Remembering the Tragedy of the USS Indianapolis

The days that followed the Indianapolis’ sinking were a harrowing ordeal that tested the limits of human survival. 

Commissioned in 1932, the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a formidable vessel. Armed with nine, 8-inch guns, the iconic warship played key roles in early Pacific Theater campaigns of World War II—including the bombardment of Japanese positions during the Aleutian Islands campaign and the Battle of Tarawa.

A Portland-class heavy cruiser, the ship earned an astonishing ten battle stars for its combat prowess. None of these achievements hold up, though, to the tragic story of her end. 

The Calamitous Story of the Indianapolis

Selected for a top-secret mission that would forever seal its fate, the USS Indianapolis transported vital components for one of the two atomic bombs the United States would eventually drop on Japan—a move that ended the war before the need for a massive ground invasion of the Japanese home islands. The Indianapolis carried components for the “Little Boy” atomic bomb to the island of Tinian in the Marianas.

On July 16, 1945, the Indianapolis departed San Francisco with uranium-235 and other bomb parts securely onboard. Traveling at high speed—and without an escort, due to the mission’s urgency and secrecy—the iconic warship arrived at Tinian on July 26, successfully delivering its cargo that would soon be dropped on Hiroshima. After a brief stop at Guam, the ship set course for Leyte in the Philippines, unescorted and without anti-submarine measures, as naval intelligence had deemed the route safe.

But naval intelligence was mistaken. Tragedy struck the US Navy warship after midnight on July 30, when the Japanese submarine, I-58, commanded by Mochitsura Hashimoto, fired six torpedoes—two of which struck the starboard side of the Indianapolis. The explosions crippled the mighty warship, severing communications and flooding engineering spaces. Within 12 minutes, the cruiser rolled over and sank bow-first into the Philippine Sea. 

Of the 1,195 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 perished in the initial sinking, trapped below decks or sucked under by a powerful vortex created from the ship’s sudden dive beneath the waves. The remaining 890 men found themselves adrift in the vast ocean, clinging to debris, life rafts, and each other—with only a partial distress signal sent out due to the ship’s rapid demise. And, with the ship’s presence top secret, the Navy remained none the wiser to the Indianapolis’ fate for several days.

1100 Navy Sailors Went Into the Water—but Only 316 Came Out

What followed for the surviving 890 men was a harrowing four-and-a-half-day ordeal that tested the limits of human survival. The sailors faced relentless exposure to the sun, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and hallucinations. But the most famous aspect—immortalized in the 1975 Steven Spielberg film Jaws—was the shark attacks. Oceanic whitetip and tiger sharks, drawn by the blood and commotion, circled the groups of survivors.

Estimates of the shark-related deaths vary widely, from a few dozen to over 150, though historians emphasize that dehydration and exposure claimed more lives. Survivors recounted terrifying scenes: men being pulled under screaming, fins slicing through the water, and the constant fear that eroded morale. Groups formed for mutual protection—but oil slicks, delirium, and infighting compounded the horror.

On August 2, three days after the sinking—and only four days before the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan—a rescue by a US Navy patrol plane came by accident. The plane happened to be flying overhead when the pilots spotted the oil slick left over from the Indianapolis and the remaining survivors pooled together in the shark-infested waters. But by then, only 316 men remained alive, many emaciated and traumatized. 

How an 11-Year-Old Boy Saved the Captain’s Honor (Posthumously)

Although Captain Charles B McVay III, the commanding officer of the Indianapolis, survived the sinking, he was later court-martialed for hazarding his ship by not zigzagging to avoid the torpedoes. Unable to live with the weight of his shame and the memory of the crew and ship he had lost, McVay shot himself in his home in 1968.

30 years later, McVay’s story received a strange but serendipitous postscript. In 1998, an 11-year-old boy, conducting research for his sixth-grade history fair, decided to interview as many remaining survivors of the Indianapolis as he could find. Because of the exhaustive research by the boy—who would grow up to join the US Navy as an officer himself—Captain McVay was exonerated posthumously. His honor was restored, and the blame for the failure to save the crewmen of the stricken Indianapolis was proven to have been the fault of McVay’s superiors, who were sloppy and indifferent to proper procedures. 

The Japanese Captain Who Sank Indianapolis Fought to Exonerate McVay

Another interesting tidbit from the tragedy of Captain McVay and the fight to exonerate his good name came from the Japanese officer who commanded I-58, the submarine that sank Indianapolis.

Whereas the US Navy maintained that McVay was to blame for the loss of the warship, Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto testified at McVay’s court-martial hearing after the war in defense of McVay. According to the Japanese submarine captain, there was no way that McVay could have known I-58 was present, and McVay’s ship had done everything it could have done to avoid destruction under the circumstances.

Nevertheless, the Navy engaged in a systematic campaign of terror against McVay which contributed to his later suicide. Hashimoto continued fighting for the honor of his vanquished one-time enemy, working alongside the surviving Indianapolis crew to restore McVay’s honor. Ultimately, Hashimoto died of old age in 2000—the same year that McVay’s court-martial was overturned.

Never Forget the Importance of the Indianapolis

While a horrific event, the sinking of the Indianapolis prompted significant naval reforms. These reforms included improved constant tracking of ships and enhanced life-saving equipment. The Indianapolis’ wreck was discovered in 2017 at a depth of 18,000 feet. 

With the recent passing of the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the Indianapolis, Americans should reflect on the gallantry and heroism of the young sailors whose fate was so grisly—but whose connection to the successful defeat of the Empire of Japan cannot be understated. Without the Indianapolis’ successful delivery of the components for the “Little Boy” device that was dropped over Hiroshima, it is likely the weapon would have been unusable—and the war would have dragged on, at a horrific cost.

About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.