USS - Shark Attacks

THIS STORY IS TOLD BY SURVIVORS OF SHARK ATTACKS AFTER THEIR SHIP SANK FROM A STRIKE DURING WWII. PORTIONS OF THE VIDEO ARE DISTURBING AND SHOULD BE PRE- SCREENED BEFORE VIEWING BY CHILDREN. It was shortly after midnight—on the 30th of July, 1945—when disaster struck. After delivering -bomb components to Island, the USS Indianapolis and her crew of 1,195 sailors were sailing west, toward Leyte (in the ).

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the ship. She'd been struck by a torpedo from Japanese submarine I-58. The Indianapolis capsized and sank in twelve minutes. Spending days in the water, without life rafts, the men were terrorized by sharks. With no rescue in sight, two- thirds of the original survivors died from various causes. This clip - from a documentary entitled "Ocean of Fear" which relies on survivor stories and official interviews to recreate what happened after Indianapolis sank - allows us to hear from some of the crew. The U.S. Navy provides a brief factual narrative regarding the ship and her sinking: The USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 15 November 1932. The ship served with honor from through the last campaign of World War II, sinking in action two weeks before the end of the war. On 30 July 1945, while sailing from to Leyte, Indianapolis was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-58 [in the ]. The ship capsized and sank in twelve minutes. Survivors were spotted by a patrol aircraft on 2 August. All air and surface units capable of rescue operations were dispatched to the scene at once, and the surrounding waters were thoroughly searched for survivors. Upon completion of the day and night search on 8 August, 316 men were rescued out of the crew of 1,199. Survivors tell us that approximately 900 men survived the ship's explosion and sinking. Those who died, thereafter, were overcome by exhaustion, exposure, injuries sustained in the explosion, lack of safe drinking water (instead of salt water) and shark attacks. NOTE: There is a very significant postcript to this story. For many decades, the surviving Indianapolis crewmen tried to get the U.S. Navy to exonerate their skipper, Captain Charles Butler McVay, III who was: Not warned about lurking enemy subs;

Was misled into thinking his route was safe;

Was court martialed on two charges of improper conduct;

Heard the favorable testimony of the Japanese commander who sank the Indy;

Was found guilty of one charge of negligence (despite all evidence to the contrary); and

Committed suicide in 1968.

Despite the crew's efforts, nothing happened to exonerate the Captain ... until ... a 12-year-old school boy, working on a middle-school history project, decided to do something about it (in 1998). The US Congress finally cleared McVay's name in 2000 (as a direct result of Hunter Scott's efforts). The Japanese commander - who'd testified in McVay's court martial that he could have sunk the Indy no matter what its skipper tried to do - sent a letter to Congress reiterating his earlier testimony. Among his words were these: I do not understand why Captain McVay was court-martialed. I do not understand why he was convicted on the charge of hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag because I would have been able to launch a successful torpedo attack against his ship whether it had been zigzagging or not. This U.S. Navy photo depicts the Captain during his post-sinking ordeal.

The true story of the Indianapolis inspired the fictional story Jaws. Credits:

Clip from "Ocean of Fear" - a 2007 documentary narrated by Richard Dreyfuss - about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Copyright, Discovery Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Clip provided here as fair use for educational purposes and to acquaint new viewers with the program.

See Alignments to State and Common Core standards for this story online at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/AcademicAlignment/USS-Indianapolis-Shark-Attacks See Learning Tasks for this story online at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/AcademicActivities/USS-Indianapolis-Shark-Attacks

Media Stream USS Indianapolis This image depicts the USS Indianapolis (CA 35) not-long before she and her crew delivered the Hiroshima bomb components to Tinian Island.

The photo was taken on July 12, 1945, at the Mare Island Navy Yard after the ship's final overhaul.

Curators at the U.S. National Archives—where this photograph is maintained—tell us that circles marked on the picture indicate the ship’s most-recent alterations.

The Archives also tell us: Note stripped Cleveland class light in the right background, with YC 283 alongside. The picture is from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives—image 19-N-86915. It was originally marked as “not to be released for publication.”

Click on the picture for a better view. Image online via the U.S. National Archives. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/USS-Indianapolis I-58 Submarine Torpedoed USS Indianapolis A Japanese submarine, known as I-58, attacked the USS Indianapolis with a torpedo, sinking the U.S. ship in about twelve minutes.

What do we know about the I-58 ? The Naval Historical Center, part of the Department of the Navy, provides some helpful information: I-58, a 2140-ton “B(3) Type” submarine, was built at Yokosuka, Japan. Completed in September 1944, she was modified in 1945 to carry the “Kaiten” manned torpedo. On 30 July 1945, while operating between the Marianas and the Philippines, she encountered the U.S. Indianapolis and sank her with conventional torpedoes.

I-58 was surrendered at the end of World War II, and was scuttled off Goto, Japan, on 1 April 1946. This image depicts the ship as she is prepared for scuttling, off Sasebo, Japan, during an Operation known as “Road's End.”

Click on the picture, which was taken on 1 April 1946, for a better view. Image online via the Naval Historical Center, Photo #: 80-G-260244. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/I-58-Submarine-Torpedoed-USS-Indianapolis USS Indianapolis Survivors at Guam After delivering the Hiroshima bomb-components to Tinian Island, the USS Indianpolis (CA 35) was bound for the Philippines, after a stop at Guam.

As she was making way for the Philippines, on 30 July 1945, the ship was torpedoed. The fatal blow was struck by a Japanese submarine, known as I-58.

The Indianapolis sank in about twelve minutes.

This image depicts some of the Indianapolis’ survivors on Guam during August of 1945. Image online via the Naval Historical Center, Photo # 80-G-490322. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/USS-Indianapolis-Survivors-at-Guam Captain C.B. McVay of the USS Indianapolis Captain Charles B. McVay III was the skipper of the USS Indianapolis (CA 35) when she was fatally struck by a torpedo (fired from the Japanese submarine I-58) on the 30th of July, 1945.

Unlike so many of his men, Captain McVay survived the sinking. He endured much, in the sinking’s aftermath, and his name was not cleared until decades later.

In this image, from the Naval Historical Center, we see Captain McVay talking with war correspondents: Indianapolis’ last Commanding Officer, Captain Charles B. McVay, III, tells War Correspondents about the sinking of his ship.

Photographed on Guam in August 1945, following the rescue of her survivors. Click on the image for a better view. Image online via the Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo #: 80-G-490321. View this asset at: http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Captain-C.B.-McVay-of-the-USS-Indianapolis