In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors

by Doug Stanton | History |
ISBN: 1567317979 Global Overview for this book
Registered by quietorchid of Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on 7/14/2013
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3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by quietorchid from Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Sunday, July 14, 2013
We ask a lot of our military men and women; sometimes too much. The very least we owe them is to listen, learn, and understand what actually happened during the midst of war.

This is the story of the ill-fated Indianapolis, which was torpedoed and sunk in the first few minutes of July 30th, 1945, with the survivors being rescued starting at miday, August 2. Only 317 of the more than 1200 officers and crew survived. Their service was ignored in the glow of the end of WWII, and the matter was brushed aside by a hasty court martial of the only naval captain ever charged whose ship was taken down by an act of war.

In essence, by reading about the exoneration of Captain Charles Butler McVay III, which occured decades after his death, we redeem his honorable service, and that of all who served with him during a horrific experience.

Journal Entry 2 by quietorchid at Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Monday, July 22, 2013

Released 10 yrs ago (7/22/2013 UTC) at Saint Paul, Minnesota USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Placed in 6of8's MaryZee's Biography of Things Bookbox. Travel far ....

Journal Entry 3 by winginnaewing at Aurora, Colorado USA on Saturday, July 27, 2013
Made its way to Colorado in MZ's memorial bookbox --

I am a little fascinated by this book, but as I already have a large maybe pile, I think I will pack it back into the box.

Journal Entry 4 by wingGoryDetailswing at Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Friday, January 10, 2014
I'm claiming this from the Biographies of Things bookbox. I've read a little about the sinking, but am looking forward to delving into the story in more detail!

Later: A very moving book, with lots of detail about individual crew members as well as about the mission itself. It opens with a jolt, though; I hadn't known that the captain of the ship committed suicide later in life. I was glad to learn of the support he'd had, even in the immediate aftermath of the sinking - even the commander of the enemy sub that sank the ship testified in his behalf - but it wasn't until long after his death that his name was officially cleared.

The book includes details about life on shipboard during wartime, the hazards of enemy submarine attacks, and the nightmarish sequence of events from the sinking through the excruciating wait for a rescue that was too long in coming. [The famous scene in the film Jaws describes the delayed rescue as intentional, a side effect of the secrecy surrounding the mission; this book doesn't suggest that, but indicates that a number of lapses in procedure, missed messages, and a too-casual attitude towards keeping track of the ship combined to cause the delay.]

The details of the long wait in the water, plagued by injuries, hunger, thirst, and the increasingly-bold sharks are horrifying and heart-breaking, and it amazed me that as many survived as did. The eventual rescue came about almost by accident, and involved a pilot taking a huge risk on his own authority, hazarding an open-sea landing in a seaplane that was only rated for calm water.

I found the account very moving, from the heroism of the crew through the eventual rescue, and on to the attempts to clear the captain's name. Excellent book!

Journal Entry 5 by wingGoryDetailswing at School St. (See Notes For Details) in Hudson, New Hampshire USA on Friday, February 7, 2014

Released 10 yrs ago (2/7/2014 UTC) at School St. (See Notes For Details) in Hudson, New Hampshire USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I left this book on a chair in the Hudson Town Hall at around 2; hope the finder enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the Head Shoulders Knees Toes challenge, for the embedded "arm" in the title. ***

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