I always wondered if the story of the Indianapolis was how it was presented in the movie "Jaws" in that men were left to drown or be eaten by sharks because the Navy did not want to divulge the mission of the ship prior to the atomic bombing of Japan. I read an old article recently that cast some doubt on that theory. The ship was hit by two or three torpedoes on July 29, 1945 and sunk within 13 minutes and only 318 men survived. A court of inquiry was convened on Aug 13, 1945 and a court-martial of the Captain followed by the end of December. This source says that no distress signal was sent due to destruction of the communications system on board the ship and the rapid sinking thereof. In WWII there were 436 US naval vessels lost to enemy action and a court-martial for the Indianapolis was the only legal action taken. The captain was found to have failed to follow a "zigzag" course which was blamed for the loss. During the trial in December, of Captain McVay, the Japanese commander-a Commander Hashimoto-of the sub that sank the ship was brought to the trail to testify and he noted no criticism of McVay for his actions. Many in this country-including some in Congress-were outraged at this decision to have Hashimoto testify. McVay's career was over but other than that it does not seem much legal action was taken against him. In Dec 1960 the survivors held their first reunion and many greeted McVay warmly. Interestingly or cruelly, the Navy re-used the name "Indianapolis" for a nuclear submarine. (A point here might be that Hollywood does not always-if ever-present the truth when a good story line is possible).
(Source: "The Agony of the Indianapolis" by Kenneth E. Ethridge. American Heritage Magazine Aug/Sept 1982).
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