a point I’m surprised he didn’t include is that the captain of the Japanese submarine that sank the Indianapolis actually testified on the US captain’s behalf, and it was his testimony that cleared him. He was the one that pointed out that using the zig zag maneuver would not have saved the ship from torpedoes. Not zigzagging was what got the captain in trouble and why he was blamed. He opted not to zigzag because there was heavy fog and they needed to get out of it as soon as possible for their own safety. The zig zag maneuver is very time consuming, obviously, and the fog was more of a hazard than going in a straight line. Also, the Japanese had a great history with hitting zigzagging ships, the best course of action, while futile in the end, was to book it out of the fog. In that part of the ocean, spotters could sometimes see enemy subs with bare eyes in clear weather, they had a better likelihood of avoiding the Japanese out of the fog. The very man that sank the Indianapolis flew to America at the age of 80 something to defend his former enemy. That is how innocent this guy was.
Mochitsura Hashimoto was the sub commander's name. After Japan's surrender, he came home to the news his entire family was killed by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
@@WiseSnake this goes to show the respect he had for Mcvoy. The uss Indianapolis helped deliver the atomic bombs the US used to Hawaii. And the Commander still defended this man, who directly was involved in the process that killed his family. I had both family that died in the fire bombings of Japan, were interned, and who served in the US military even before wwii. So this whole topic brings me a lot of inner conflict. But one thing that I think every American AND every Japanese can agree on is Captain Mcvoy’s innocence, and the brave, compassionate, and fair actions of Commander Hashimoto. And one of the many steps the US and Japan took to create the friendship we now have with each other. And before anyone jumps on me about how a land invasion would’ve caused more disaster for Japanese, and about how they attacked the US first and the horrific war crimes they committed against other people, I know and acknowledge those facts. But thinking about my ancestors, who merely lived in Japan and had nothing to do with the war, burning to death, including their baby and young children, still hurts and still feels unfair.
@@JumbieLove290 I wouldn’t call it hot headed younger years, but more of the Japanese empire’s control over the people’s actions. Hearing first hand accounts from my relatives they say it was almost like they were being brainwashed to overlook the basic cultural respect they grew up with and feel this strange mandatory national pride and servitude. Honor has always been a big theme in Japan, and that ideal was twisted by the empire to make these normally peaceful commoners want to die for their country. It used to be the honor of a select few to die for their lords, but the emperor made it the responsibility of every man, woman, and child.
About 20 years ago I read the book "In harm's way" by Doug Stanton. It's a novel based on interviews with surviving sailors of the USS Indianapolis. I remember it said the ship wasn't expected at its destination port as it was on a secret mission because it had delivered the atomic bomb for Hiroshima which hadn't been dropped yet. The plane dragged a radio antenna on a cable and had a problem with it which the radio operator had to fix. While doing so he looked down to the ocean. The sailors were spotted in the water by pure coincidence. As the navigator didn't have the exact location due to dead reckoning it was difficult for the rescue party to find the men.
My father is a therapist for veterans, and I got to talk to a man who survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. He was on a life raft meant for four people with 7 others. They were able to feel the fins of the sharks brush against their backs at night as they searched for food. 4 of the 8 men on that raft gave up and left the raft, and all of them died. He described checking on sailors in the water around them only to find that their legs and lower torsos had been eaten. It was absolutely horrible, and I can’t imagine what it would actually be like to experience something so horrible. He was rescued eventually, and his eyes were so sun burned he could hardly see, but survived by catching rain water in his shirt and drinking the water from it.
My FIL lied about his age and joined the Navy at 15. He was on the Indianapolis. It took 2 1/2 decades before he talked about it to me or anyone. I will never forget the look in his eyes as he was retelling of a time where he watched his fellow sailors dropping from sight, into the sea, due to exhaustion or being taken away by sharks. He did name one of his sons after a friend who was taken.
Halfway through this video I realized this reminded me of Quint's talk about his past in Jaws and sure enough, that's exactly the ship he was on! Had no idea that was based on a true story!
All the Drowned Sailors by Raymond B Lech is a really visceral account of this tragedy. Even more than ten years later, it still haunts me and I can picture parts of the book vividly.
For those more interested in this story, I highly recommend the book “In Harms Way” by Doug Stanton for a detailed account of the disaster. It’s about an 8 hour listen on audiobook. Poor McVey was a great man. The Navy’s scapegoating of him for the disaster is a blot on their history.
This story has consistently been my number one horror story for most of my life. I just can’t get over the fact that these guys were in the water for so long and saw the most horrific shit happening all around them.
My grandpa was on this ship and made it home this is a horrible tragedy he had alot of nightmare RIP TO ALL THE SAILORS WHO LOST THERE LIVES. AND RIP TO THE GREATEST GRANDPA EVER.
I could not love the ending of this horrific story more. Talk about some people's kids ❤. Kudos and thanks to that big little person who cared enough to dig in to finding and interviewing survivors and stirring the pot to cause wrongs to be righted. Thank you for bringing us this narration.
I used to hunt and fish with one of the survivors. Ralph W. Smith. He never talked about it , but he had nightmares. He was a good friend ,died naturally twenty years ago.
Dude. Great video! History Hyenas did an episode about this too. If I remember right, they even played a copy of an interview with a survivor. It was absolutely horrific.
I remember hearing an interview with one of the Indianapolis survivors years ago on the local radio. I had forgotten the ship was called Indianapolis, but once you mentioned the US sailors being stranded at the middle of sea I instantly remembered that radio interview and knew what the story would be.
I watched a documentary about this and a sailor who went through the ordeal was being interviewed. He talked about how one guy was floating next to him and appeared to be dead. When he tried to shake the guy awake, the guy rolled over in the water and his lower half had been eaten by a shark.
Another thing is that the Indianapolis was such a large ship, the Japanese submarine mistook her for a battleship, mainly the New Mexico - Class Battleship, USS Idaho.
I have read several reports on this disaster. One point not mentioned on this video is that the Indianapolis was one of several ships that had just dropped off the atomic bombs. Their travel route, even after dropping off the bombs was top secret and this also contributed to the delay in rescue operations.
It took part in arranging the slaughtering of millions of innocent civilians? And then ironically was destroyed by the same country that it helped attack? Good riddance.
FYI Ryan, none of the sailors knew how powerful the bombs were. So judging these men the way you did shows your ignorance. Next time, know what you’re talking about before you pass judgment.
Every time I hear this ship's name...I can't stop my brain from running that scene from Jaws through my mind. Robert Shaw really brought the horror of that incident to life. I can't even imagine how traumatic it was to be in the water...waiting.
Those who survived the sinking and the long long wait were known and suffered the effects physically and mentally for the remainder of their natural lives. There were far more sailors and service members who, throughout the wars, before and after, regardless of their service to which opposing nations who went into the oceans and later went unreached and perished. Some were left in the water intentionally and others because no one could come to their aid. A ship stopping to rescue survivors sometimes faced the same fate due to enemy ships or submarines which could target those ships, as well. Sailors on the Indianapolis who perished in the water after their ship sank had many contemporaries who shared their fate over the years.
This was tragic in every way possible. Rest in peace to everyone on board. Rest in peace, Captain McVeigh. Your name has finally been exonerated. Thank you for being a leader at the time the US needed it most.
I saw a meme once, was a picture of somebody's soul leaving their body, and the caption said: "The patriotism leaving my body after I studied real U.S. History", and I was like: 😬🤷🏻♀️😒 It wasn't wrong.
This comment proves that Irving Kristol was right when he said there were different truths for different people. I pity anyone whose sense of patriotism is that fragile.
Jesus. I got too used to low-stakes Fascinating Horror stories from the last couple of videos, but this is beyond horrible. I didn't know about this until now. R.I.P to the dead.
This channel needs MUCH MORE attention. It covers each topic with the most possible respect and without any glimpse of sensation, information is always very well researched and the events are always covered as complete as possible, all together with a very good narator!
@@spiritmatter1553 _”The thing about a shark, it's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When it comes at you it doesn't seem to be livin'... until he bites you, and those black eyes roll over white…”_ -Quint 🦈
The Navy was so hot to find him guilty in the court-martial which took place after the war, that they actually called the commander of the Japanese submarine as a witness to try to pin down whether Indianapolis was zigzagging or not and the degree to which that made it easier for him to sink the ship. To his credit, the Japanese submarine Captain stated that it would have made no difference whatsoever whether he was zigzagging or not, that he was going to sink that ship.
The IJN's captains story in the US is really interesting and it was of great credit to him that he said what he said and not what was hoped that he would say.
@@KabbalahSherry You think this is bad? Try visiting a VA hospital!! My dad was killed by a misdiagnosis followed by administering of the wrong medicine at the one in VT. The combination of the delay in proper treatment of his real condition and the side effects of the incorrect medicine killed him. My dad served his country and what reward did he get? They stole his life from him!! Now that there are no mandatory drafts in place smart people will avoid joining any branch of the military at all costs if they know what is good for them. They use you then kill you in cold blood. You are right, it is disgusting. Soldiers are nothing more than standard issue equipment in the eyes of the governement. They have no value whatsoever after they have outlived their usefullness to the governement. It is deplorable!!
The drunk officer, and the officer who was playing cards are the ones who should have been court-martialed, and severely punished. Rest In Peace, Captain McVay. Your name has been cleared. Thank You for your service.
Damn right! Blaming McVay was a complete joke. The fact he took his own life decades before he was rightfully exonerated makes it all the more disgusting.
What a horrible ordeal for those men who survived the sinking. Honestly I'm surprised anybody survived so many days in those conditions. As you talked about all those men who got the distress signal, and ignored it, my heart sank lower and lower. I'm so glad somebody finally helped, even if all they could do was drop supplies or get them out of the water until they could be rescued. To use the captain as a scapegoat is absolutely awful. The poor man, to survive that ordeal just to be blamed for it. I was so happy to hear he had been cleared, even if it was after he died.
I was talking about the plane that let them get in, or even on the wings. They couldn't take off to get them to land, but they helped them get out of the water.
Yeah, but a real shame the capt couldnt be cleared before passing. Im sure that wouldve been a huge weight off his shoulders, maybe even offered a more peaceful demise.. but yes, atleast he was cleared eventually.
@@kathyjones1576 Yes. I believe the point that @kemp10 was trying to make was that just getting them out of the water was a rescue in itself, even if the plane could not take off again. And I would have to agree! That pilot was a hero!! That said, I really empathized with your post as I was feeling the same sinking emotions as time wore on. You expressed it so well that I won’t repeat it. I, too, was outraged for the Captain. I take solace that the young man kick-started his exoneration and hope that wherever he is, he knows his name has been cleared.
I've always said the Captain was used as a scapegoat to relieve the brass from taking the heat. The captain of the Japanese Submarine survived the war and even testified that he was so close, the Indianapolis would have been hit regardless is it was zig-zagging or not. This was ignored by the Court Martial. This case is one of several that highlight the ineptitude of those higher up the chain of command and the ease with which they can blame those below them. McVay was the only Captain in the US Navy to be cour-tmartialled for losing a ship in war time. It was so obviously a white wash. Those responsible deserve to be posthumously stripped of all rank and awards, much like they stripped McVay of his in life.
The ineptitude of the higher ups continue to this day. Theres a video of a 4 star general shooting an ar15 recently and it looks like the dude never shot s gun in his life. Smh.
Haven't looked into the entire matter at all but sounds so ridiculous that the captain was found guilty despite even the enemy captain providing evidence that there was no way for him to have been able to do anything...
@@kumaahito3927 It seems to me that a guilty verdict was inevitable as the naval prosecutors were always prone to ignoring evidence just to get a "win." It was the same in the Boer War with the story of Breaker Morant and also with the executions of soldiers for "cowardice" which we now know to be PTSD.... R. I. P. to all those poor souls....
This story of this tragedy was dramatically told in the 1975 movie "Jaws". The shark-hunter character of "Quint", played by Robert Shaw told a brief version of the story as a survivor of the Indianapolis. In "Jaws", Quint's hatred of sharks was made understandable by his character's depiction of the horror of waiting in the water knowing that you may be dragged under at any time. I saw a TV documentary of this disaster with a survivor's testimony. All the survivors were eventually given life preservers similar to the ones used on the Indianapolis. The survivor said that whenever he experienced difficulties in life, he would drag out that life preserver and hold it close. "If I can survive that", he said, "I know I can endure anything."
Quint did, indeed, tell the tale and he wasn’t encouraged to give the telling anything for “dramatic effect.” It is one of my favorite scenes in the movie and Robert Shaw owned it. As he shares, I could feel just a touch of his terror (I was also in an accident in the ocean and nearly died. It’s a frightening experience to be in the waves, unable to escape. And I didn’t have sharks coming at me). My heart and prayers go out to all of those lost and of those those survived but were never again “free”. 🙏🏻❤️
They said that when McVeigh killed himself on his desk he still had all the letters from all the families writing him telling him how he cost them their sons and their husbands and their brothers blaming him for their deaths. He kept every letter. He shot himself with his service revolver and his right hand and in his left hand he had his little toy sailor he had had since he was a kid. The Navy should feel ashamed for what they did to Captain McVeigh he lived out the last years of his life in guilt. Every so often have no open a new letter from a new family blaming him for the reason their son wasn't there for Thanksgiving or Christmas but letting him know what a horrible person he was.
@@toomanyaccounts It's voice-to-text buddy give me a break If you have a problem with the spelling take it up with Google. The point is the man live the rest of his life in a dark depression because he was made to feel the guilt for something he had no control over. Not only would anybody who survived something that horrific have survivors remorse but then add in the fact that your own country railroaded you and allowed the entire nation to put the blame on your shoulders. I didn't make none of that up when they found him he had all the letters over all the years on his desk from all the families riding him telling him that they were going to have their son brother husband at Thanksgiving or Christmas that year because of him. That s*** wears on a man. United States Navy should wear that as a black eye for the rest of all eternity. He was a through and through Navy man his entire life he dedicated his life to the Navy and he did everything he could to save those boys when the ship was torpedoed but the whole front of the ship was blown off if you look at the wreck today the bow is completely missing from the super firing turrets forward. Plus it was a hot night so they had all of the hatches open to get some air down to the crew the ship stood no chance. They even had the captain of the Japanese sub come in to say just as much. The real blame goes to the Navy for not immediately realizing the ship was missing and going after the survivors. The 300 that went down with the ship that's just war. Everybody was taken by a shark or died of dehydration or exposure that's on the Navy not on the captain.
There’s also a lot of evidence he was severely depressed after his wife passed away of cancer. I mean if he was so sad about it he wouldn’t have waited till 1968 to off himself.
I think it should be pointed out that Admiral Nimitz and Commander Hashimoto(commander of the I-58 which sank the Indianapolis) defended him. It is not only the only time an American commander was court martialed for the loss of his vessel during WW2. It’s also the only time anyone was court martialed over the objections of a superior officer. Never mind the admiral in charge of the entire damn fleet
How in the fuck do they come to the conclusion that Captain McVay should have been court martialed when both the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet and your own fucking enemy tell you that you are WRONG? And not just any enemy, but an enemy that knows more about this incident than anyone else in that room that was not physically on the USS Indianapolis. That is mind numbingly corrupt, and should have seen the very people trying McVay to be court martialed themselves.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the navy (and admiral King in particular) was so determined to pin the blame on McVay III that even Nimitz (yes, that Nimitz) wasn't able to intervene in McVay's favour. According to McVay's father, admiral Charles B McVay II, King had a grudge against him because of an incident when King was still a junior officer under McVay II which landed him a letter of reprimand.
I can't understand how McVay's possible failure to sail in a specified pattern somehow made him responsible for the attack, sinking, and then the failure to promptly initiate a rescue. However, when you include this information it makes far more sense.
McVay was so innocent that the actual captain of the Japanese submarine that sank the Indianapolis flew to America to testify on his behalf. Do you know how innocent someone has to be for the enemy forces to go “oh, yeah, we gotta help this guy out, this ain’t right”
@@deanfawcett2085 Apparently, he was responsible for the loss of many American merchant seamen in the North Atlantic convoys because he didn't want to release destroyers for escort duty, an attitude partially arising from his hatred of the British.
One silver lining in all this is Lt Cmdr. Marks. If I recall correctly, when he arrived at the scene, he was faced with a major issue. The Sea State was 6 at time, which for those who don't know, that's pretty choppy. His aircraft, the amazing PBY Catalina, could only land safely in Sea State of 4, but could land in a Sea State of 5, at the risk of damage and it wouldn't be able to take off until the seas calmed. Yet, he commited to setting it down for those men. On landing, he tried to put it a trough of a wave, but it abruptly shot up right before touchdown. The nose slammed into the wave, and bounced off violently. It forced the nose up nearly 50 degrees. It then came down hard, severely damaging the frame of the PBY. He then took on survivors, as meantioned here. The Aircraft was written off afterwards and scrapped.
Thanks for the intel, Marks really went above and beyond to help those poor guys get out of the water. He deserved a metal for that alone. It shows his courage and integrity to land that plane in those rough, choppy waters. He wasn’t able to take off until the waters calmed but Marks stayed there until the rescue ship arrived. That really shows valor and I salute him for his compassion to help those guys. ❤
Can we all appreciate for just a moment the excellent, ethical reporting job by that school kid? He went out of his way to find primary sources of the incident as much as he was able, and then found multiple sources to back it up, and because of this legwork an innocent man's name was cleared.
I was also really moved by this. I didn’t do anything even close to this for my SENIOR project. This was a 6th grader. Like damn, kid is gonna go places.
Sad to think that, today, he’d be: A) Branded “A Conspiracy Theorist.” B) Accused of “Spreading Misinformation.” C) Banned from Social Media for “Violating Community Guidelines.”
Rest in peace, Adolfo "Harpo" Celaya, of Tucson, Arizona. He was the last of the Indianapolis survivors and he passed away just recently, on Thanksgiving Day. Not too long ago, he visited the State Home for Veterans for treatment (a friend of ours was living there at the time) and was treated like a celebrity.
As a retired Navy veteran, I am ashamed and disappointed to admit that the shame and blame placed on the Capt is unfortunately oftentimes standard operating procedure. Rest peacefully big brothers. Thank you for standing the watch. 🙌🏾 🥺
Godspeed men. Your work may seem small, but itsone of the two the main reasons we live in the most peacfull and prosperous time in human history. Saluted.
It really bothers me that, when something happens as a result of failed military tactics, or failed this, or failed that, instead of taking responsibility and saying "We screwed this up" they just blame a scapegoat then act as if they can do no wrong. This is what corruption looks like...
I’ve never served in the military, but as a civilian it pisses me off that they always punish ‘the little guy’, while the Majors and Generals, who’ve usually done much worse, are incompetent, and have been knee deep in the 🤬, walk away with a promotion half of the time!
Capt. Gil Hoover of the U.S.S. Helena had his career stalled for a while (by Admiral Halsey himself) because he didn't stop the four ships under his command to look for survivors from the U.S.S. Juneau...which had just been literally blown to scrap by a Japanese sub that was still lurking. The explosion was so sudden, large, and violent that most witnesses believed there could be no survivors (FREX, one of her main battery turrets was as a recognizable unit bliwn high into the sky). He did send messages but no one came out to search. He did eventually get back on track, but military scapegoating is too often a real thing.
Note that Captain McVay received letters from the relatives of his deceased men. One of them reads as: *"Merry Christmas! Our family's holiday would be a lot merrier if you hadn't killed my son"* Charles B. McVay III was found by his gardener to have committed suicide, with one hand holding a revolver and the other holding a toy sailor.
I hope that isn't true. What an awful thing to say and grief is not an excuse. It wasn't even his fault but even if it was that'd still be terrible. Shame on that person. Negligence isn't murder.
A lot of these stories about negligence and incompetence really get under my skin but this one is special. So many opportunities to save so many lives wasted, for what? "Don't bother me I'm playing cards", "hey where's that ship? Oh well, moving on", "I'm drunk on the job listening for SOS signals"... Absolutely infuriating at every turn.
The situation was actually even more tragic than this video explains. They had delivered the atomic bomb not weeks but hours before her sinking. It was a top secret mission. The Indianapolis was denied destroyer escort because according to the records she had never even been to that Port. And no one knew where the ship would be until they made it to Leyte. Hence why one station thought it was a Japanese trick and the Port in Leyte had no was of knowing how far behind schedule the Indy was. Speed was their only chance. They set a world record time in delivering the bomb that holds to this day. And they did not adopt a zig zag because again. Speed was the only defensive option
That makes more sense than "training mission that no one knew about into dangerous waters." Ditto the denied destroyer escort, ditto the scapegoating. Also... Jaws. "Anyways, we delivered the bomb."
That actually explains a lot, is some really critical information the video somehow missed. Their mission was so secret that those who should have been rescuers didn't know of it's journey, and thus didn't trust it's distress signals or raise alarm over her absence. That shows how this wasn't so much an issue of incompetence or carelessness, but failure of communication and hazards of keeping things too much "need to know." The question of "need to know" is always who needs to know, sometimes people need to know things if something goes wrong that wouldn't have needed to know if things went to plan. Actually I can think of several cases like that, some covered by this channel, where something was kept secret - government or military secret, trade secret, and so on - that would later cause or contribute to disaster in an accident or incident. Even his video a couple weeks ago on the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster is similar - a secret (or at least not publicized) anti-aircraft defense the civilians didn't know about, and thus panicked when they heard it going off thinking they were being bombed.
@@mamarha2011 I was just going to say the same thing actually!! Nice to meet you and thank you for your service. My dad was an Army sharpshooter. The VA hospital in VT murdered him by misdiagnosing hiim and giving him the wrong medication. The side effects of the meds and the delay in getting proper treatment led to his death so yeah, nothing is right about how the government treats our troops. It makes me angry and sick that things happened like this then and are still happening now. A moment of silence for every signle wronged soldier and the entire world would grow silent for the rest of eternity. Sick but true. God bless.
Really? You can't "imagine" what they went through? Ummm, did you listen to the story on which you JUST commented? It broke down pretty much everything they went through soooo maybe your imagination needs some work lol.
The book In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton is fantastic. I also recommend USS Indianapolis: The Legacy, which is a documentary told entirely by the survivors. The scapegoating of Captain McVey was awful. Even the Japanese sub captain spoke for McVey's defence at the court martial.
I remember this kid! That was a 1997 National History Day project! My 7th grade team participated that year too and came very close to winning our state level competition in their division (middle level team documentary) because they were the only team in our state, and possibly nationally, that used both sides of the theme “Triumph and Tragedy in History”. This kid’s project competed at the national level and I think he won his division (middle level individual project). His method and attention to seeking out primary sources (the survivors) is still taught to kids who participate in History Day even today. He actually testified before Congress. It took a Sense of Congress resolution to clear McVay’s name. It’s horrible, however, that the DoN used Captain McVay as their scapegoat in the first place. At least his son lived long enough to see his father cleared.
Wow that must have been hell and poor captain but f'ing late clearing him 30 plus years after he killed himself he probably blamed himself as the men were his responsibility the court martial was the unnecessary kick in the nuts
It was such a scapegoating, they even brought in the Japanese commander who fired the torpedos to testify against him. They tried to make him say that the ship wasn’t zig zagging. And he defended him, saying his submarine was so close it wouldn’t have mattered either way. When even the enemy is defending you, you probably aren’t to blame.
The captain of the Japanese sub that sank the Indianapolis actually testified in Capt.McVey's defense at his court martial, stating that nothing more could have been done to avoid the torpedoes. But of course you can't exonerate the individual without acknowledging the fault in the system that failed its own sailors.
When you somehow come to the conclusion that the Captain is at fault, despite both the Commander in Chief of the entire Pacific Fleet and Enemy Commander of the enemy subs that attack your ship say otherwise, you know you are fucking wrong. But then again, this is just military tradition. Throwing people under the bus when they were not at fault. Too often shit rolls down hill, and people like Captain McVay have to take the brunt of it. Truly rest in peace to that man.
The fate of the men left stranded and adrift at sea… is literally my greatest fear. While I know there are quite a few *”worse/more painful”* ways to die-something about the complete isolation and utter helplessness of being stranded like this, has always been pure nightmare fuel for me. Those poor men….🥺💔
@@nitsu2947 Ugh! Same here. Then there were the guys trapped in their overturned ship at Pearl Harbor. The Marines sent to the pier to keep people away from the wreck had to listen to them shouting and rapping on the hull…for three weeks. 😔
My mother helped take care of one of the survivors of this tragedy. He passed away about a week ago. His name was Granville Crane from Gulfport Mississippi. R.I.P.
best....channel....ever!!! no demeaning dialog, no jokes, just facts. pure unadulterated history. more please! and more subs for this severely underrated channel!!!
@@crashburn3292 I've watched many channels that mine death and killings for humor. or at the very least don't treat such subjects with the honor and decorum they deserve
@@lantinkan9013- That's terrible. My grandfather was on the DD-529 USS Bush in Leyte Gulf, that was sunk in 1945. This isn't ancient history. It should never be joked about.
@@crashburn3292 I guess I didn't mean historical accident channels necessarily. I watch a lot of true crime, mystery, dark stuff sometimes. also missing 411 type stuff. many people use humor to make the dark easier to swallow. this channel is all history and I love his honest unbiased take. just his voice seems unbiased. it's great. comment was more about this channel then the others
They knew. But the mission to deliver the bomb was so top secret that no one was meant to know where it was in the period between delivering it. Sending a plane would mean explaining why it was out there.
that's indirectly addressed - they didn't use a system of active reporting of ship's positions for a ship as large as the indianapolis so "last known position" would have been the last port it departed from for everyone except those people that received its distress calls. :(
I saw "The Shark is Broken" last week, thoroughly recommended play written by Robert Shaw's (Qunit) son Ian. It covers the troubled production of Jaws and Ian Shaw plays his dad in the production. I'm a huge fan of Robert Shaw and to hear his son give the Indianapolis speech in person gave me goosebumps. It went beyond imitation, every nuance was perfect. Anyway, great content as always, just wanted to recommend "The Shark is Broken" to any Jaws fans out there :)
As soon as I saw that Fascinating Horror is focusing on the Indianapolis I thought of Jaws and Shaw's speech. I didn't know about The Shark is Broken, and wish I could see this! Jaws came out the summer I graduated from high school--I loved it then and love it still.
The Indianapolis story wasn't in the book, it was a brilliant addition. Howard Sackler, one of the scriptwriters, believed that Quint's deep hatred of sharks needed to be explained. John Milius expanded upon what Sackler wrote, and Robert Shaw whittled Milius' very long monologue to manageable length. Oh, and Shaw was apparently pretty drunk when he performed it.
Quint gives the wrong date for the sinking in the film. He states 29th June. This was, in fact, the date on the poster looking for someone to catch 'the shark' in the mayors office scene ! Probably seen by Shaw and recited the wrong date !
@@mbryson2899 Yes, this is addressed in the stage play - Shaw cut down several minutes of the script into what we see on screen. And by all accounts he was plastered when performing it - if you look at Dreyfuss' reaction to the speech you can understand why he's so intrigued by it :)
The first time I ever heard about this was in 1975, when Robert Shaw's character in the movie "Jaws", Quint, told the tale. I found it more horrific than the movie itself. Thanks for the vid.
I really appreciated some of these comments. I was an avid surfer here in South Africa when Jaws was released. I was only eleven then and needles to say I have observed many Great Whites off the False Bay Coast while in the water. Very scary indeed. The worst is when a school of Dolphins pop up right next to you and it feels like a lifetime of panic before it suddenly register's as to what they actually are. Then great joy because the Dolphins ride the waves with you and somehow give you a great sense of peace and security. Great Video . Much appreciated. Thank you. 👋👋👋
You should befriend an orca and keep him around will you surf lol. In the Uk we don't have to worry about great whites or do we? I've heard theres a US investigation team coming to the UK this year to find out if white sharks inhabit uk waters, which is exciting.
How wonderful to have been so close to dolphins! I’ve always dreamed of meeting one! I grew up swimming in southern California’s beaches and I was the same age as you were when Jaws came out. What a classic movie!
I agree, but of the 3 decent teachers I had in all my school years, 2 taught history and that’s why I ended up loving history. Mr Thompson especially would easily derail what we were supposed to be learning and tell his personal WWII stories. He fought at Anzio.
Although Jaws (with the famous Indinapolis monologue) was about a Great White shark, it was unlikely that the sharks that actually attacked the survivors were Great Whites. It's more likely to have been either tiger sharks, or oceanic white tips.
Please, let's not forget that while maybe a few people get bitten by sharks a year, it's nothing compared to the senselsss butchering people have done of THEM.
One of the worst and most harrowing events of WWII. I was aware that survivors of the sinking endured a prolonged ordeal of waiting for rescue, but I didn't know that so many opportunities to rescue were missed. A great video as always
A friend of mine was aboard when it sank. He had PTSD his entire life afterward and seldom shared his personal story. He was what you'd call a 'tough guy' but became very emotional during those few times of sharing his horrific memories. RIP, Joe.
@@Condell1986 Different Joe but I imagine there were several guys named Joe on that ship. My friend was Joe Franken from Lebanon, Iowa. After serving, he went on to be a highly gifted blacksmith. His son who retired from the Navy as an admiral is currently running for state senator. Guaranteed he'll have my vote.
Quint - “Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into her side, Chief. We was comin’ back from the island of Tinian to Leyte. We’d just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in 12 minutes. Didn’t see the first shark for about a half-hour. Tiger. 13-footer. You know how you know that in the water, Chief? You can tell by lookin’ from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn’t know, was that our bomb mission was so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn’t even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin’ by, so we formed ourselves into tight groups. It was sorta like you see in the calendars, you know the infantry squares in the old calendars like the Battle of Waterloo and the idea was the shark come to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin’ and hollerin’ and sometimes that shark he go away… but sometimes he wouldn’t go away. Sometimes that shark looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about a shark is he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn’t even seem to be livin’… ’til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all your poundin’ and your hollerin’ those sharks come in and… they rip you to pieces. You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don’t know how many sharks there were, maybe a thousand. I do know how many men, they averaged six an hour. Thursday mornin’, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Boson’s mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. He bobbed up, down in the water, he was like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he’d been bitten in half below the waist. At noon on the fifth day, a Lockheed Ventura swung in low and he spotted us, a young pilot, lot younger than Mr. Hooper here, anyway he spotted us and a few hours later a big ol’ fat PBY come down and started to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened. Waitin’ for my turn. I’ll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water. 316 men come out, the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.”
Most people I knew growing up in the UK were introduced to the story of the Indianapolis because of the film Jaws and the speech explaining it's downfall, a chilling end to those poor sods on board. I'm the grandnephew of a survivor of the HMS Hood and grew up with the tales of that horrendous sinking so my heart goes out to the crew of the Indianapolis 😢
One thing I found fascinating is that during the court martial of the captain they actually got the Japanese Submarine commander to speak at the trial. He had survived the war, and there had been a debate about whether zigzagging even worked. Submarine commanders stated it had little to no actual effect on their targeting. And the Japanese commander stated that it would have changed nothing about the outcome. That only smaller ships would have been able to detect him and prevent it. So yes the captain was a complete scapegoat and even his opponent agreed.
Quint's speech from JAWS (1975) from IMDB: "Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, Chief. We was comin' back from the island of Tinian to Leyte, just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in twelve minutes. Didn't see the first shark for about a half an hour. Tiger. Thirteen-footer. You know how you know that when you're in the water, Chief? You tell by lookin' from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn't know... was our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent. Heh. [he pauses and takes a drink] They didn't even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin'. So we formed ourselves into tight groups. Y'know, it's... kinda like ol' squares in a battle like, uh, you see in a calendar, like the Battle of Waterloo, and the idea was, shark comes to the nearest man and that man, he'd start poundin' and hollerin' and screamin', and sometimes the shark'd go away... sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometimes that shark, he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. Y'know the thing about a shark, he's got... lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be livin'... until he bites ya. And those black eyes roll over white, and then... oh, then you hear that terrible high-pitch screamin', the ocean turns red, and spite of all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they... rip you to pieces. [he pauses] Y'know, by the end of that first dawn... lost a hundred men. I dunno how many sharks. Maybe a thousand. I dunno how many men, they averaged six an hour. On Thursday mornin', Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland- baseball player, boatswain's mate. I thought he was asleep, reached over to wake him up... bobbed up and down in the water just like a kinda top. Upended. Well... he'd been bitten in half below the waist. Noon the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us, he swung in low and he saw us. Young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper. Anyway, he saw us and come in low and three hours later, a big fat PBY comes down and start to pick us up. Y'know, that was the time I was most frightened, waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a life jacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water, three hundred sixteen men come out, and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. [he pauses, smiles, and raises his glass] Anyway... we delivered the bomb."
I believe that this was the case where after the war the captain of the submarine actually testified on behalf of the ships captain and tried to explain that such a large ship alone with no anti-submarine armaments was going to be hit eventually after it was spotted. No amount of fancy sailing can help you against someone with functionally infinite ammo when you cant fight back. But he was Japanese and the war had only been over for a little while at that point so he was ignored.
My uncle was one of the few survivors. He very rarely talked about it and we never asked. He made it to 91 years old.
God bless him. Poor little fellow.
May he rest in peace! Can't imagine what he went through
Glad he survived and I thank him and your family for his service.
May he rest in glory and know peace at last. What a horrific experience.
I can't imagine the PTSD he must have suffered
a point I’m surprised he didn’t include is that the captain of the Japanese submarine that sank the Indianapolis actually testified on the US captain’s behalf, and it was his testimony that cleared him. He was the one that pointed out that using the zig zag maneuver would not have saved the ship from torpedoes. Not zigzagging was what got the captain in trouble and why he was blamed. He opted not to zigzag because there was heavy fog and they needed to get out of it as soon as possible for their own safety. The zig zag maneuver is very time consuming, obviously, and the fog was more of a hazard than going in a straight line. Also, the Japanese had a great history with hitting zigzagging ships, the best course of action, while futile in the end, was to book it out of the fog. In that part of the ocean, spotters could sometimes see enemy subs with bare eyes in clear weather, they had a better likelihood of avoiding the Japanese out of the fog.
The very man that sank the Indianapolis flew to America at the age of 80 something to defend his former enemy. That is how innocent this guy was.
Impressive
Wow. Thank you for sharing!
Mochitsura Hashimoto was the sub commander's name. After Japan's surrender, he came home to the news his entire family was killed by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
@@WiseSnake this goes to show the respect he had for Mcvoy. The uss Indianapolis helped deliver the atomic bombs the US used to Hawaii. And the Commander still defended this man, who directly was involved in the process that killed his family.
I had both family that died in the fire bombings of Japan, were interned, and who served in the US military even before wwii. So this whole topic brings me a lot of inner conflict.
But one thing that I think every American AND every Japanese can agree on is Captain Mcvoy’s innocence, and the brave, compassionate, and fair actions of Commander Hashimoto. And one of the many steps the US and Japan took to create the friendship we now have with each other.
And before anyone jumps on me about how a land invasion would’ve caused more disaster for Japanese, and about how they attacked the US first and the horrific war crimes they committed against other people, I know and acknowledge those facts. But thinking about my ancestors, who merely lived in Japan and had nothing to do with the war, burning to death, including their baby and young children, still hurts and still feels unfair.
@@JumbieLove290 I wouldn’t call it hot headed younger years, but more of the Japanese empire’s control over the people’s actions. Hearing first hand accounts from my relatives they say it was almost like they were being brainwashed to overlook the basic cultural respect they grew up with and feel this strange mandatory national pride and servitude. Honor has always been a big theme in Japan, and that ideal was twisted by the empire to make these normally peaceful commoners want to die for their country. It used to be the honor of a select few to die for their lords, but the emperor made it the responsibility of every man, woman, and child.
Isn't this the ship that Quint talks about in Jaws? It's unimaginable the horror and torment they went through.
Not Quint, his actual Actor XD he was on that ship
Yeah, if i recall that's the reason he hates sharks so much in the film.
@@puzzledotgamer5461 Why would an Englishman be serving on an American ship?
And according to Google, he was in the RAF during WWII.
@@puzzledotgamer5461 The actor Robert Shaw was not on the USS Indianapolis.
@@puzzledotgamer5461 Robert Shaw was NOT on the Indianapolis. His character Quint was.
About 20 years ago I read the book "In harm's way" by Doug Stanton. It's a novel based on interviews with surviving sailors of the USS Indianapolis. I remember it said the ship wasn't expected at its destination port as it was on a secret mission because it had delivered the atomic bomb for Hiroshima which hadn't been dropped yet. The plane dragged a radio antenna on a cable and had a problem with it which the radio operator had to fix. While doing so he looked down to the ocean. The sailors were spotted in the water by pure coincidence. As the navigator didn't have the exact location due to dead reckoning it was difficult for the rescue party to find the men.
This is also the story to knew too.
@@sebastiandinapoli3912 Same here. That they had left Guam for the Philippines was new for me.
Good morning. Thanks for covering this. Amazing how much research you’ve put into your videos. RIP for those who passed
It’s cool to hear you cover this story. It’s very fascinating. Keep up the great work!
My father is a therapist for veterans, and I got to talk to a man who survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. He was on a life raft meant for four people with 7 others. They were able to feel the fins of the sharks brush against their backs at night as they searched for food. 4 of the 8 men on that raft gave up and left the raft, and all of them died. He described checking on sailors in the water around them only to find that their legs and lower torsos had been eaten. It was absolutely horrible, and I can’t imagine what it would actually be like to experience something so horrible. He was rescued eventually, and his eyes were so sun burned he could hardly see, but survived by catching rain water in his shirt and drinking the water from it.
My FIL lied about his age and joined the Navy at 15. He was on the Indianapolis. It took 2 1/2 decades before he talked about it to me or anyone. I will never forget the look in his eyes as he was retelling of a time where he watched his fellow sailors dropping from sight, into the sea, due to exhaustion or being taken away by sharks. He did name one of his sons after a friend who was taken.
Halfway through this video I realized this reminded me of Quint's talk about his past in Jaws and sure enough, that's exactly the ship he was on! Had no idea that was based on a true story!
You are always so respectful and thorough in your videos. *THANK YOU.*
All the Drowned Sailors by Raymond B Lech is a really visceral account of this tragedy. Even more than ten years later, it still haunts me and I can picture parts of the book vividly.
That's an absolutely excellent upload 👍 nice work 👍
For those more interested in this story, I highly recommend the book “In Harms Way” by Doug Stanton for a detailed account of the disaster. It’s about an 8 hour listen on audiobook.
Poor McVey was a great man. The Navy’s scapegoating of him for the disaster is a blot on their history.
This story has consistently been my number one horror story for most of my life. I just can’t get over the fact that these guys were in the water for so long and saw the most horrific shit happening all around them.
My grandpa was on this ship and made it home this is a horrible tragedy he had alot of nightmare RIP TO ALL THE SAILORS WHO LOST THERE LIVES. AND RIP TO THE GREATEST GRANDPA EVER.
A video about the USS Liberty would be very interesting too!
I'm extremely suprised that 300 survived those awful conditions
I could not love the ending of this horrific story more. Talk about some people's kids ❤. Kudos and thanks to that big little person who cared enough to dig in to finding and interviewing survivors and stirring the pot to cause wrongs to be righted. Thank you for bringing us this narration.
WOW, I’m so grateful that child was able to give that captain the justice his country denied him in life after all he had done in service.
“Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”
I used to hunt and fish with one of the survivors. Ralph W. Smith. He never talked about it , but he had nightmares. He was a good friend ,died naturally twenty years ago.
Dude. Great video!
History Hyenas did an episode about this too. If I remember right, they even played a copy of an interview with a survivor. It was absolutely horrific.
No mention of Robert Shaw's testimony in the movie: "Jaws". That's how I first learned of it.
I remember hearing an interview with one of the Indianapolis survivors years ago on the local radio. I had forgotten the ship was called Indianapolis, but once you mentioned the US sailors being stranded at the middle of sea I instantly remembered that radio interview and knew what the story would be.
So glad your back man
I watched a documentary about this and a sailor who went through the ordeal was being interviewed. He talked about how one guy was floating next to him and appeared to be dead. When he tried to shake the guy awake, the guy rolled over in the water and his lower half had been eaten by a shark.
Another thing is that the Indianapolis was such a large ship, the Japanese submarine mistook her for a battleship, mainly the New Mexico - Class Battleship, USS Idaho.
I have read several reports on this disaster. One point not mentioned on this video is that the Indianapolis was one of several ships that had just dropped off the atomic bombs. Their travel route, even after dropping off the bombs was top secret and this also contributed to the delay in rescue operations.
It took part in arranging the slaughtering of millions of innocent civilians? And then ironically was destroyed by the same country that it helped attack? Good riddance.
FYI Ryan, none of the sailors knew how powerful the bombs were. So judging these men the way you did shows your ignorance. Next time, know what you’re talking about before you pass judgment.
Always with details I've not heard yet!
Do the USS Liberty in 1967 next.
Lol I came here to say this but you beat me to it. 😂
Thank you for this video.
Lets not forget it even gets a mention in Jaws since Quin is suppose to be a survivor of the Indianapolis.
Terrific upload! Jan. 26, 2022. St. Joseph, MO, USA
Do the USS Liberty next
God bless young Mr. Scott. 👏👏👏
Every time I hear this ship's name...I can't stop my brain from running that scene from Jaws through my mind. Robert Shaw really brought the horror of that incident to life. I can't even imagine how traumatic it was to be in the water...waiting.
Those who survived the sinking and the long long wait were known and suffered the effects physically and mentally for the remainder of their natural lives. There were far more sailors and service members who, throughout the wars, before and after, regardless of their service to which opposing nations who went into the oceans and later went unreached and perished. Some were left in the water intentionally and others because no one could come to their aid.
A ship stopping to rescue survivors sometimes faced the same fate due to enemy ships or submarines which could target those ships, as well.
Sailors on the Indianapolis who perished in the water after their ship sank had many contemporaries who shared their fate over the years.
This was tragic in every way possible. Rest in peace to everyone on board. Rest in peace, Captain McVeigh. Your name has finally been exonerated. Thank you for being a leader at the time the US needed it most.
I love your voice and the calming muic
I can't even begin to imagine 😢😢😢
I saw a meme once, was a picture of somebody's soul leaving their body, and the caption said: "The patriotism leaving my body after I studied real U.S. History", and I was like: 😬🤷🏻♀️😒 It wasn't wrong.
This comment proves that Irving Kristol was right when he said there were different truths for different people.
I pity anyone whose sense of patriotism is that fragile.
This one is infuriating. So unfair for those men and their captain…
Excellent!
Damn. One of the more horrifying Fascinating Horrors..
Jesus. I got too used to low-stakes Fascinating Horror stories from the last couple of videos, but this is beyond horrible. I didn't know about this until now. R.I.P to the dead.
I know of this story through my many shark attack books and magazines...
Many/most are older than me! 😕
It seems that no matter how well I know the disasters covered, Fascinating Horror always provides some information or point I hadn't heard of before.
Yep, That’s what I love most about this channel is the plethora of info given in just 10 minutes
This channel needs MUCH MORE attention. It covers each topic with the most possible respect and without any glimpse of sensation, information is always very well researched and the events are always covered as complete as possible, all together with a very good narator!
Even this fairly well known event and aftermath. Ever time I hear it seems to become even more horrific.
This was mentioned in the movie "Jaws."
@@spiritmatter1553
_”The thing about a shark, it's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When it comes at you it doesn't seem to be livin'... until he bites you, and those black eyes roll over white…”_
-Quint 🦈
Do the USS Liberty next
The Navy was so hot to find him guilty in the court-martial which took place after the war, that they actually called the commander of the Japanese submarine as a witness to try to pin down whether Indianapolis was zigzagging or not and the degree to which that made it easier for him to sink the ship.
To his credit, the Japanese submarine Captain stated that it would have made no difference whatsoever whether he was zigzagging or not, that he was going to sink that ship.
Yes... the Japanese captain argued on the American Captain's behalf that he had done what was possible . The be USN just wanted someone to blame.
The IJN's captains story in the US is really interesting and it was of great credit to him that he said what he said and not what was hoped that he would say.
Absolutely disgusting that our military treats our people like this. 😒 smh
@@KabbalahSherry You realize it’s been almost 100 years since this happened, right?
@@KabbalahSherry You think this is bad? Try visiting a VA hospital!! My dad was killed by a misdiagnosis followed by administering of the wrong medicine at the one in VT. The combination of the delay in proper treatment of his real condition and the side effects of the incorrect medicine killed him. My dad served his country and what reward did he get? They stole his life from him!! Now that there are no mandatory drafts in place smart people will avoid joining any branch of the military at all costs if they know what is good for them. They use you then kill you in cold blood. You are right, it is disgusting. Soldiers are nothing more than standard issue equipment in the eyes of the governement. They have no value whatsoever after they have outlived their usefullness to the governement. It is deplorable!!
The drunk officer, and the officer who was playing cards are the ones who should have been court-martialed, and severely punished. Rest In Peace, Captain McVay. Your name has been cleared. Thank You for your service.
They had more power, so was able to pin the blame on someone else. Human scum.
I feel bad for that captain. RIP
Yeah, that's so messed up. "I was drunk and he was playing cards so uhh we didn't notice the distress signals. Of course it's the captain's fault"
Completely agree.
Damn right! Blaming McVay was a complete joke. The fact he took his own life decades before he was rightfully exonerated makes it all the more disgusting.
What a horrible ordeal for those men who survived the sinking. Honestly I'm surprised anybody survived so many days in those conditions. As you talked about all those men who got the distress signal, and ignored it, my heart sank lower and lower. I'm so glad somebody finally helped, even if all they could do was drop supplies or get them out of the water until they could be rescued. To use the captain as a scapegoat is absolutely awful. The poor man, to survive that ordeal just to be blamed for it. I was so happy to hear he had been cleared, even if it was after he died.
"Or get them out of the water until they could be rescued... if that's not rescuing what is?
I was talking about the plane that let them get in, or even on the wings. They couldn't take off to get them to land, but they helped them get out of the water.
I can't imagine that I would have persisted for four days with all the privations, and with no sign that it would ever end.
Yeah, but a real shame the capt couldnt be cleared before passing. Im sure that wouldve been a huge weight off his shoulders, maybe even offered a more peaceful demise.. but yes, atleast he was cleared eventually.
@@kathyjones1576 Yes. I believe the point that @kemp10 was trying to make was that just getting them out of the water was a rescue in itself, even if the plane could not take off again. And I would have to agree! That pilot was a hero!!
That said, I really empathized with your post as I was feeling the same sinking emotions as time wore on. You expressed it so well that I won’t repeat it. I, too, was outraged for the Captain. I take solace that the young man kick-started his exoneration and hope that wherever he is, he knows his name has been cleared.
I've always said the Captain was used as a scapegoat to relieve the brass from taking the heat.
The captain of the Japanese Submarine survived the war and even testified that he was so close, the Indianapolis would have been hit regardless is it was zig-zagging or not. This was ignored by the Court Martial.
This case is one of several that highlight the ineptitude of those higher up the chain of command and the ease with which they can blame those below them. McVay was the only Captain in the US Navy to be cour-tmartialled for losing a ship in war time. It was so obviously a white wash. Those responsible deserve to be posthumously stripped of all rank and awards, much like they stripped McVay of his in life.
Agreed, they need to have their names dragged through the mud.
The ineptitude of the higher ups continue to this day. Theres a video of a 4 star general shooting an ar15 recently and it looks like the dude never shot s gun in his life. Smh.
@@explorinjenkins349 But it was fully semi-automatic, lol.
Haven't looked into the entire matter at all but sounds so ridiculous that the captain was found guilty despite even the enemy captain providing evidence that there was no way for him to have been able to do anything...
@@kumaahito3927 It seems to me that a guilty verdict was inevitable as the naval prosecutors were always prone to ignoring evidence just to get a "win." It was the same in the Boer War with the story of Breaker Morant and also with the executions of soldiers for "cowardice" which we now know to be PTSD.... R. I. P. to all those poor souls....
This story of this tragedy was dramatically told in the 1975 movie "Jaws". The shark-hunter character of "Quint", played by Robert Shaw told a brief version of the story as a survivor of the Indianapolis. In "Jaws", Quint's hatred of sharks was made understandable by his character's depiction of the horror of waiting in the water knowing that you may be dragged under at any time. I saw a TV documentary of this disaster with a survivor's testimony. All the survivors were eventually given life preservers similar to the ones used on the Indianapolis. The survivor said that whenever he experienced difficulties in life, he would drag out that life preserver and hold it close. "If I can survive that", he said, "I know I can endure anything."
The movie about the Indianapolis sinking starring Richard Thomas is based on survivor stories and is very good.
That's where the student he was talking about got the idea for the school project that led to the exoneration of the Captain.
Was it?
ruclips.net/video/u9S41Kplsbs/видео.html "I'll never put on a life jacket again.. "
Quint did, indeed, tell the tale and he wasn’t encouraged to give the telling anything for “dramatic effect.” It is one of my favorite scenes in the movie and Robert Shaw owned it. As he shares, I could feel just a touch of his terror (I was also in an accident in the ocean and nearly died. It’s a frightening experience to be in the waves, unable to escape. And I didn’t have sharks coming at me). My heart and prayers go out to all of those lost and of those those survived but were never again “free”. 🙏🏻❤️
They said that when McVeigh killed himself on his desk he still had all the letters from all the families writing him telling him how he cost them their sons and their husbands and their brothers blaming him for their deaths. He kept every letter. He shot himself with his service revolver and his right hand and in his left hand he had his little toy sailor he had had since he was a kid. The Navy should feel ashamed for what they did to Captain McVeigh he lived out the last years of his life in guilt. Every so often have no open a new letter from a new family blaming him for the reason their son wasn't there for Thanksgiving or Christmas but letting him know what a horrible person he was.
Charles Butler McVay III is the man's name. Get it right for crying out loud
@@toomanyaccounts It's voice-to-text buddy give me a break If you have a problem with the spelling take it up with Google. The point is the man live the rest of his life in a dark depression because he was made to feel the guilt for something he had no control over. Not only would anybody who survived something that horrific have survivors remorse but then add in the fact that your own country railroaded you and allowed the entire nation to put the blame on your shoulders. I didn't make none of that up when they found him he had all the letters over all the years on his desk from all the families riding him telling him that they were going to have their son brother husband at Thanksgiving or Christmas that year because of him. That s*** wears on a man. United States Navy should wear that as a black eye for the rest of all eternity. He was a through and through Navy man his entire life he dedicated his life to the Navy and he did everything he could to save those boys when the ship was torpedoed but the whole front of the ship was blown off if you look at the wreck today the bow is completely missing from the super firing turrets forward. Plus it was a hot night so they had all of the hatches open to get some air down to the crew the ship stood no chance. They even had the captain of the Japanese sub come in to say just as much. The real blame goes to the Navy for not immediately realizing the ship was missing and going after the survivors. The 300 that went down with the ship that's just war. Everybody was taken by a shark or died of dehydration or exposure that's on the Navy not on the captain.
@@robertstone9988 give you a clue the cc had the correct spelling.
There’s also a lot of evidence he was severely depressed after his wife passed away of cancer. I mean if he was so sad about it he wouldn’t have waited till 1968 to off himself.
@@rainey1987 you are not seriously criticizing a man for...what, exactly? not killing himself quick enough?
I think it should be pointed out that Admiral Nimitz and Commander Hashimoto(commander of the I-58 which sank the Indianapolis) defended him. It is not only the only time an American commander was court martialed for the loss of his vessel during WW2. It’s also the only time anyone was court martialed over the objections of a superior officer. Never mind the admiral in charge of the entire damn fleet
How in the fuck do they come to the conclusion that Captain McVay should have been court martialed when both the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet and your own fucking enemy tell you that you are WRONG? And not just any enemy, but an enemy that knows more about this incident than anyone else in that room that was not physically on the USS Indianapolis. That is mind numbingly corrupt, and should have seen the very people trying McVay to be court martialed themselves.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the navy (and admiral King in particular) was so determined to pin the blame on McVay III that even Nimitz (yes, that Nimitz) wasn't able to intervene in McVay's favour. According to McVay's father, admiral Charles B McVay II, King had a grudge against him because of an incident when King was still a junior officer under McVay II which landed him a letter of reprimand.
By all accounts, Admiral King seems to have been a piece of work.
@@deanfawcett2085 Drachinifel has several discussions on Admiral King.
I can't understand how McVay's possible failure to sail in a specified pattern somehow made him responsible for the attack, sinking, and then the failure to promptly initiate a rescue. However, when you include this information it makes far more sense.
McVay was so innocent that the actual captain of the Japanese submarine that sank the Indianapolis flew to America to testify on his behalf. Do you know how innocent someone has to be for the enemy forces to go “oh, yeah, we gotta help this guy out, this ain’t right”
@@deanfawcett2085 Apparently, he was responsible for the loss of many American merchant seamen in the North Atlantic convoys because he didn't want to release destroyers for escort duty, an attitude partially arising from his hatred of the British.
One silver lining in all this is Lt Cmdr. Marks.
If I recall correctly, when he arrived at the scene, he was faced with a major issue.
The Sea State was 6 at time, which for those who don't know, that's pretty choppy.
His aircraft, the amazing PBY Catalina, could only land safely in Sea State of 4, but could land in a Sea State of 5, at the risk of damage and it wouldn't be able to take off until the seas calmed.
Yet, he commited to setting it down for those men.
On landing, he tried to put it a trough of a wave, but it abruptly shot up right before touchdown.
The nose slammed into the wave, and bounced off violently.
It forced the nose up nearly 50 degrees.
It then came down hard, severely damaging the frame of the PBY.
He then took on survivors, as meantioned here.
The Aircraft was written off afterwards and scrapped.
Incredible, thanks for the extra info.
Wow. Thank you for the information!
That's very educated and interesting information, congratulations.
Thanks for the intel, Marks really went above and beyond to help those poor guys get out of the water. He deserved a metal for that alone. It shows his courage and integrity to land that plane in those rough, choppy waters. He wasn’t able to take off until the waters calmed but Marks stayed there until the rescue ship arrived. That really shows valor and I salute him for his compassion to help those guys. ❤
Can we all appreciate for just a moment the excellent, ethical reporting job by that school kid? He went out of his way to find primary sources of the incident as much as he was able, and then found multiple sources to back it up, and because of this legwork an innocent man's name was cleared.
hope he got an A cos thats some impressive work tbh
I was also really moved by this. I didn’t do anything even close to this for my SENIOR project. This was a 6th grader. Like damn, kid is gonna go places.
@@AlexWolfLikesPie Well, rather probably DID go places
Oh, that was heartwarming to hear. Those poor men who lost their lives would be so proud of what the young man did. What a very good heart!💓🌺
Sad to think that, today, he’d be:
A) Branded “A Conspiracy Theorist.”
B) Accused of “Spreading Misinformation.”
C) Banned from Social Media for “Violating Community Guidelines.”
Rest in peace, Adolfo "Harpo" Celaya, of Tucson, Arizona. He was the last of the Indianapolis survivors and he passed away just recently, on Thanksgiving Day. Not too long ago, he visited the State Home for Veterans for treatment (a friend of ours was living there at the time) and was treated like a celebrity.
Not true, there are 2 more living survivors
@@caesarspeaks I missed the word "Arizona" in there. The last of the survivors in Arizona.
As a retired Navy veteran, I am ashamed and disappointed to admit that the shame and blame placed on the Capt is unfortunately oftentimes standard operating procedure. Rest peacefully big brothers. Thank you for standing the watch. 🙌🏾 🥺
Godspeed men.
Your work may seem small, but itsone of the two the main reasons we live in the most peacfull and prosperous time in human history.
Saluted.
It really bothers me that, when something happens as a result of failed military tactics, or failed this, or failed that, instead of taking responsibility and saying "We screwed this up" they just blame a scapegoat then act as if they can do no wrong.
This is what corruption looks like...
I’ve never served in the military, but as a civilian it pisses me off that they always punish ‘the little guy’, while the Majors and Generals, who’ve usually done much worse, are incompetent, and have been knee deep in the 🤬, walk away with a promotion half of the time!
@@denysecoop7356 It pisses a lot of us off too. Happens more often than it should.
Capt. Gil Hoover of the U.S.S. Helena had his career stalled for a while (by Admiral Halsey himself) because he didn't stop the four ships under his command to look for survivors from the U.S.S. Juneau...which had just been literally blown to scrap by a Japanese sub that was still lurking. The explosion was so sudden, large, and violent that most witnesses believed there could be no survivors (FREX, one of her main battery turrets was as a recognizable unit bliwn high into the sky). He did send messages but no one came out to search.
He did eventually get back on track, but military scapegoating is too often a real thing.
Note that Captain McVay received letters from the relatives of his deceased men. One of them reads as:
*"Merry Christmas! Our family's holiday would be a lot merrier if you hadn't killed my son"*
Charles B. McVay III was found by his gardener to have committed suicide, with one hand holding a revolver and the other holding a toy sailor.
That's just horrible bruh
Cool story bro
Omg what a horrible person! I hope they suffer, knowing they contributed to his death.
I hope that isn't true. What an awful thing to say and grief is not an excuse. It wasn't even his fault but even if it was that'd still be terrible. Shame on that person. Negligence isn't murder.
Geeze. Those letters.... thats so.e disgusting behavior >
A lot of these stories about negligence and incompetence really get under my skin but this one is special. So many opportunities to save so many lives wasted, for what? "Don't bother me I'm playing cards", "hey where's that ship? Oh well, moving on", "I'm drunk on the job listening for SOS signals"... Absolutely infuriating at every turn.
It’s disgusting!!!
The situation was actually even more tragic than this video explains. They had delivered the atomic bomb not weeks but hours before her sinking. It was a top secret mission. The Indianapolis was denied destroyer escort because according to the records she had never even been to that Port. And no one knew where the ship would be until they made it to Leyte. Hence why one station thought it was a Japanese trick and the Port in Leyte had no was of knowing how far behind schedule the Indy was. Speed was their only chance. They set a world record time in delivering the bomb that holds to this day. And they did not adopt a zig zag because again. Speed was the only defensive option
That makes more sense than "training mission that no one knew about into dangerous waters." Ditto the denied destroyer escort, ditto the scapegoating.
Also... Jaws. "Anyways, we delivered the bomb."
That actually explains a lot, is some really critical information the video somehow missed. Their mission was so secret that those who should have been rescuers didn't know of it's journey, and thus didn't trust it's distress signals or raise alarm over her absence. That shows how this wasn't so much an issue of incompetence or carelessness, but failure of communication and hazards of keeping things too much "need to know." The question of "need to know" is always who needs to know, sometimes people need to know things if something goes wrong that wouldn't have needed to know if things went to plan. Actually I can think of several cases like that, some covered by this channel, where something was kept secret - government or military secret, trade secret, and so on - that would later cause or contribute to disaster in an accident or incident. Even his video a couple weeks ago on the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster is similar - a secret (or at least not publicized) anti-aircraft defense the civilians didn't know about, and thus panicked when they heard it going off thinking they were being bombed.
I was waiting for this piece of information, too.
Correct, and Japanese intel knew the bomb was coming and from where. They only had a few subs left, and it was there for a reason.
A moment of silence for every single military personnel who ever got blamed for things they didn't do, by the very country they fought to protect.
Trust me, you'd never speak again doing that. 🤷🏾♀️🥺🤬
@@mamarha2011 I was just going to say the same thing actually!! Nice to meet you and thank you for your service. My dad was an Army sharpshooter. The VA hospital in VT murdered him by misdiagnosing hiim and giving him the wrong medication. The side effects of the meds and the delay in getting proper treatment led to his death so yeah, nothing is right about how the government treats our troops. It makes me angry and sick that things happened like this then and are still happening now. A moment of silence for every signle wronged soldier and the entire world would grow silent for the rest of eternity. Sick but true. God bless.
Or who spoke out and were punished for it.
@@esteemedmortal5917 Exactly.🙄 Spot on! 💯
@@MelodyMLucianoNorris-qe8lc My condolences for the loss of your father. 🥺
Sounds like a horrific experience. I can’t imagine what they went through.
The profile alone is enough to win my like.
I think you can, 'Dunkleosteus'.
Really? You can't "imagine" what they went through?
Ummm, did you listen to the story on which you JUST commented? It broke down pretty much everything they went through soooo maybe your imagination needs some work lol.
There was a great speech on it in "Jaws." The actor was sadly, a real alcoholic. That wasn't acting.
@@citisoccer Hey that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?
The book In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton is fantastic. I also recommend USS Indianapolis: The Legacy, which is a documentary told entirely by the survivors. The scapegoating of Captain McVey was awful. Even the Japanese sub captain spoke for McVey's defence at the court martial.
What a terrible story of systemic failure and injustice. This kind of buck passing still happens. Kudos indeed to the PBY captain for his actions.
Agreed.
Tools get a measure of respect, but these soldiers are treated below even that.
I remember this kid! That was a 1997 National History Day project! My 7th grade team participated that year too and came very close to winning our state level competition in their division (middle level team documentary) because they were the only team in our state, and possibly nationally, that used both sides of the theme “Triumph and Tragedy in History”.
This kid’s project competed at the national level and I think he won his division (middle level individual project). His method and attention to seeking out primary sources (the survivors) is still taught to kids who participate in History Day even today. He actually testified before Congress. It took a Sense of Congress resolution to clear McVay’s name. It’s horrible, however, that the DoN used Captain McVay as their scapegoat in the first place. At least his son lived long enough to see his father cleared.
Wow that must have been hell and poor captain but f'ing late clearing him 30 plus years after he killed himself he probably blamed himself as the men were his responsibility the court martial was the unnecessary kick in the nuts
Feel horrid for the poor man!
It was such a scapegoating, they even brought in the Japanese commander who fired the torpedos to testify against him. They tried to make him say that the ship wasn’t zig zagging.
And he defended him, saying his submarine was so close it wouldn’t have mattered either way.
When even the enemy is defending you, you probably aren’t to blame.
He also may have had survivors guilt. Especially in a time when it was customary for the captain to go down with the ship.
My great grandfather served on that ship. One month prior to its sinking the navy found out he was underage and sent him home.
Luck, huh?
The captain of the Japanese sub that sank the Indianapolis actually testified in Capt.McVey's defense at his court martial, stating that nothing more could have been done to avoid the torpedoes. But of course you can't exonerate the individual without acknowledging the fault in the system that failed its own sailors.
When you somehow come to the conclusion that the Captain is at fault, despite both the Commander in Chief of the entire Pacific Fleet and Enemy Commander of the enemy subs that attack your ship say otherwise, you know you are fucking wrong. But then again, this is just military tradition. Throwing people under the bus when they were not at fault. Too often shit rolls down hill, and people like Captain McVay have to take the brunt of it. Truly rest in peace to that man.
That student deserves a thousand of thunderous applause.
The fate of the men left stranded and adrift at sea… is literally my greatest fear.
While I know there are quite a few *”worse/more painful”* ways to die-something about the complete isolation and utter helplessness of being stranded like this, has always been pure nightmare fuel for me. Those poor men….🥺💔
Yeah, I don't know what is worse: dying stuck in some dark cave or out in open water as easy pickings for sharks. 😬
@@WouldntULikeToKnow. Nutty Putty or USS Indianapolis, i cant choose
@@nitsu2947 Ugh! Same here. Then there were the guys trapped in their overturned ship at Pearl Harbor. The Marines sent to the pier to keep people away from the wreck had to listen to them shouting and rapping on the hull…for three weeks. 😔
My dad was a naval aviator on the pacific during WWII. Sharks and being taken prisoner by the Japanese were his greatest fears.
Quint - "At least we delivered the bomb" (raises glass)
the Hiroshima bomb
My mother helped take care of one of the survivors of this tragedy. He passed away about a week ago. His name was Granville Crane from Gulfport Mississippi. R.I.P.
Great job done by Hunter Scott. He can be proud of what he did for the rest of his life. Cheers.
Yes, the true exemplar of nobility.
Hierarchies love a scapegoat. And I love this channel! Can't believe how many subscribers you have now, you've earned every one 👌👍
Agreed.
best....channel....ever!!! no demeaning dialog, no jokes, just facts. pure unadulterated history. more please! and more subs for this severely underrated channel!!!
What channels make jokes and use demeaning dialog when covering WWII or incidents like the USS Indianapolis that makes this channel so rare?
@@crashburn3292 I've watched many channels that mine death and killings for humor. or at the very least don't treat such subjects with the honor and decorum they deserve
Yea, of the historical accident channels Fascinating Horror is the most factual and unbiased.
@@lantinkan9013- That's terrible. My grandfather was on the DD-529 USS Bush in Leyte Gulf, that was sunk in 1945. This isn't ancient history. It should never be joked about.
@@crashburn3292 I guess I didn't mean historical accident channels necessarily. I watch a lot of true crime, mystery, dark stuff sometimes. also missing 411 type stuff. many people use humor to make the dark easier to swallow. this channel is all history and I love his honest unbiased take. just his voice seems unbiased. it's great. comment was more about this channel then the others
How could the navy not know they had lost a ship? Surely they would've sent at least a plane to its last known position.
They knew. But the mission to deliver the bomb was so top secret that no one was meant to know where it was in the period between delivering it. Sending a plane would mean explaining why it was out there.
that's indirectly addressed - they didn't use a system of active reporting of ship's positions for a ship as large as the indianapolis so "last known position" would have been the last port it departed from for everyone except those people that received its distress calls. :(
I saw "The Shark is Broken" last week, thoroughly recommended play written by Robert Shaw's (Qunit) son Ian. It covers the troubled production of Jaws and Ian Shaw plays his dad in the production.
I'm a huge fan of Robert Shaw and to hear his son give the Indianapolis speech in person gave me goosebumps. It went beyond imitation, every nuance was perfect.
Anyway, great content as always, just wanted to recommend "The Shark is Broken" to any Jaws fans out there :)
As soon as I saw that Fascinating Horror is focusing on the Indianapolis I thought of Jaws and Shaw's speech. I didn't know about The Shark is Broken, and wish I could see this! Jaws came out the summer I graduated from high school--I loved it then and love it still.
The Indianapolis story wasn't in the book, it was a brilliant addition. Howard Sackler, one of the scriptwriters, believed that Quint's deep hatred of sharks needed to be explained. John Milius expanded upon what Sackler wrote, and Robert Shaw whittled Milius' very long monologue to manageable length. Oh, and Shaw was apparently pretty drunk when he performed it.
I wish the play would come to the states or at least be streamed. I would love to see it.
Quint gives the wrong date for the sinking in the film.
He states 29th June.
This was, in fact, the date on the poster looking for someone to catch 'the shark' in the mayors office scene !
Probably seen by Shaw and recited the wrong date !
@@mbryson2899 Yes, this is addressed in the stage play - Shaw cut down several minutes of the script into what we see on screen. And by all accounts he was plastered when performing it - if you look at Dreyfuss' reaction to the speech you can understand why he's so intrigued by it :)
The first time I ever heard about this was in 1975, when Robert Shaw's character in the movie "Jaws", Quint, told the tale. I found it more horrific than the movie itself.
Thanks for the vid.
I really appreciated some of these comments.
I was an avid surfer here in South Africa when Jaws was released.
I was only eleven then and needles to say I have observed many Great Whites off the False Bay Coast while in the water.
Very scary indeed.
The worst is when a school of Dolphins pop up right next to you and it feels like a lifetime of panic before it suddenly register's as to what they actually are.
Then great joy because the Dolphins ride the waves with you and somehow give you a great sense of peace and security.
Great Video .
Much appreciated.
Thank you.
👋👋👋
You should befriend an orca and keep him around will you surf lol. In the Uk we don't have to worry about great whites or do we? I've heard theres a US investigation team coming to the UK this year to find out if white sharks inhabit uk waters, which is exciting.
How wonderful to have been so close to dolphins! I’ve always dreamed of meeting one! I grew up swimming in southern California’s beaches and I was the same age as you were when Jaws came out. What a classic movie!
Once I got a bit too far out in the ocean on the big island of Hawaii. Dolphins started swimming around me and I just about had a heart attack.
On behalf of the world that had rubbish history teachers, I thank you 🤣
I agree, but of the 3 decent teachers I had in all my school years, 2 taught history and that’s why I ended up loving history. Mr Thompson especially would easily derail what we were supposed to be learning and tell his personal WWII stories. He fought at Anzio.
Although Jaws (with the famous Indinapolis monologue) was about a Great White shark, it was unlikely that the sharks that actually attacked the survivors were Great Whites.
It's more likely to have been either tiger sharks, or oceanic white tips.
Pretty sure the sailors being eaten didn't much care what type of shark it was :/
@@kurorintenshi probably not to be fair
Please, let's not forget that while maybe a few people get bitten by sharks a year, it's nothing compared to the senselsss butchering people have done of THEM.
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Mmmmm Shark fin soup
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Not the time nor place, no one here said f*k sharks. Stfu
One of the worst and most harrowing events of WWII. I was aware that survivors of the sinking endured a prolonged ordeal of waiting for rescue, but I didn't know that so many opportunities to rescue were missed. A great video as always
A friend of mine was aboard when it sank. He had PTSD his entire life afterward and seldom shared his personal story. He was what you'd call a 'tough guy' but became very emotional during those few times of sharing his horrific memories. RIP, Joe.
I know who you're talking about Joe K he used to live in East Hartford I was his neighbor and he told me the whole story about the Indianapolis.
@@Condell1986 Different Joe but I imagine there were several guys named Joe on that ship. My friend was Joe Franken from Lebanon, Iowa. After serving, he went on to be a highly gifted blacksmith. His son who retired from the Navy as an admiral is currently running for state senator. Guaranteed he'll have my vote.
And of course this disaster is brought up in the movie Jaws.
Quint - “Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into her side, Chief. We was comin’ back from the island of Tinian to Leyte. We’d just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in 12 minutes.
Didn’t see the first shark for about a half-hour. Tiger. 13-footer. You know how you know that in the water, Chief? You can tell by lookin’ from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn’t know, was that our bomb mission was so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn’t even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin’ by, so we formed ourselves into tight groups. It was sorta like you see in the calendars, you know the infantry squares in the old calendars like the Battle of Waterloo and the idea was the shark come to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin’ and hollerin’ and sometimes that shark he go away… but sometimes he wouldn’t go away.
Sometimes that shark looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about a shark is he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn’t even seem to be livin’… ’til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all your poundin’ and your hollerin’ those sharks come in and… they rip you to pieces.
You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don’t know how many sharks there were, maybe a thousand. I do know how many men, they averaged six an hour. Thursday mornin’, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Boson’s mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. He bobbed up, down in the water, he was like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he’d been bitten in half below the waist.
At noon on the fifth day, a Lockheed Ventura swung in low and he spotted us, a young pilot, lot younger than Mr. Hooper here, anyway he spotted us and a few hours later a big ol’ fat PBY come down and started to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened. Waitin’ for my turn. I’ll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water. 316 men come out, the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945.
Anyway, we delivered the bomb.”
"Show me the way to go home. I'm tired and I wanna go to bed..."
@@johntaylorson7769 LOL!
Most people I knew growing up in the UK were introduced to the story of the Indianapolis because of the film Jaws and the speech explaining it's downfall, a chilling end to those poor sods on board. I'm the grandnephew of a survivor of the HMS Hood and grew up with the tales of that horrendous sinking so my heart goes out to the crew of the Indianapolis 😢
Given that there were only three survivors of the Hood, that's a bit... unlikely.
One thing I found fascinating is that during the court martial of the captain they actually got the Japanese Submarine commander to speak at the trial. He had survived the war, and there had been a debate about whether zigzagging even worked. Submarine commanders stated it had little to no actual effect on their targeting. And the Japanese commander stated that it would have changed nothing about the outcome. That only smaller ships would have been able to detect him and prevent it.
So yes the captain was a complete scapegoat and even his opponent agreed.
Absolutely love this channel! Do you do requests? Would love to hear about the RMS Empress of Ireland.
One of the worse ways to experience imagine floating on dark waters not knowing something is gonna attack you from below it's a matter of when
Love this channel, would love you to cover the Blackhawk training disaster in high range training area, Townsville Qld, Australia in the 90’s.
Quint's speech from JAWS (1975)
from IMDB:
"Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, Chief. We was comin' back from the island of Tinian to Leyte, just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in twelve minutes. Didn't see the first shark for about a half an hour. Tiger. Thirteen-footer. You know how you know that when you're in the water, Chief? You tell by lookin' from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn't know... was our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent. Heh.
[he pauses and takes a drink]
They didn't even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin'. So we formed ourselves into tight groups. Y'know, it's... kinda like ol' squares in a battle like, uh, you see in a calendar, like the Battle of Waterloo, and the idea was, shark comes to the nearest man and that man, he'd start poundin' and hollerin' and screamin', and sometimes the shark'd go away... sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometimes that shark, he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. Y'know the thing about a shark, he's got... lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be livin'... until he bites ya. And those black eyes roll over white, and then... oh, then you hear that terrible high-pitch screamin', the ocean turns red, and spite of all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they... rip you to pieces.
[he pauses]
Y'know, by the end of that first dawn... lost a hundred men. I dunno how many sharks. Maybe a thousand. I dunno how many men, they averaged six an hour. On Thursday mornin', Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland- baseball player, boatswain's mate. I thought he was asleep, reached over to wake him up... bobbed up and down in the water just like a kinda top. Upended. Well... he'd been bitten in half below the waist. Noon the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us, he swung in low and he saw us. Young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper. Anyway, he saw us and come in low and three hours later, a big fat PBY comes down and start to pick us up. Y'know, that was the time I was most frightened, waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a life jacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water, three hundred sixteen men come out, and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945.
[he pauses, smiles, and raises his glass]
Anyway... we delivered the bomb."
I remember that speech, although I was too young to understand what it was about. Now I know.
I’ve always loved that speech
@@peterwallace4964 if you live near London you might like to check out the play the shark is broken 🚢 🦈
Thanks for this...
A great speech and a great moment in the film
Great uncle was 1 of the few that left life raft never to be seen after.
I believe that this was the case where after the war the captain of the submarine actually testified on behalf of the ships captain and tried to explain that such a large ship alone with no anti-submarine armaments was going to be hit eventually after it was spotted. No amount of fancy sailing can help you against someone with functionally infinite ammo when you cant fight back. But he was Japanese and the war had only been over for a little while at that point so he was ignored.
you know what day it is when that music kicks in!
What a freaking nightmare. Even by WWII standards, it's hard to say too many people had it worse than these guys. Awful.
80 hour ordeal involving 1200 people with a 25%-ish survival rate
yeah sounds fuckin awful but I feel like the death camps were objectively worse
I've heard some nasty stuff about Vietnam...
Except for those arguably, who the deliverance of the Hiroshima bomb was intended
How traumatizing and heartbreaking. Thank you for honoring all those involved and for giving us another succinct history lesson.
Great job, per usual! I'm putting in another request for you to cover the Concord Naval Weapons Station disaster, Port Chicago, 7/17/1944.