Customer Reviews

Fatal Voyage: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Kurzman does an excellent job of conveying both the personal stories of the Indianapolis's crew and explaining the circumstances surrounding her loss. The reader will wonder how such a tragedy could take place and how those responsible could make a scapegoat out of Capt. McVay. This story remains to this day a sensitive one for the US Navy.

The best scene in the movie "Jaws" is when captain Quint, played by Robert Shaw, recounts the horrors of having been a survivor of the USS Indianapolis disaster. In Dan Kurzman, this event is given a storytelling treatment worthy of the man who would soon become shark bait himself. The Indianapolis story is a horror not only because of what the survivors of the sinking endured (dehydration, delirium and, of course, shark attacks), but because of the bureaucratic bungling that caused them to be left in the water for many days beyond when the sinking was first reported. Granted the war was in its last stages and important things were happening (the Indianapolis was returning from having delivered the Atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima) but the neglect the ship's survivors received was inexcusable. Kurzman is an excellent journalist and writer. This book and "Left to Die" his account of the sinking of the USS Juneau, are first rate accounts of nautical disaster.

I've read most if not all of the handful of books available on the USS Indianapolis, and this was the best and most readable factual account of the grim story. After successfully completing its top secret mission to deliver the bomb that ended WWII, the Indianapolis was torpedoed by an enemy sub as it sailed home. Most of her crew died in the water, many eaten by sharks, as horrified survivors watched helplessly. It would be days before the first survivors were rescued. But this is not the end of the story. The captain of the Indianapolis was put on trial where, in an unprecedented move, the Japanese sub commander was brought to the American courtroom to essentially testify against the captain. The two military leaders were brought face to face; the men of the Indianapolis who were also in court had to passively regard the enemy sub commander who had sunk their ship. Although ultimately exonerated, the captain killed himself.

It was very hard to believe the U.S. Navy managed to keep something secret that is still regarded as the worst naval disaster in US history. But I asked a relative who sailed the Atlantic on the same mission as the Indianapolis, delivering weaponry to Allies, if he heard the story, rumors, anything at all about this at the time it happened, and he assured me that no one knew anything about it. Amazing, considering he spent the war on ships sailing similar high risk missions. His ship was part of the great fleet that delivered the guns for the Normandy invasion. He said the battleships escorting them actually outnumbered the fleet: more ships were sent to protect them than ships carrying the weapons. Later in the Pacific, the men of the Indianapolis had no escort or protection at all.

There is a small but beautiful monument in honor of these men in Indianapolis, where survivors still gather once a year. I think one of the reasons this story is little known even today is that it's simply too big and too horrifying for Hollywood to handle. I did see a well done documentary recently, which showed available photography and interviewed survivors, in their 80s by this time. Every one of them still wept at the memory.

The first I had ever heard of the USS Indianapolis was in the movie Jaws. Unfortunately my history classes in school did not cover this subject. Apparently they felt it was not a big enough part of World War II. But this was a tragedy full of mistakes by many. The ship was not noticed missing for days, it was sunk after the end of the war. The sailors faced certain death from dehydration or being eaten alive (sharks) and the Captain was court-martialled for following procedures.

This is an exceptional book that will keep your interest and enlighten you on a subject that many do not know about. I can not compare to other books on the subject as this is the first I have read. But it was well worth my time to read it.

I read this book cover to cover in 2 days and found it very well written. Unlike other books regarding the tragedy surrounding the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the author did not linger too greatly on the court-martial aspect, but rather, went into detail about the crewmembers and their individual experiences which moved me emotionally as I read each of their accounts. The author did a nice job of allowing the entire story to unfold without cramming the pages with technical jargon or statistics which would otherwise impede my reading. Out of all the books I have read on the U.S.S. Indianapolis, this one was the only one to go into detail about the further ordeal of Crewman Adolfo Celaya who survived the sinking, the sharks, and the entirely horrendous and unspeakable ordeal only to be mistreated by his rescuers. At the end of the book, I was left so angry that he had to endure this treatment coupled by the fact that no other book that I had read on this subject mentions him and the treatment he received, except this one. Anyone who has an interest in the tragedy of the U.S.S. Indianapolis should read this book.

QUICK REVIEW
This book gives a good and very thorough telling of the tragic sinking of a Navy ship, during WWII, and the events surrounding it. Worth reading.

FULL REVIEW
Among the many books that cover this incident, this is a very good one. The entire story is laid out nicely, from beginning to end. The author doesn't go into any part of the story extremely deeply, yet covers every aspect nicely. Readers may find themselves thirsting for more information in parts, if there is one particular part of the story they are most interested in. So the details of all that happens is not exhaustive (not as in depth as it possibly could be) but you get the whole story in exchange. Other books on this tragedy tend to dwell heavier on some aspects of the story than others, and therefore sacrifice telling all angles of the story. Readers, however, get the complete picture with this book. What they also get is an accurate, truthful account of the horror these men faced trying to get off a sinking ship, survive for days in the Pacific ocean and the struggle of life after such an terrifying event. The author does not make up dialogue or pretend to get inside the heads of the non-surviving men. He gives us direct quotes and true testimony. What the readers get is a fascinating true-life story of amazing survival under terrible circumstances. There are some slow parts but there is also riveting action and shocking incidents. This is an amazing story worth reading.

Author Dan Kurzman here tells the story of the sinking of the heavy cruiser Indianapolis by a Japanese submarine, only days after it had delivered key components of the atomic bomb to Tinian in the Marianas and only days before the bomb was dropped. Due to various foul-ups in communication and withheld information, the Indianapolis is not only sunk but its drifting survivors languish for days amidst sharks and maddening thirst and exposure before being rescued. What results is the largest loss of life from a single vessel at sea in U.S. navy history.

Captain McVay, the Indianapolis' skipper, is put on trial and set up to be the scapegoat. Since the war is now over, we are made to witness the unprecedented spectacle of the skipper of the Japanese submarine that sank the Indianapolis, Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto, being presented as a witness at McVay's trial.

Kurzman follows the aftermath of the sinking and trial in the course of McVay's life after the war. The story gives some good insight into how the military covers its tracks in these types of embarrassing situations.

This book is my first real experience with the USS Indianapolis. Kurzman has written an excellent narrative of the incredible ordeal suffered by the American heroes aboard the ill fated heavy cruiser. The book seems to be well researched with plenty of first hand sources, and I have yet to find any conflicting information on the web, or elsewhere. I highly recommend the book to those with an interest in World War II, Naval History, or incredible survival. I should note that Kurzman seems dismissive of the religious beliefs of the crew, which is a regrettable flaw in an otherwise excellent book.

I have read four books on the Indianapolis tragedy, and this is the best, by far. Mr. Kurzman adds a nice touch by including the complete ship's roster, not just a listing of survivors. Thank you Daniel Kurzman.

An engaging retelling of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis at the end of WWII. Not exactly a page turner because of the plodding style, but it will keep your attention. Can be a little difficult to follow; I wish the author had provided some schematic drawings of the ship's layout, a map of the general area involved, and a table of the various naval hierachies involved. Some more sophisticated background on the physiology of thirst and exposure at sea would have added to the text. Nevertheless the description of men diving down to their sunken ship in the crazed hope of finding fresh water from its spigots is haunting.