The link has several photos with additional details in the captions.

https://www.pennlive.com/life/...rvivors-in-1945.html

Incompetence, bureaucratic malaise’ doomed USS Indianapolis survivors in 1945

Posted Jul 30, 11:30 AM
by Deb Kiner | dkiner@pennlive.com

The USS Indianapolis was hit by Japanese torpedoes just after midnight on July 30, 1945, in the Philippine Sea, during World War II.

The U.S. Navy's Portland-class heavy cruiser sank in 12 minutes.

According to ussindianapolis.org, there were 1,196 men on board - 300 went down with the ship while around 900 were stranded with no lifeboats, no food and no water.

By the time the survivors were spotted four days later by accident only 316 men were still alive. Because the ship was on a secret mission it was not reported as overdue when it did not arrive when expected. Three SOS messages had been sent - and received - but never acted upon.

“… a combination of incompetence, bureaucratic malaise and the crushing pace of operations as the Pacific war neared its climax would doom many men: The sun would rise four more times before the Navy realized Indianapolis was missing. Only 316 men would survive,” according to history.com. In addition to the blazing sun, cold nights and lack of water and food, survivors also were faced with shark attacks and hallucinations as a result of drinking sea water.

The Indianapolis was headed to the Philippines for training after making a trip to the U.S. Army Air Force Base at Tinian to deliver parts for the Little Boy nuclear weapon.

According to reports, the ship’s captain Charles McVay III, had concerns about the potential to encounter the enemy.

McVay was told the area was quiet and the Japanese “are on their last legs, and there’s nothing to worry about.”

The USS Indianapolis did not have sonar, so it usually traveled with destroyers. On this trip, however, she had no destroyer escort.

McVay survived and was court-martialed for "failing to zigzag," meaning to steer the ship on a zigzag pattern to avoid torpedoes.

Years later it was determined that McVay was made a scapegoat. He was the only captain of a Navy ship lost in combat in World War II to face a court martial.

Even the commander of the Japanese submarine that attacked the Indianapolis said a zigzag would not have prevented his torpedoes from finding their mark. He said that McVay’s court martial conviction was unjust.

McVay was exonerated in 2001.

McVay was from Ephrata, Lancaster County. He died in November 1968 at the age of 70 in Connecticut. He killed himself.

The story of the Indianapolis has been told in the book by Dan Kurzman, "Fatal Voyage," and in the play, "The Failure to ZigZag" by John B. Ferzacca.

There also have been three movies. "Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the USS Indianapolis" was a 1991 TV movie. "USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage," starring Nicholas Cage came out in 2016 as did "USS Indianapolis: The Legacy" film with survivors telling their stories about what happened.

quote:

Years later it was determined that McVay was made a scapegoat. He was the only captain of a Navy ship lost in combat in World War II to face a court martial.

Just like today, people higher up looking for a scapegoat, just to avoid a little difficulty.

I'm reading "Indianapolis" (Vincent and Vladic) right now. They screwed him to cover for many failures of high ranking friends of the convening authority.

It is sickening.

Old news. Hunter Scott a 12 YO school boy from the panhandle of Florida actually got congress to exonerate Capt. McVay. ''I was trying to do the same thing,'' said Dan Kurzman, who chronicled the disaster in ''Fatal Voyage'' (Atheneum, 1990).