Customer Reviews

Ordeal by the Sea : The Tragedy of the U.S.S Indianapolis

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

 

 

Interestingly, this book is not a collaboration between Thomas Helm and Capt. Toti. Mr. Helm released this book to the public in the early 60's. What makes this reissue worth reading and owning (in addition to the inherent worth of the original manuscript it houses) is the forward and afterward by Capt. Toti, written within the last six months (eg., George W. Bush is already President) and specific to the ongoing efforts of many Indianapolis survivors to clear the name of Capt. McVay once and for all in the eyes of American history. If you have never read or studied anything about the ordeal of the Indianapolis (except of course, maybe for Robert Shaw's description in "Jaws") then this is a very readable, very human history written by a one-time Indianapolis crewmember. However, if you have read this or other accounts of the tragedy (or perhaps remember some of the subsequent sensationalized controversy through the years including the court-martial of the Indy's Captain) then you'll enjoy this book all the more owing to the fact that the retiring Captain of the Indy's latest and perhaps last namesake (a decommissioned nuclear submarine) had been approached by the original survivors of the cruiser Indianapolis and asked to help clear the memory of Capt. McVay (who had committed suicide in the late sixties) within their lifetimes. The result is this book. I won't give away "the ending" (ie., paraphrase Capt. Toti's conclusions), but the result is a measured and honest discussion during which Capt. Toti shares his thinking on the subject as well as his feelings in a brutally frank and unhindered manner. This story may well reach out to you from the distance of ocean and time on the basis of its own human interest, but as Capt. Toti very potently identified, the repercussions of the tragedy of the Indianapolis and especially its aftermath have had a direct bearing in our more recent past, specifically the manner in which the Navy chose to handle issues surrounding the recent USS Cole tragedy. I feel that this offering deserves five stars because it's a shade more than a history book even at this early period of its issue. This book is attempting to involve itself in the continuing historical evolution of its subject, and for (in each author's opinions) urgent and timely reasons well-conveyed by both writers, even across the span of the nearly fourty years between them. Intentions and agendas aside, Helm writes simply, clearly, and easily. At 200 or so pages, it's not a hard read; the story flows, the details simple and graphic, and it's easy to follow. You should own it if you're interested in naval history (incl. WWII) or collect survival-at-sea stories (which is really what first attracted me to the book). Alternatively, it's a reasonably casual read if you want a change-of-pace WWII nostalgia book this summer and you've had your fill of Pearl Harbor... (but I'm not so sure I'd read it at the beach though).

I was fascinated and amazed by the story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis when I read Doug Stanton's recently released book on the topic, "In Harm's Way." If you've read Stanton's book, you will find that even though it covers the same topic as this one, the two books are not duplicative. There is little overlap in the survivors interviewed by Thomas Helm for "Ordeal by Sea" and those interviewed by Stanton. Consequently, reading both books gives you a more complete picture of this poignant historical tragedy. The story is an amazing one - 317 men surviving in the open water for 4 days during the closing days of the war in the pacific. It is a tale of unimaginable horrors and incredible bravery. Helm's narrative can be rather choppy, but the variety of first-hand accounts in the book are a valuable contribution to the historical record.

For history and naval enthusiasts, reading doesn't get much better than "Ordeal by Sea." The sinking of the USS Indianapolis was a tragic event, considering that the war was practically days away from its termination. Thomas Helm's description of the ship, its final minutes and the five-day ordeal that sailors endured after the sinking is hauntingly vivid. With the turn of each page, I found myself wanting to know more and more. Helm writes with a superior knowledge of the ship, having served on her before the war. He also provides a fascinating description of survivor accounts. That anyone could survive the sinking, five days under a scorching sun without food and fresh water, and the numerous shark attacks is amazing enough. Helm brings all this up and close to the reader.

Though Helm spends much time describing the ship, its sinking and the story of survival and the rescue, he brushes over the investigation and the court martial of Captain McVay. This area could have used more text. The foreword and afterword by Captain Toti put the book in a modern context by explaining what has become of survivors' efforts to clear McVay's name. All in all, "Ordeal by Sea" is a must read for those interested in history and naval matters.

I've read several books about the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, and I would rate Ordeal By Sea as only average. Mr. Helm does a good job of explaining the sinking itself, and the story of the survivors in the water is well-done, but some aspects are either complelely left out, or they are barely mentioned. These events, such as McVay's request and subsequent denial of a destroyer escort, failure to alert McVay about the recent sinking of an American destroyer along his proposed route, the ignoring by the navy of an intercepted message from the I-58 stating that she had sunk an American battleship, and the huge mess up regarding the departure and arrival of the Indianapolis are barely touched upon. Also, Mr. Helm devotes only a few pages of text to McVay's court martial procedure. While the book does a good job of telling about the sinking, abandoning, and struggle of the survivors, I was disappointed about the omission of the vital events leading up to the sinking. However, the author of the afterword, William J. Toti, does a good job of bringing the reader up to speed on the recent efforts by the survivors to get McVay's name cleared. I would recommend "In Harm's Way" by Doug Stanton over this book.

QUICK REVIEW
A compact yet good account of the sinking of a navy ship and the incredible struggle for survival of the remaining crew, left floating in the Pacific ocean for days.

FULL REVIEW
This is one of many books written about the tragic sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. It is a good version. It is well told and fairly well written. There are parts, however, where you feel the author could have told you more of the story, and other parts where he maybe should have said less. It flows well, though, and fully tells the story while also keeping the reader's attention. This ordeal gives us a great story set in WWII of what it's like to be on a ship that gets hit by multiple torpedoes and then the struggle to get off before it goes down. It shows the many facets of what men will experience and become if left simply floating out in the ocean without food or water for an extended period of time. It is an amazing story that leaves the reader with a true sense of what these men went through, and is well worth reading.

Ordeal by Sea does not feature great writing -- the character portrayals are weak, the suspense is almost non-existent, the narrative rambles. What this book does have in its favor is that it was written twenty years after the sinking of the Indianapolis, while the event was still relatively sharp in the public's mind, and in the survivors' minds as well.

As I've mentioned, the dramatic aspects of this book are weak. These guys were in the Pacific five days with sharks pulling them under the water, and Helms makes it seem almost like a swim meet. Helm was not a great writer, but he does tell this horrifying story reasonably well: the Indianapolis delivers materials for one of the bombs to fall on Japan in the summer of 1945, the ship is sunk by a rogue Japanese sub, the survivors float for five days in shark-infested waters, some injured in the sinking, their bones pushing through flesh, the unfair court-martialing of McVay, the ship's captain. This is one of the best stories of surviving the worst conditions out there.

One caveat: The publisher does not present this as a classic, as an older book brought out again. You find that out in the new introduction. I thought that this was a brand new book when I purchased it. That dings the book's rating.

Truly a remarkable story, however.

A very good account of WWII attack of The U.S.S. Indianapolis and written by a veteran who survived. Describes what happened during the 5 days after abandoning the sinking ship including several shark attacks. Highly recommended to history buffs and those interested in real life dramas.

Helm does a good job discribing the sinking of this heavy cruiser
and the five days the survivors spent in the water facing the
hazards of sharks, sun, no food or water, and the negative effects on the crew. With the new forward and summary by the
skipper of the sub Indianapolis, their research and wording was
quick and to the point. The skipper of the cruiser may have
warranted a court martial, but was it fair--probably not. The court martial was more a bow to public pressure and focused on how the Navy was itself to blame for the sinking since no escort
was sent to protect the ship, and nobody noticed the ship missing
at Leyte. Better to throw someone to the dogs, than let the Navy assume blame for the 800 odd deaths at sea.

if you wanna read a book about the Indiapolis I would recomend this book. It is really good and tell you everything you could need to know. It's awesome! However, if you want to know the back ground about the I-58 or Hashimoto then I would also recomend, Abandon Ship! by Richard F. Newcomb. Enjoy!

Note: just as a sugestion I think that when you underline the important parts of the book you get more out of it.