Fatal Voyage: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis

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.

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.

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 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.

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.