 1: Survivor Statements; Court of Inquiry; Court Martial.
Chief engineer Richard Redmayne: Court of Inquiry; Court Martial.
p. 98 Up in his battle cabin, Captain McVay: The following details about the torpedoing, McVay’s actions, and the crew’s response are drawn from Court of Inquiry; Court Martial; Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay; Survivor Statements; The Bluejackets’ Manual; Personal Narrative of Captain Charles B. McVay; American Heritage, 1982, “The Agony of the Indianapolis,” Kenneth Ethridge.
p. 102 Boys standing or lying: Bill Van Daalen, videotaped interview with Bob Brundige, 1990.
CHAPTER FIVE: ABANDON SHIP
Interviews: Giles McCoy, Dr. Lewis Haynes, Jack Cassidy, Jack Miner, Richard Stephens, Mike Kuryla, Harlan Twible, Ed Brown, Felton Outland, John Spinelli, William Drayton, Russell Hetz, Donald Allen, Curt Newport, Dr. Julie Johnson, Dr. Terry Taylor, Gordon Linke.
p. 123 As the Indy sank: Court of Inquiry; Court Martial; Survivor Statements.
p. 125 In fact, in a radio shack: Hearing before the Committee on Armed Services, September 14, 1999.
p. 127 The prevailing protocol: Facts and Discussion of Facts (NIG). Shortly after the distress calls were sent: Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay; Court Martial.
Clair Young’s account: Hearing before the Committee on Armed Services, September 14, 1999.
p. 128 It would later be estimated: Hearing before the Committee on Armed Services, September 14, 1999.
CHAPTER SIX: HOPE AFLOAT
Interviews: Dr. Lewis Haynes, Robert Gause, Ed Brown, Harlan Twible, Giles McCoy, Felton Outland, Mike Kurlya, John Spinelli, Jack Miner, Curt Newport, Bob McGuiggan, Richard Stephens, Bill Drayton, Gus Kay, Charlie Sullivan, Dr. Julie Johnson, Dr. Terry Taylor.
p. 136 About half of the 900 survivors: Court Martial. Many details about the Haynes group’s initial time in the water also come from Haynes’s interviews, his article in the Saturday Evening Post, August 6, 1955, and his memoir “Survivor of the Indianapolis,” in Navy Medicine 86, no. 4 (July-August 1995).
p. 137 Captain McVay found himself: Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay; Personal Narrative of Captain Charles B. McVay.
p. 142 He was fully dressed; Bill Van Daalen, videotaped interview with Bob Brundige.
p. 144 In fact, what they were seeing: Hashimoto, Sunk!, p. 147.
p. 146 Floating to the northeast: Na
native by: Captain Charles B. McVay; Personal Narrative of Captain Charles B. McVay; Court Martial; Bay City Times, August 15, 1945, “833 Dead and Missing in U. S. Cruiser Loss;” Al Havins, personal interview, 1996; Bill Van Daalen, videotaped interview with Al Havins, 1990.
p. 147 Kurlick was naked: Newcomb, Abandon Ship!, p. 117.
p. 148 The tractor planes: Progress Report (NIG).
p. 150 A complex web of sea life: Paul Auerbach and Edward Geehr, Management of Wilderness and Environmental Emergencies, Chapter 34.
p. 152 Captain McVay and his ragged: Narrative by: Captain Charles B. McVay; Personal Narrative of Captain Charles B. McVay; Al Havins, personal interview.