REPORT

mBy Timothy W. Maier

Survivors of the USS Indianapolis, sunk by a Japanesesub at the end ol World War II, are trying to clear thename of their captain, court-martialed for losing his ship.

script that has been described by survivors as brilliant.

All of this is long overdue for thesesurvivors, who still see dead men intheir dreams and shake firom the terrors of that hot summer day in 1945whenonly 317 membersofa 1,296-mancrew survived a Japanese torpedoattack in the shark-infested waters ofthe South Pacific. For five days theybraved the elements in 100-degree temperatures while being attacked bykillersharks. When it ended, their captainwas convicted of failing to zigzag in hostile waters, which the Navyclaims putthe ship at risk.

McVay repeatedlyaskedwhyit tookfive days to rescue his men. He neverreceived an answer, though the Navyclaimed for years that his SOS messages never were received becauseMcVay was operating under radiosilence. Declassified records now showthe Navylied. At least three SOS messages were received separately, butnone were acted upon because onecommander was drunk, another hadordered his men not to disturb him anda thirdthought itwasa Japaneseprank.

Angered by the injustice, Republican Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshiresponsored Senate JointResolution 26 toclear McVay's record. "We'requestioning whether it was morally right tohave court-martialed him in the firstplace—and thatisn'trevisionism, that'strying tosettiie record straight," Smithsays. The resolution charges McVay'sconviction wasa "miscarriage ofjusticeand encourages President Clinton toaward a Presidential Unit Citation tothe crew of the Indianapolis. On May11, the House Armed Services Committeeattached a similar resolution byRepublican Rep. Joe Scarborough ofFlorida to the Defense AuthorizationBill.

Advancing the truth has been anuphill battle. Resolutions failed toattract support in the past. Presidents

• Carter, Reagan andBushrefusedtoget• involved —partiybecause manyofthe

Indianapolis records stillwere classi-r fied. And digging into the past riskedI revealing embarrassing errorsmade by5 senior officials still in positions of1 power.

Thestory refuses to die. For nearlyhalfacentury survivors oftheUSS Indianapolis have beentrue to their promise to cleartheir skipper. CharlesMcVay mis the only captain in the histo

ry of the U.S. Navy to be court-mar-tialed for losing his ship. And this afterhe and his men had set records deliveringthekey components for theatomic bomb that ended World War U.

In 1975 President Ford, himself aWorld War II naval officer, refused tohonortheirskipper with a Presidenti^Unit Citation, andthe survivorsangrily regrouped. Survivor Gil McCoywarned the Navy that the souls lost onthe great ship Indianapolis "will be

20 • Insight

Pedigreed: The captain, top left, withhis son, Charles McVay IV, top right,andfather, Adm. Charles McVay II,below, had an exemplary record.

back to haimt you." And tfiey're back.Acongressionalresolutionto restore

McVay's honor and awarda Presidential Unit Citation to the crew has beenattached to this year's defense appropriations bill.

The Indianapolis itself will roarback to life as sea explorer Curt Newport plans with the National Geographic Society and the DiscoveryChanneltolaunch anexpeditiontofindthe lostship. And Universal Studios isputting thefinal touches ona big-screen

June 5,2000

The Navy since has declassified hun- !dreds of records showing that U.S. military intelligence, having broken theJapanese Navy code, was aware of itfrom the Japanese side when the shipwas sunk. They also knew four Japanese submarines were in position tothreaten the Indianapolis.

McVay wasnever warned. Whenherequested a destroyer escort he wastold it wasn't needed. "The Navy completely covered it upandliedabout it,"says survivor Navy Seaman WoodyJames. "It's not right and it's not fair.Whenyoufind out that the Navy knewthere were enemy submarines outthere, and didn't tellthe captain aboutit, it makes you mad."

After being spurned by three U.S.presidents, the survivors found anunlikely hero in 15-year-old HunterScott of Pensacola, Fla. His history projectonthe Indianapolis, startedwhenhe was 11,shook Congress. He willbehonored this year, as President Reagan

ory of a man who ended his ownlife in1968.1 carry this dog tag to remind methat only in the United States can oneperson make a difference no matterwhat the age. I carry this dog tag toremind me of the privilege and responsibility that I have to carry forward thetorch of honor passed to me by the menof the USS Indianapolis!'

McVay, a career navalofficerwith anexemplary record, participated in thelandings ofNorthAfrica and receivedthe Silver Star for courage under fireduring the Solomon Islands campaign.Prior to taking command of the Indianapolis in November 1944, he waschairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee of the combined chiefs of staff inWashington, the Allies' highest mili-tary-intelligence unit, recalls his son,Charles McVay IV.

But what McVay is remembered foris losingthat ship. Failure to zigzag ina combat zone is against Navy relations, even though McVay's sailing

tialed for failing to zigzag in enemywaters under such circumstances therewould be no one left in the Navy to command a ship," he says.

TXvible believes the heroic story ofthis ship has been overlooked. Aftersurviving a kamikaze attack at Okinawa, the Indianapolis set sail on ahighly secret mission personallyordered by President Thiman. McVaylater would say he knew what his mendid not, that he was transporting keycomponents for the atomicbomb to beoffloaded at the tropical island of Tin-ian and used to destroy a Japanese city.DepartingfromSanFranciscowithanextremely inexperienced crew, theIndianapolis nonetheless broke speedrecords. They averaged about 29.5knots and traveled more than 2,000miles in less than 75 hours.

After completing the mission,McVay turned his ship toward thePhilippines under assurances that theIndianapolis faced no threat. His confidence was bolstered by superiors whofailed to tell him that the destroyer USSUnderbill had just been torpedoed on

the very routeMcVay would betaking.

So on July 30,1945, less thantwo weeks beforethe war ended,the Japanese submarine 1-58 firedsix torpedoes at I

arrive' at itsscheduled time,no one botheredto take note.

Those five

leaving only 317 days of hell stiUallegations oferror, haunt Lt. Cdr.

Lewis Haynes,1 the ship'sdoctor, whowasasleepwhen» the explosion hit. "I was thrown up in2 the air and crashed into a desk," he1 recalled. "I said,1 got to get the hell out

of here.' The room was on fire. Lieu-tenant CommanderKenneth Stout w^standing in thepassageway when abig

y blast of fire engulfed both of us. Ite burned my hair and face and I never's saw Ken again."d The air wassothickwith smokethat

Haynes couldn't find his way out. Then firehad burned offthe solesofhis feet,g "I alsohad third-degree burns on myIt hands and, as I tried to find my way, Ia. fainted. I thought I was dying. It feltr- comfortable." Suddenly somebodyfell

honoreatnisyear,asrx^siucuiixcagaii j -

once was, mth the prestigious James E. orders gave hmi discretion about whenVan Zandt award from the Veterans of to zigzag. Unfair? No, says the Navy.Foreign Wars. "I feel like I have 150 "The proceedings were fair and pro-grandfathers," Isays Scott, whotalks regularlywth su^ of

Scott testified ^ m/fcalong with more USS Indianapolis: The cruiser went down on July 20,1945,than a dozen sur- survivorsfrom a crew of1,296 and a captain destroyed bvivors last Sep- „tember in anemotional four-hour con- vided full due process oflaw, argue-gressional hearing held by RepubUcan Rear Adm. John Hutson, the judgSen John Warner ofVirginia, chairman advocate general of the Navy at thof the Armed Services Committee, hearings, who said McVay made a"I've learned that democracy is a trea- error in judgment. .sure so valued that men and women are Smith disagreed. "You can t coi^willing to give their lives initspursuit," martial somebody for anerrormjudjScott told the committee. "I know 880 ment and not court-martial everybodmen of the USS Indianapolis have else who made such errors thatco^ttmade that supreme sacrifice." lives of men. And you didn't do it pal

The young man then spoke quietly why there's an injustice here. We shouJofhismost precious possession. "This correct injustices.isCaptain McVay's dog tag from when Indianapolis survivor Hariahe was acadet atthe Naval Academy," TWible says McVay stopped zi^ag^he said. "As you can see, it has his because visibility was so poor that ragthumbprint on the back. Icarry this as you could not see 5feet in front of yoa reminder ofmy mission inthemem- "If all the captains were court-ma

June 5,2000

USS Indianapolis: The cruiser went down on July 30,1945, leaving only 317survivorsfrom a crew of1,296 and a captain destroyed by allegations oferror.

nal four-hour con- vided full due process oflaw," argued the ship's doctor,'leld by Republican Rear Adm. John Hutson, the judge the explosion hit.Virgiia, chairman advocate general of the Navy at the the ^ and eras.vices Committee, hearings, who said McVay made an recced. Isaid,jmocracyisatrea- errorinjudgment. . or here, ihe roolen and women are Smith disagreed. "You can't coi^- tenant Commandlives in its pursuit," martial somebody for an error mjudg- stan^gmthe pclittee. "I know 880 mentandnotcourt-martial everybody blast ot nre enindianapolis have else who made such errors thatcost the burned my hairsacrifice." lives of men. And you didn't do it. That's sawKen agam.then spoke quietly why there's an injustice here. We should Theairwasso5possession. "This correct injustices." Haynes couldntdog tag from when Indianapolis survivor Harlan fire had binned c,e Naval Academy," TWible says McVay stopped zigzag^g I also had third:an see, it has his because visibility was so poor thatnight hands and, as11jack. I carry this as you could not see 5feet infront ofyou. fainted. I mougllissioninthemem- "If all the captains were court-mar- comfortable. Si

Insight• 21

recovered another from a dead body.Some were fortunate, like McVay, tofind a raft — but most were not. Manywere naked because they never got achance to dress, says Seaman PaulMurphy.Others were so badly injuredthey died within the hour.

Haynes was with the largest group,about 400,of which maybe 35survived.

7he sharks didn'tattack the group.They would takethe stragglersdown, chew offthe extremitiesand allow the bodies to hob to thesurface again.'

r^r73^

41

:I#ll

on him and he woke up. "Open a port- ihole," someone yelled. "Don't light a Imatch!" another cried. I

"I put my head through the porthole 'and saw water rushing," Haynes says. ("I knew if I went out I would be suckedup. Then somethinghit me in the face.It was a rope. I grabbed it and wentthrough the porthole like you deliver ababy."He made his wayto another battle station where dozens of men werebadly burned. Someone told him to getlife jackets on his patients. He put oneon himself and then assisted the otherburned men.

"There was screaming," recallsNavy Seaman Woody James. "Guyscovered with oil were yelling 'Don'ttouch me,don't touch me,'because theywere burned so badly." The ship thenlifted, and Haynes' patients slid away tobe swallowed by the sea. Haynesgrabbed on to a lifeline,joined a groupof other men and walked into a sea ofburning oil. "I turned around and sawone guy was still standing on the propeller," Haynes weeps. He was cut topieces.

Marine Pvt. First Class Gil McCoycontinues to be tormented by the deathscreams. He was guarding two American prisoners in the brig when theship exploded. He released his prisoners and helped others climb throughthe hatch when word came to seal it.McCoy hurled himself up through theclosing hatch ahead of others too busted up to move. "The hollering downthere still haunts me today and I'm 75years old.That was the tomb for a lotof men that never got out," McCoysays.

He grabbed a lifejacket and jumpedinto the water. "I was sucked down butcaught a giant air bubble that broughtme to the surface. I swallowed saltwater and fuel. I was real sick—throwing up waterand oil." He swam toa raft— aU were bottomless and some contained provisions of Spam, biscuits andmalted-milk tablets — where menpulled him on. Then he saw what hethought was a rescue ship and fired twoshots from his .45 revolver. Years laterhe learned it was the Japanese submarine, but the submarine never saw theraft.

Groups of men scattered among thesea became separated by miles. Seaman James rode a potato crate in thellO-degree heat until he came upon agroup of 150 men in floater nets. Hefound a potato in the crate. "I took acouple of bites, and that's all I had to eatfor 10 days because I couldn't eat during my recovery."

He had given his life jacket awaybefore he jumped into the sea and later

22 • Insight

the nets and from each other to swimaway. We swam after them. Everyonewho retained his senses knew that letting peopledrift awaywaslettingthemcommit suicide."

TWible told everyone to drop theirweapons into the sea —afraid the menmight mistake each other for Japanese.The sharks came on the second day. "Iset upa shark watchbecauseitgaveussomething to do," he says. "We wouldkick and scream. I don't know if thatwas the right thing to do but the menstarted thinking they were protectingthemselves. The sharks didn't attackthe group. They would take the stragglers down, chew off the extremitiesand allow the bodies to bob to the surface again."

The men turned to prayer "No separation of church and state here,"TWible says."Thestatehad abandonedus, but Godwaswithus. Undoubtedlymen who had never known God beforewanted to know him now."

As the madness set in, some decided to make a swim for land — a 400-miletrip. Afewwhorefusedwere physicallyattacked. "A guywascholdng thisman because he wouldn't swim to anisland with him," Haynes says. Theswimmers took off and, after a few hundred yards, they either fell victim toexhaustion or became shark bait.

"Doc, is this guy dead?" Haynesrecalls men asking over and over again."I would look at dilated eyes and say theLord's Prayer," Haynes says. "To thisday I don't go to church because everytimetheysaythe Lord's Prayer,I breakdown."

Haynes' good friend, the Rev.Thomas Conway, swam from survivorto survivor,praying with them, but soonwas lost to the sea. "Father Conway keptblessing me and striking me in thehead," says a weepingHaynes. "I keptholding himuntilhewentintocoma. All

\ these guys were dying in my arms. Youknow, a lot of people I declared dead,I'm not sure they were dead."

If it weren't for Navy pilot WilburGwinn accidentally stumbling on them,TWible says, none would have made it.The pilot radioed for help and anotherpilot, Lt.RobertMarks, flying a PBY5Aseaplane, broke regulations and landed on the water to rescue about 50 men.Ensign Thomas Brophy Jr., delirious,thought his father, a wealthy mediatycoon, had sent a private plane to rescue him. TWible yelled for Brophy tostop to no avail. "He ripped offhis lifejacket, swam 150yards and I never sawhim again." The plane, unable to lakeoff,waited twohours before Navyshipspicked up the survivors and whatremained of shark-eaten corpses.

June 5, 2000

Inspiration: Hunter Scott, 15, wasmoved to investigate the Indianapolisafier seeing a reference to the disaster in the shark blockbuster Jaws.

Few had life jackets. "They were heldup by their buddies," Haynes says. Hewas placed in the center of the groupbecause he was the doctor, but he hadno medicine. "I was the doctor but Ibecame the coroner," he says.

"People were starting to hallucinate," adds TVvible, who was about twomiles awayfrom Haynes in a group of300 supported by a floater net. "Theywere seeing ships and even drinkingfountains on the ship that didn't exist.They started to loosenthemselves from

Four months later McVay was triedand convicted. Dan Kurzman, whowrote Fatal Voyage: The Sinking oftheIndianapolis, told Virginia Sen. JohnWarner's committee it was the Navy's"worst moral disaster." The naval leaders court-martialed McVay before theNavy inspector general, or IG, completedhisinvestigation. "I might ask:it fair to court-martial a man before hiscase is fullyinvestigated?" asked Kurzman before the committee. "I don'tthink so."

If they had waited, the outcomemighthave been different.The IG senta letter to Navy Secretary James For-restal, saying, "The causal nexusbetween the failure to zigzag and theloss of the ship appears not to have asolid foundation," adding that McVaywas convicted of a super-technicalcharge.

"In other words, though the chargeagainstCaptainMcVay might be super-technical, the Navy couldn't admit thispublicly without arousing suspicionthat the trial was a sham,"Kurzman said. "Did theNavy apologize for thisblunder? Never." , f

Who's to blame? Pick \one. "Commodore James !Carter failed to warnMcVay of the submarinedanger," says Kurzman."Captain E.T. Layton, thecombat intelligence officerin Guam and his counter-part in Washington, Cap-tain William Smedberg,neglected to investigate theintercepted report fromsubmarine 1-58, that it hadsunk an enemy warship.Admiral Lynde D. Mc-Cormick, like the Philip-pine Seafrontier commandofficers,did not try to find NigtltmaPiout why the ship was over- the westedue in Leyte. Admiral physicalJesse B. Oldendorf knewthe ship was supposed to arrive butdidn't make any inquiry. AdmiralGeorgeMurray did not keep tabs on hissubordinate, Captain Oliver Naquin,to ensure that the man informed himof any submarine menace, especiallyone that, according to the IG's report,'would have appeared to have beensufficient reason for Murray's command to have diverted the Indianapolis from her routing.'

And finally, Admirals Ernest Kingand Chester Nimitz and their chiefs ofstaff had approved the ambiguous ship-arrival order and had not required thatcombatant ships be escorted."

The Navy was so bent on convicting

McVaythat it flewin the Japanese submarine commander, MochitsuraHashimoto, to testify against him. TheNavy treated Hashimoto like a king,providing him $100in spending moneyand setting him up with an entirewardrobe. It was the ultimate insult toMcVay to be confronted by the manwho killed 75 percent of his men. Nevermind that Hashimoto said it wouldn'thave made any difference if McVayhad been zigzagging, and more recently sent a letter to Warner calling for theNavy to exonerate McVay.

The damage was done. McVay wasconvicted of "hazarding his vessel byfailing to zigzag" and sentenced to lose100 numbers of his temporary grade ofcaptain and another100numbersin thepermanent grade of commander. Thesentence later was remitted, but theconviction stood. After the verdict wasdeclared, McVay told the prosecutor,"Whatever the verdict, it is for the goodof the service."

That was the Navy way. It was the

On Nov. 6,1968, McVay went out on hisfront lawn with his service revolverand shot himself under the chin. Nextto his body was a little toy soldierhookedtoa keyring that hehadcarriedon the Indianapolis for good luck.

No suicide note. Nothing. That madehis son wonder if somehow it was anaccident. "Ifyou are going to kill yourself,youdon'tnormallyshootyourselfunder your chin," says Charles McVay.

Why did the Navy blame McVay?Declassified records suggest lirumanwas pressured by advertising giantThomas D'Arcy Brophy Sr., a majorcontributor to the Democratic Partywhose son, Thomas Jr., was the youngman who perished in the sea whileswimming for his father's "privateplane." Ttuman directed Navy Secretary Forrestal to investigate.

Forrestal contacted Adm. King, whowas reprimanded only once as a juniorofficer — by McVay's father, Adm.Charles McVay II. Survivor Murphybelieves it was "payback time" for the

McVay family. "He couldn'tftvE get the father, so he got his

son," Murphy says. It wasKing who made the decision

Xjk tohold a court-martial hear-& ing and went against Adm.Pl. Nimitz's conclusion that

|l'McVay was not responsible.K } . In the meantime, Brophy

Sr. tried to confront McVaybut was told the captain had

If',: •. animportant engagement. Atthe time, McVay was despon-

ijj^g dent over talking to so manygrief-stricken families. ButBrophy followed McVay, and

I the important engagement= turned out to be a cocktail- I Author Kurzman

•V wrote: "He [Brophy] woulddestroy McVay, Brophy

al on vowed. And he set out do solat their using his ample political-festers, clout.He released his fury on

NavySecretary Forrestal andother authorities, and even Presidentliruman."

McVay's son Charles believes hisfather became an easy target becausehe would never make waves. "Theyneeded a scapegoat, and theygotone inmy dad."

Meanwhile, young Scott notes thatwhen he started his crusade there were154 survivors. Now there are 134—andone of those passed away during thewriting of this story. "Please do notforget about the men of the USS Indianapolis for the second time in 54years," Scott begged Congress. Because time, once more, is running outfor them. •

Nigtltmare: Injured survivors are taken to a hospital onthe western Pacific island ofPeleliu; many say that theirphysical wounds healed but their mental anguishfesters.

Tive but only way he knew for some 30 years, otherAdmiral But it came with a price. Every year lirumslbs on his around Christmastime, McVay would McNaquin, bebesieged with grief-stricken letters, father

med him his son Charles tells Insight. He he wcspecially answered every oneofthem.Eventhe neede's report, mosthurtfulones. "MerryChristmas," my daave been one letter said. "Ours won't be merry Mety's com- because you killed our son." Another whendianapo- demanded:"Whydidyousurvivewhile 154su

my husband didn't?" one oilest King It was a question that haunted him writir•chiefs of until 1968. He had just finished reply- forget:ous ship- ing to another family. His 9-year-old anapiiiredthat grandson had died of a brain tumor years

three years earlier and Vivian, his sec- causeonvicting ond wife, was becomingmore distant, for thi

June 5,2000