This is a post that differs slightly from my usual topics, as the USS Indianapolis was not an ocean liner, but rather, a warship. The story of the Indianapolis, however, is a fascinating, but ultimately tragic and gruesome tale. Launched in 1931, she served as a heavy cruiser in the United States Navy, serving in the Second World War until her sinking in July 1945, leading to the greatest loss of life from any US Navy ship in history. For many of her crewmen, the sinking would bring them three days of hell, as they struggled to survive in open, shark infested waters.
A Bit of Background
USS Indianapolis was launched in November 1931, the second of two US Navy ships, known as the Portland Class. With a displacement of around 9,950 long tonnes (10,110 standard tonnes) and a length of 610 feet, Indianapolis also boasted 107,000 horsepower and a top speed of 32.7 knots (37.6mph). She also contained nine eight-inch 55-caliber guns and eight 5-inch 25-caliber anti-aircraft guns, and carried four floatplanes.
During the 1930s, Indianapolis had a relatively smooth and uneventful career, primarily being used for Naval training, or by taking President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the globe for state visits.
However, her time of smooth sailing would come to an end on 7th December 1941, when the attack on Pearl Harbour officially brought the United States into the Second World War.
As part of the US war effort against Japan, Indianapolis served in New Guinea, then later successfully completing her duties as part of the Aleutian Islands campaign,
In 1945, Indianapolis embarked on a top-secret mission from San Francisco, to carry enriched uranium alongside other parts to the US air base, Tinian, in the West Pacific. These parts would be used in the construction of the atomic bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima. Due to the classified nature of the mission, none of the crew knew of the contents of the cargo, not even those responsible for guarding it.
Following the successful completion of this mission, Indianapolis was sent to Guam, where several of its crew would be relieved of their duties.
On 28th July, Indianapolis would set sail from Guam towards the Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. There, the crew was set to receive training before joining Task Force 95. Yet, for the crew, they were unaware that many of them would never reach this destination, for two days later, the ship, and all those onboard, would be struck by tragedy.
A photo of the stern of Indianapolis during her launch, 7 November 1931
The Sinking of USS Indianapolis
On 30th July, at approximately 00:15, Indianapolis was struck by two Type 95 torpedoes on its starboard side by a Japanese Imperial Navy Submarine. Struck just under its fuel tanks, the damage caused catastrophic explosions, causing the ship to quickly take on a heavy list, exacerbated by the fact that the ship was rather top-heavy due to the number of armaments she was carrying. Torn in half, Indianapolis went down rapidly, sinking completely in only 12 minutes. 300 of the 1,197 crewmen went down with the ship. For approximately 900 crewmen, lack of lifeboats and the ship's rapid sinking meant that they were now left adrift.
The crew men had only debris and a few scattered life-rafts to cling onto, and due to a communication error, the US Navy were completely unaware of the sinking. All they could do was wait for rescue.
However, many crewmen would meet a terrifying and gruesome fate. Some were killed after being engulfed in the oil which had spewed out from the ship, some died from dehydration, whilst others died from hypernatremia (an overload of sodium from consumption of sea water). Many also perished from hypothermia in the night, some committed suicide, and some who had been able to survive the scorching days and freezing nights, found food rations among the debris from the ship.
The ordeal, however, was not yet over, as the crew had soon discovered they were in shark-infested waters. It is estimated that anywhere between a dozen and up to 150 crewmen were brutally attacked and killed by sharks, making it potentially the deadliest series of shark attacks on humans in history.
It was not for another day that the Indianapolis would be reported missing, and it would not be for another three days when the survivors were finally found on 2nd August, after a US Navy aircraft on routine patrol spotted survivors in the water. Sadly, by this time, only 316 of the crewmen were still alive. Many were injured, all were suffering from dehydration and lack of food, and some were suffering from hallucinations and delirium. Two of the men rescued, Robert Lee Shipman and Frederick Harrison, sadly died later that August.
Failure to Report Indianapolis as Missing
Lieutenant Stuart B. Gibson was in charge of tracking the movements of Indianapolis, but failed to notify his superiors when the ship did not arrive at Leyte on time. Declassified records also revealed that three stations received distress signals from Indianapolis but none were acted upon; one commander was drunk, another believed it to be a Japanese trap, and another commander had asked his men not to disturb him.
The Movement Report System was subsequently created as a result of the disaster, improving tracking of ships and ensuring that they arrive at their destinations on schedule to prevent another disaster like Indianapolis.
Aftermath of the Sinking
Among the survivors was the commander of the ship, Captain Charles B. McVay III. Following the sinking, he was court-martialled and convicted of 'hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag. However, McVay was only ordered to zigzag 'at his discretion' and was not informed of a Japanese submarine in the area, suggesting that the Navy had failed to inform the Captain properly. However, he was later restored to active duty and retired in 1949 as a rear admiral. Although many survivors said he was not to blame for the sinking, many families of those who were lost believed otherwise, and he was subject to hate mail. In 1968, McVay sadly took his own life, perhaps in part due to the guilt of the tragedy. In 2000, McVay was officially cleared of any wrongdoing regarding the disaster, after Captain William J. Toti demonstrated that zigzagging would have not spared the Indianapolis from the torpedoes.
Today, there is only one surviving member of that crew, Harold Bray, who was 17 at the time of the disaster. There is a statue commemorating him in Benicia, where he spent many years as a police officer.
Discovery of the Wreck
In 2017, the wreck of USS Indianapolis was discovered 18,000 feet deep in the North Pacific, in the Philippine Sea. The wreck was located by a team financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen as part of the "USS Indianapolis Project". There had been prior attempts to located the wreck, but these were unsuccessful. It wasn't until 2016 when information came to light that Tank Landing Ship LST-779 recording passing Indianapolis approximately 11 hours before Indianapolis' sinking. This enabled researchers to narrow down the location of the wreck within an area of around 600 square feet.
Due to the location of the wreck, Indianapolis remains in fairly good condition, and the site is officially considered a war grave.
Legacy and USS Indianapolis in Popular Culture
Its notoriety for the shark attacks following its sinking has meant that Indianapolis has remained one of the most famous sinkings of any naval ship in history, even being referenced in the 1975 film Jaws, which features a character who had survived the sinking of Indianapolis. The widespread popularity of Jaws and the discovery of the wreck in 2017 has meant that public attention towards the disaster remains prevalent.
Since the sinking in 1945, there has been no sinking of a US Navy ship with such a high death toll, nor has there been a shark attack so deadly since. Improved technologies in communication and navigation will hopefully continue to prevent any such tragedy ever occurring again.
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