Special Sub-Topic: The USS Indianapolis Click Here To Play: The USS Indianapolis

Where was the Indianapolis coming from when she was torpedoed by a Japenese submarine?

Guam. She was headed for Leyte but was torpedoed approximately five minutes after midnight on July 29th 1945.

What was her secret cargo?

Components for the atomic bomb. She had delivered the components at Tinian Island. The day after they were rescued, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

Out of eleven hundred men, approximatly how many made it to the water safely?

about 900. The ship sank in 12 minutes but about 900 hundred made it to the water. One survivor wrote that he remembered as he entered the water a head floated by him and recognized the face as a Machinist Mate by its gold tooth.

How long were they in the water before being rescued?

5 days. For five days the remaining crew floated in salt water feeling as if they were going to die as sharks mustered around them. The sharks attacked them at will, pulling their victims under the water.

How many sailors were rescued?

316. Three hundred and sixteen survived the ordeal. Among the dead was the Executive officer, he was found one morning with his face in the water. When the Captain pulled his face out of the water, to give him air, his body turned upside down with his legs missing.

Who was Captain of the Indianapolis?

Captain Charles B. McVay. Captain McVay was court martialed over the sinking for not zig zagging his ship. He was convicted and discharged. However, he was reinstated after Admiral Nimitz intervened but the conviction stayed. He shot himself 24 years later. He was officially exonerated in 2001.

What was the pilot who found the survivors really looking for?

Japanese submarines. He thought he saw a sub and dived down to deliver his payload when he noticed that it was not a sub but people in the water.

Why did it take so long for her to be reported as missing?

A Navy foul up. It was a misunderstanding of the Movement Reporting system.

Why was there a Congressional Inquiry into her sinking?

A Congressman's son died. A Congressman's son was killed trying to get sailors out of a life raft for the sick and injured. The Congressmen was wondering how his son died ...

Who came to the aid of the defense of the Captain during his court martial?

Mochitsura Hashimoto. He was the submarine commander who sank the Indianapolis. McVay was being accused of not zig zagging his ship while the submarine commander was showing why it made no difference, he would have sunk it anyway.