In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors

Home > Other > In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors > Page 30
In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors Page 30

by Doug Stanton


  George Hodgman provided help at an important juncture. Thanks as well to Maggie Richards, Elizabeth Shreve, Heather Fain, Sarah Hutson, Kenn Russell, Fritz Metsch, and Rebecca Milos at Henry Holt. Photo editor Carin Pearce, Robert Krauss, Tom Flowers, Tim Barrons of Byte Productions, and James Sinclair worked diligently to handsomely illustrate the book.

  My mother and father have provided boundless encouragement. I wrote In Harm’s Way in part because of a story my father first told me when I was kid. “Don’t ever forget,” he would say (and still says), “the sacrifice somebody has made for you.” My parents’ example of doing the right thing, even if it’s the hard thing, has been an important lesson. And whenever I’ve succeeded in doing just that, it’s because of three people: Anne, my wife, who assisted at key moments as this book was nearing completion, and my children, John and Kate. Whatever I’ve learned about sacrifice, love, and endurance through the people I write about in this book, I want to bring home to them.

  Finally, I want to recognize the sailors who were lost at sea when the Indianapolis was sunk. We rely on the living to tell the story, but not without remembering the boys who didn’t survive.

  Five percent of the author’s share of royalties from hardcover sales of In Harm’s Way will be donated to the USS Indianapolis Survivors’ Fund.

  Index

  The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages of your eBook. Please use the search function on your eReading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.

  Entries in italics refer to captions.

  A

  Alamagordo, New Mexico

  Alcorn, Lieutenant Richard

  Allard, Vincent

  Allen, Donald

  Alvin C. Cockrell, USS (destroyer escort)

  anti-aircraft tracking drills

  Argosy magazine

  Army and Navy Bulletin

  Asiatic Fleet, WW I

  astro-fixes

  atom bomb (“gadget”)

  assembled

  delivery of components and Unit Citation for Indy crew

  dropped

  first explosion of, in New Mexico

  moved to Indy

  post-mortem

  secret plans

  and Spruance

  Truman announces

  see also Fat Man; Little Boy; Trinity Shot

  Atteberry, Lieutenant Commander George

  Aylwin, USS (destroyer)

  B

  B-17 Flying Fortresses

  B-29 Superfortresses

  banzai charges

  Bassett, USS (high-speed transport)

  battle reconnaissance photos

  battle training

  Bluejackets’ Manual, The (sailors’ handbook)

  Blue Summaries

  Brandeis, Louis

  Brown, Ed

  abandons ship

  adrift

  exoneration of McVay and

  and Indy’s departure

  rescue of

  and shark attack

  Brundige, Bob

  adrift with McCoy

  after rescue

  C

  Call of the Wild (film)

  Carson, Rep. Julia

  Carter, Commodore James

  CASP (Computer-Aided Simulation Program)

  Cassidy, Jack

  and rescue

  and sharks

  Cecil J. Doyle, USS (destroyer escort)

  Centazzo, Frank

  Challenger Deep

  Chile

  China

  Chop (boundary)

  Churchill, Winston

  CINCPAC (Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet headquarters)

  Claytor, Captain Graham

  Cleveland (cruiser)

  Clinton, Leland “Jack”

  Coast Guard

  code

  breaking

  drills

  room

  Colwell, Lieutenant Warren

  communications

  confused ship’s internal

  Condition Able

  Conway, Father

  adrift

  and attack death of

  Coral Sea, Battle of the (1942)

  CNN

  crew

  abandons ship

  activities of, before attack

  adrift awaiting rescue

  background of

  boards ship

  casualties of, during attack

  habits of

  hallucinations of, while adrift

  McVay’s relationship with

  in San Francisco

  slang of

  and sudden order to sail

  unreadiness of

  see also rescue; sharks; survivors; and specific individuals

  D

  D-Day

  dead reckoning

  decryption process

  depth charges “ash cans,”

  distress signal (SOS)

  McVay accused of not sending

  Navy suppresses account of

  ordered

  received but not heeded

  sent

  Donaho, Glynn

  Dudley, Al

  Dufilho, USS (destroyer escort)

  Dutch West Indies

  E

  emergency contingency plans

  England, Gordon R.

  Enola Gay (bomber)

  escorting vessels

  European war

  exposure, in water, effects of

  F

  Fat Man (bomb)

  Fifth Fleet

  First Army

  First Marine Division

  509th Composite Group

  flare guns (Very pistols)

  floater nets

  Flynn, Commander Joseph “Red,”

  Forrestal, James

  forward area (war zone)

  Franklin, USS

  French, USS (destroyer escort)

  Furman, Major Robert

  G

  Gable, Clark

  Galante, Angelo

  Gambler 17 (bomber)

  Gambler Leader (bomber)

  Gause, Bob

  adrift

  and Indy departure

  rescue

  and sharks

  “gedunk” stand

  General R. L. Howze, USS (transport ship)

  Germany, surrender of

  Gibson, Lieutenant Stewart

  Gillette, Commodore Norman recalls rescue tugs

  Give Me a Sailor (film)

  Glenn, Jay

  Goodman, Benny

  Granum, Captain Alfred reprimand of and rescue

  Gray, Willis

  Green, Lieutenant William A.

  “green banana” (letter)

  Guam

  Gwinn, Lieutenant Chuck and survivors

  H

  hallucinations

  Hartman, William

  Hashimoto, Lieutenant

  Commander Mochitsura

  court martial testimony of

  orders attack

  Havins, Otha

  Haynes, Elizabeth

  Haynes, Dr. Lewis

  abandons ship

  activities of, before attack

  adrift

  and aftermath

  background of

  death

  dreams

  homecoming of

  and McVay court martial

  recovery of

  rescue of

  reunited with survivors

  Saturday Evening Post story by

  and secret cargo

  and shark attacks

  and ship orders

  Haynes, Margaret

  Helm, USS (destroyer)

  Henry, Lieutenant Commander Earl

  Hetz, Russell

  Hickman, Herbert

  Higgins boats (LCVPs)

  Hiroshima

  bomb dropped

  Hollandia, USS (transport ship)

  Homonhon
Island

  Honshu island

  Hope, Bob

  Horner, Durward

  Hunters Point

  hypernatremia

  hypothermia

  I

  Idaho, USS (battleship)

  I-58 (Japanese submarine)

  attacks Indy

  equipment on

  McCoy shoots at

  Indianapolis, USS (cruiser)

  aftermath of rescue, for crew of

  arrives in Guam

  arrives in Hawaii

  arrives in Tinian with secret cargo

  attacked and sunk

  battle history of

  crew abandons

  crew background

  crew boards

  crew slang

  crosses international date line

  deep-sea search for gravesite of

  design and layout of

  distress signals (SOS) from

  engines on

  FDR travels on

  fire-control on

  first report of disaster

  food on

  guns and gunners on

  at Hunters Point

  Hunters Point departure

  inquiry into sinking of, and court martial

  investigation of court martial, of 1999

  kamikaze attack on, at Okinawa

  leaves Guam on Peddie route to Leyte

  Leyte orders not delivered to McCormick

  lifesaving gear on

  loss of, finally noted by CINCPAC

  navigation equipment on

  nonarrival, and directive 10CL-45

  nonarrival, not reported

  officers

  ordered to leave for war zone

  prepared for departure

  radar on

  radio drills on

  radio shacks on

  rescue operation for crew of

  rescuers identify

  secret cargo on board

  secret cargo delivered

  sonobuoy on

  speed of

  as Spruance flagship

  and staggered engine pattern

  submarine detection ability of

  survivors, number of

  survivors hallucinate seeing

  survivors’ organization

  and training in Chile

  and Trinity test

  Truman announces sinking of

  Unit Citation issued to crew

  watches on

  water problems on see also crew; rescue; survivors; and specific individuals

  intelligence reports

  declassified

  and inquiry

  McVay not informed of

  Iwo Jima

  Battle of

  J

  Jacobson, Commodore Jacob

  Janney, Commander John

  Japan

  Allied plan to defeat

  atom bombing

  banzai charges

  bombing of, in 1944

  encrypting system

  invasion plans

  and Kublai Khan

  Pearl Harbor attack by

  sues for peace

  war in Pacific islands

  Japanese submarines

  intelligence on

  see also 1-58

  Jaws (novel and film)

  Johnson, Captain Johnny “General Quarters,”

  Johnson, Joseph

  Johnston Island

  Joint Intelligence Staff, Office of Vice Chief of Naval Operations

  K

  kaiten (manned torpedo)

  kamikaze

  attack on Indy at Okinawa

  Kawasaki, Japan

  Kay, Gus

  Kemp, David

  Kimmel, Rear Admiral Husband

  King, Fleet Admiral Ernest

  Kirtland Army Air Force base

  Klappa, Ralph

  Kublai Khan

  Kurlick, George

  Kuryla, Coxswain Mike

  abandons ship

  adrift

  and aftermath

  rescued

  Kyushu island

  L

  Leeway Effect

  Lefkovitz, Ensign Irving

  Leyte Gulf

  Battle of (1944)

  Naval Operating Base

  Ships Present List

  Leyte island

  fails to send rescue party

  Indy’s orders to, not delivered properly

  and nonarrival of Indy

  receives distress signal

  Life Jacket Shark Repellent Compound Packet

  life rafts

  lifesaving gear

  life vests

  Lipski, Commander Stanley

  Liscombe Bay, USS (escort carrier)

  Little Boy (atom bomb)

  loran navigation

  Los Angeles Times

  M

  MacArthur, Gen. Douglas

  McCormick, Rear Admiral Lynde

  McCoy, Betty (wife)

  McCoy, Giles, Jr.

  abandons ship after torpedo attack

  activities of, before attack

  adrift

  background of

  and court martial of McVay

  exoneration of McVay and

  and father

  homecoming of

  and Indy preparations

  interviews with

  recovery of

  rescue of

  and secret cargo

  and sharks

  and survivors

  in Tinian Island

  McCoy, Giles, Sr. (father)

  McCoy, Tatie (mother)

  McGuiggan, Bob

  McVay, Charles, I (grand father)

  McVay, Admiral Charles, II (father)

  McVay, Captain Charles Butler, III “Charlie,”

  abandons ship

  activities of, before attack adrift

  assigned to Indy

  and attack on Indy

  background of

  and Battle of Okinawa

  battle history of, on Indy

  charged with failure to abandon ship

  charged with failure to maintain zigzag course

  command spot of

  Congress moves to exonerate

  conviction of

  court martial of

  death of grandson

  death of Louise and depression

  drills crew and gets routing orders

  and evidence witheld at court martial

  exoneration of

  first days out of port

  gives order to abandon ship

  guilt feelings of

  and hate mail

  innocence of, maintained by survivors

  intelligence report on Peddie route withheld from

  and McCoy

  notifies crew of move back into war zone

  orders to Leyte, not delivered properly

  on Peddie route to Leyte

  personality of

  press conference of, after rescue

  requests crew training at Guam but directed to Leyte

  rescue of

  in San Francisco

  and secret cargo

  service history of

  and shark attacks

  and Spruance

  suicide of

  and survivors

  at survivors’ reunion

  in Tinian with cargo

  tombstone promotion

  zigzagging stopped by

  McVay, Kimo (son)

  McVay, Louise Claytor (wife)

  McVay, Orr

  McVay, Vivian (third wife)

  Madison, USS (destroyer)

  MAGIC

  Manhattan Project

  Mare Island

  Mariana Islands

  command office

  Marianas Sea Frontier

  Marine Corps

  detachment aboard Indy

  Marks, Lieutenant Adrian

  Meyer, Captain William C.

  Midway, Battle of

  Miner, Jack
<
br />   Miss Deal (plane)

  Moore, Lieutenant Commander K.C.

  Monroney, Mike

  Moran, Radioman J.J.

  Muldoon, John

  Murray, Vice Admiral George

  N

  Nagasaki bombing

  Naquin, Captain Oliver

  Naval Academy in Annapolis

  Navy, U.S.

  assigns secret mission to McVay

  directive to CL-45

  exoneration of McVay

  escapes inquiry into failure to rescue survivors

  Indy disaster haunts

  vs. Marines

  Unit Citation to crew of Indianapolis

  New Mexico, USS (battleship)

  Newport, Curt

  Newsweek

  New York Times

  Nightingale, Lieutenant Lawrence

  Nimitz, Admiral Chester and atom bomb test and court martial and Indy inquiry vs. MacArthur

  Nolan, Captain James

  NPR

  O

  Okinawa

  Battle of

  occupation of

  plans to invade

  Oldendorf, Vice Admiral Jesse

  Omaha, USS (cruiser)

  Operation Centerboard

  Operation Coronet

  Operation Iceberg

  Operation Olympic

  Operation Stalemate

  Oppenheimer, Robert

  Ormac Bay

  Orr, Lieutenant John

  Osaka

  Outland, Felton reunion with McCoy

  P

  Pacific campaign

  Parke, Captain Edward

  adrift

  death of

  Parsons, Captain William S.

  Payne, Ed

  Pearl Harbor, bombing of

  Peddie convoy route

  and inquiry

  intelligence reports declassified

  McVay not informed of Japanese submarines in

  Peleliu island

  Pensacola, USS (cruiser)

  Philippines

  Philippine Sea

  Battle of the

  forward area of

  Philippine Sea Frontier

 

‹ Prev