1 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday. Today's the anniversary of the USS Indianapolis being 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: struck by a torpedo during World War Two. That happened 3 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: on July, so we're bringing out our episode on the 4 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: Indianapolis is our Saturday Classic today. We originally released this 5 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: on December seventeen as part of our Unearthed series because 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: the wreck of the Indianapolis had just been found. You 7 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: can hear from our discussion of that how the number 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: of Unearthed episodes has increased since then. And just in 9 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: case that name doesn't immediately ring a bell, this is 10 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: the incident that comes up during the movie Jaws, in 11 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: which the ship's survivors wound up waiting for rescue for 12 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 1: days in shark infested waters. So just f y if 13 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: that's a little too heavy for your Saturday. We're not 14 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: gonna begrudge anybody who saves it for later. No, it's 15 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: a it's a wrenching story in a lot of ways, 16 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: but here he goes. Welcome to Stuff you missed in 17 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: History Class, a production of I Heart Radio. Hello, and 18 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson and I'm 19 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: Holly Fry. It is time to kick off Unearthed Season 20 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: on a show a lot of people's favorite season. The 21 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: things people tell us so they're favorites are pretty much 22 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: Halloween and Unearthed. So as is as we do every 23 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: year and now also once in the summer, we're going 24 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 1: to spend a couple of upcoming episodes recapping things that 25 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: were either literally or figuratively unearthed in But as has 26 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: also happened a few times in the past, we've got 27 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: a big one that's related to a historical event that 28 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: we have not covered on the show before. Over the 29 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: last few years, we've gotten requests to talk about the 30 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: USS Indianapolis from Margaret Brandy, Sarah, Shawn, Heidi, and Craig 31 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: among I am sure other people. If you have ever 32 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: seen Jaw, you have heard of this. So this is 33 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,359 Speaker 1: part of our Unearthed series this year because a team 34 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: led by Microsoft co founder Paul Allen actually located the 35 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 1: wreckage of the Indianapolis this year, after which point we 36 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: got so many media emails about it. There were a 37 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: lot people uh huh. So today, the USS Indianapolis is 38 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: most known for its cruise horrifying wait for rescue after 39 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: being torpedoed following a secret mission at the end of 40 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: World War two. But the ship's history goes back much 41 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: farther than that. It started out as a peacetime vessel 42 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: before being active in the Pacific for much of the war, 43 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: participating in multiple combat engagements and earning ten Battle stars 44 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: before its destruction. All the way back in the U. S. 45 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: Department of the Navy decided that it's thirty five cruiser 46 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: would be named the USS Indianapolis. The New York Ship 47 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: Building Company laid its keel and cam in New Jersey 48 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: on March n then construction of the Portland class heavy 49 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: cruiser continued into ninety one. It was launched on November 50 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,239 Speaker 1: seven of that year and then officially commissioned at Philadelphia 51 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 1: Navy Yard on November fifteenth, nineteen thirty two. During its 52 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 1: years of peacetime service, the USS Indianapolis was an important 53 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: ship in the U. S. Naval Fleet. President Franklin D. 54 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: Roosevelt selected it as his Ship of State in nineteen 55 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,959 Speaker 1: thirty three, using it for maritime travel and diplomatic visits 56 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: throughout his time in office, including his nineteen thirty six 57 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: Good Neighbor Cruise to South America. In addition to the President, 58 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: the ship was frequently host to dignitaries, royalty, and other 59 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: high profile visitors, and it became the flagship of the 60 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: Scouting Force. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December seven, 61 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: ninety one, the Indianapolis was at Johnson Atoll also known 62 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: as Kalama Atoll conducting bombarding exercises, so it escaped the 63 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: destruction of so much of the rest of the fleet 64 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: at Pearl Harbor and then joined the unsuccessful effort to 65 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: try to hunt down the Japanese attack force. With the 66 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: US at war, the Indianapolis continued to operate in the Pacific, 67 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: starting in the frigid waters off the coast of Alaska 68 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: as part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign. Apart from returns 69 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 1: to Port for overhauls and refitting, the Indianapolis spent most 70 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,160 Speaker 1: of its time in the North Pacific and saw combat 71 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: several times, including sinking the Japanese transport Okagana Maru on 72 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: February nineteenth nine. After another refitting later in nineteen forty three, 73 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: the Indianapolis was named flagship of the Fifth Fleet and 74 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,840 Speaker 1: moved to Hawaii. The ship again saw reputed combat in 75 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: the Pacific, now in the much warmer waters of the 76 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: South Pacific headed towards Japan. This included being part of 77 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 1: the Battle of the Philippine Sea in nineteen forty four, 78 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,359 Speaker 1: which was nicknamed the Mariannae Turkey Shoot because of the 79 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: number of Japanese planes that were shot down around the 80 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: Marianna's islands during that time. At the beginning of nineteen 81 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: forty five, the Indianapolis became part of the task force 82 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 1: that attacked Japan's outlying islands, participating in numerous assaults from 83 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: January through March, including providing support and cover for strikes 84 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: on Iwajima, qu Shu, Honshu, and Okinawa. On March thirty one, 85 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: ninety five, the Indianapolis was hit by a Kamakazi plane 86 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 1: and heavily damaged. Nine men were killed and about thirty 87 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: injured in the attack, but the ship was able to 88 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: return to Mayor Island Naval Shipyard northeast of San Francisco 89 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: under its own power that arrived at the shipyard in 90 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: late April. While in dry dock at Mayor Island, the 91 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: Indianapolis again, in addition to the repairs, underwent refitting and updates. 92 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,919 Speaker 1: At this point, the United States was nearing completion of 93 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: the Atomic bombs that would be dropped on the Japanese 94 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,719 Speaker 1: cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A crew of scientists and 95 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: researchers were already the on Tinnian Island in the Northern 96 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:06,119 Speaker 1: Mariana Islands doing the final work. There's more on the 97 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: development of the atomic bomb in our past two parter 98 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: on Luis Alvarez, who was on board one of the 99 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:14,359 Speaker 1: aircraft escorting the Anola Gay when the bomb was dropped 100 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: and was at this point on Tinnian Island. There were 101 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: still bomb components on the US mainland that needed to 102 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: be taken to Tinnian Island. This included the firing mechanism 103 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: and nuclear material for the bomb code named Little Boy, 104 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 1: which would be dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima 105 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: on August. This made the Indianapolis is time in dry 106 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:40,359 Speaker 1: docks somewhat conveniently timed. With an accelerated repair schedule, the 107 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,720 Speaker 1: Indianapolis could pick up the components as cargo and deliver 108 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: them to Tinnyan Island without the Navy needing to recall 109 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: another ship from combat to make that trip. The firing 110 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: mechanism was packed in a fifteen foot or four and 111 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 1: a half meter crate, which was bolted to the hangar deck. 112 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,720 Speaker 1: In transit. The uranium two thirty five nuclear material was 113 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: packed into two separate leadline containers weighing hundreds of pounds. 114 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,159 Speaker 1: These were secured to the deck and the Admiral's quarters 115 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: to scientists also came aboard for the mission disguised as 116 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: artillery officers. The Captain Charles B. McVeigh the third knew 117 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: they were on a secret mission that was critical to 118 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: the war effort, but he did not know what was 119 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: actually in those containers. The same was true of the 120 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: ship's crew, and this led to a lot of ridiculous 121 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: rumors about what they were carrying in those large, heavy containers, 122 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 1: with expensive luxuries for General MacArthur, including a crate of 123 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: scented toilet paper. As one of the running themes or theories, 124 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: the Indianapolis stayed close to its maximum speed of thirty 125 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: two knots while on this delivery mission. It actually broke 126 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: a speed record that still stands for a ship of 127 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: its type today. In the process of doing that, they 128 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: arrived at Tennian Island on July, delivered that critical cargo, 129 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: and then headed south to Guam to receive new orders. 130 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: Two days later, the Indianapolis left Guam, headed to the 131 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: Late Gulf to rendezvous with the U. S. S Idaho, 132 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: where the two ships were to undergo gun to repractice. 133 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: And while there were men on board the Indianapolis who 134 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: had been with the ship for most of the war, 135 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: more than a quarter of the crew had turned over 136 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: while in dry dock at Mayor Island. Overwhelmingly, these were 137 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: inexperienced new recruits in their late teens, and because of 138 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: the ship's accelerated repair schedule, their training time in San 139 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:33,440 Speaker 1: Francisco had also been cut short. So Captain McVeigh was 140 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,960 Speaker 1: really focused on getting to Laity quickly and efficiently to 141 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: give his crew as much as much training time as possible. 142 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: After all, they had no idea that they had just 143 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,319 Speaker 1: delivered necessary components for one of the two bombs that 144 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: would be credited with ending the war. Everyone aboard the 145 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: Indianapolis was working under the understanding that they were getting 146 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: ready for a full scale land invasion of Japan. McVeigh 147 00:08:57,800 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 1: wanted them to have enough training to be able to 148 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: succeed at that invasion. There's a lack of consensus about 149 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: whether McVeigh asked for a destroyer escort when he left Guam. 150 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: According to some accounts, he did, but was denied because 151 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: the Navy didn't think there were Japanese threats along that route. 152 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,599 Speaker 1: But according to others, McVeigh himself didn't believe there was 153 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: a threat, so he did not request an escort. But 154 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: either way, the Indianapolis proceeded toward late alone. There was 155 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 1: a Japanese submarine along the route that the Indianapolis was taking, 156 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:31,960 Speaker 1: the I fifty eight, which fired a spread of six 157 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 1: torpedoes at the Indianapolis just after midnight on July. At 158 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:40,680 Speaker 1: least two of them hit. It's commonly reported as too, 159 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: but it is possible that there were other hits, and 160 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: we'll talk more about what happened after the ship was 161 00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: torpedoed after a quick sponsor break, when two torpedoes struck 162 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: the U S S. Indianapolis on July, the result was 163 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: immediate and devastating, and the words of Captain McVeigh quote, 164 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: at approximately five minutes after midnight, I was thrown from 165 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,079 Speaker 1: my emergency cabin bunk on the bridge by a very 166 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: violent explosion, followed shortly thereafter by another explosion. I went 167 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:19,000 Speaker 1: to the bridge and noticed in my emergency cabin and 168 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: chart house that there was quite a bit of accurate 169 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: white smoke. I couldn't see anything for just a few moments. 170 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: The captain thought they might stay afloat from his position 171 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: on the bridge. They had only a slight list, and 172 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: it seemed reasonably similar to what they'd survived with the 173 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:40,120 Speaker 1: kamikaze attack. But the executive officer, Commander Joseph Flynn, surveyed 174 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: the scene and told the captain it was clear the 175 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 1: ship was going down. One of the torpedoes had destroyed 176 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 1: part of the ship's bow, the other had hit near 177 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: a powder magazine and bunkers that held fuel oil. Apart 178 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: from this colossal damage, the ship's power and communication systems 179 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,559 Speaker 1: were down. There was no way to broadcast an announcement 180 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: to abandoned ship or to reach the engine room with 181 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 1: an order to stop the engines, so the captain gave 182 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: the order to pass the word to abandon ship, which 183 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: had to be done from man to man. McVeigh had 184 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 1: also asked the navigator to confirm that a distress signal 185 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: had been sent. Having not heard back from him, the 186 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: captain tried to go to the radio room to double 187 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,920 Speaker 1: check personally, but as he did, the ship suddenly listed 188 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,320 Speaker 1: to ninety degrees and began to sink so rapidly that 189 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 1: there was no possible way to get there. It's still 190 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:37,280 Speaker 1: unclear exactly what happened with that distress signal. Survivors who 191 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: were in the radio room have insisted that according to 192 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: their gauges, a signal did leave the ship, but no 193 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: message was ever received. One hypothesis is that an s 194 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:49,679 Speaker 1: OS did go out, but that the signal was so 195 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: short before communication failed that anyone hearing it concluded that 196 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,679 Speaker 1: it was just some kind of interference or an errant transmission. 197 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: About twelve minutes after being hit, the USS Indianapolis sunk. 198 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: About three hundred men had been killed immediately or otherwise 199 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,080 Speaker 1: went down with the ship, but of the one thousand, 200 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: one nine sailors and marines on board, the vast majority 201 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: between eight and nine hundred were able to evacuate before 202 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,559 Speaker 1: the ship went down. Since the ship was still moving 203 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:21,199 Speaker 1: as it sank and men were still escaping the whole 204 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:25,080 Speaker 1: time it was going down, Survivors were spread over miles 205 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 1: and miles of water. The ship's destruction left a slick 206 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 1: of fuel oil on the water it burned the eyes 207 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: of the men who landed in it or came up 208 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: through it, and it caused vomiting and anyone who swallowed it. 209 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: And because it spread so far across the surface of 210 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 1: the water, it was nearly impossible to get away from 211 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: for anybody who was caught in it. Captain McVeigh and 212 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,319 Speaker 1: a handful of other men were relatively fortunate. They wound 213 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:53,839 Speaker 1: up in the water close to a few life rafts, 214 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: some of them capsized that they were able to use, 215 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:00,199 Speaker 1: but most of the emergency supplies above a board the 216 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: rafts were gone or ruined, so matches and first aid 217 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 1: kits had been packed in paraffin infused cardboard that disintegrated, 218 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: and most of the drinking water was no longer podible 219 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,959 Speaker 1: because the containers were leaky and seawater had gotten in. 220 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: The men did, however, have a few cans of spam, 221 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:22,559 Speaker 1: a couple of signal mirrors, and some signaling flares. Most 222 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: of the other men, though, were in a much worse situation. 223 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: They had virtually no food or water, apart from a 224 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: few supply cans and emergency rations that were either taken 225 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,720 Speaker 1: off the ship or found among the very few life 226 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: rafts that had deployed, they had no way to protect 227 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:40,680 Speaker 1: themselves from the heat or the sun. There was little 228 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: to nothing that could be done to treat injuries that 229 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: were incurred in the blast or the evacuation. Many of 230 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: the men had no life jackets or belts, and even 231 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: for those who did, nearly all of them were kapok 232 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: jackets that were only really designed to work for about 233 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:58,080 Speaker 1: forty eight hours, and after that they became water logged 234 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: and they didn't have enough buoyancy to keep a person's 235 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 1: head above water. The belts were pneumatics, so they didn't 236 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: have that issue, but they had another problem. If they 237 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,840 Speaker 1: slipped too far down on a person's body, they could 238 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,560 Speaker 1: basically force them to flip over with their head under water, 239 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: and it became a constant effort simply to stay afloat. 240 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 1: For the first couple of days, the men tried to 241 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,360 Speaker 1: work together and protect each other as best they could, 242 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: forming groups trying to rescue whether survivors they saw, and 243 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 1: using things like cargo netting and rope to try to 244 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 1: group themselves together. But as time went on, conditions got 245 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: progressively worse. Eight to ten foot swells meant that the 246 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: various groups of survivors couldn't see or reach one another. 247 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: People by themselves often didn't know there was someone else 248 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: not far away in the swells, and it was physically 249 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 1: exhausting to be in all of that. Men who became 250 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: desperate from thirst drink seawater, which made their dehydration rapidly worse. 251 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: Hundreds of men died due to dehydration, salt poisoning, injury, exposure, 252 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 1: and drowning. Dehydrated, exhausted, traumatized men also started experiencing hallucinations, 253 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,200 Speaker 1: swimming away from the group because they believed that they 254 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: saw an island, or attacking their fellows because they thought 255 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:15,840 Speaker 1: they were enemy combatants. And the thing that has become 256 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: most anonymous with the USS Indianapolis sharks. For McVeigh and 257 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: his group in the life raft, these were mainly a nuisance. 258 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: They had an undamaged fishing kit, but a large shark 259 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: kept scaring away any fish that they might catch with it. 260 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: For the men in life jackets who were floating in 261 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 1: the water, the sharks became both a threat and a terror. 262 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: The sharks mainly fed on the dead and dying, but 263 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: they were easily visible through the clear water by day, 264 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: and then they brushed past the submerged parts of men's 265 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: bodies by night. Survivors would go on to describe being 266 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: surrounded by fins in the water, or seeing other men's 267 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 1: life jackets suddenly submerged, with parts of their bodies resurfacing later, 268 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 1: or of hearing sudden, blood curdling screams nearby or in 269 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 1: the distance. Captain Lewis L. Haines, chief medical officer, was 270 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: with one of the larger groups who were floating in 271 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: the water and tried to render aid to the other men, 272 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: even though he had no supplies or medicines to do 273 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: it with. At first, he also collected the dog tags 274 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 1: of all the men who died, but eventually he just 275 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 1: had more of them than he could possibly hold. When 276 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 1: the U S S. Indianapolis didn't arrive at late he 277 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: is scheduled on July one, it wasn't noted as missing, 278 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: its name was removed from the arrivals board, and the 279 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 1: next shift didn't realize that it hadn't actually arrived. Meanwhile, 280 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: the surviving men spent days in the water, at first 281 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: praying and holding onto hope that their s O S 282 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: had been received, and then thinking surely the Navy would 283 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: come looking for them when they didn't show up at 284 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:57,240 Speaker 1: late on time, but since no one realized the Indianapolis 285 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: was missing, no one was searching. The survivors of the 286 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 1: USS Indianapolis were spotted only by coincidence. On August two, ninet, 287 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: well over a hundred hours after the ship had gone down. 288 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: By chance, Lieutenant Wilbert Chuck Gwyn, flying on a routine patrol, 289 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,919 Speaker 1: looked down from his plane and spotted something unusual in 290 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: the water. He flew lower to investigate and saw wreckage 291 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: and survivors scattered along a huge stretch of ocean. Gwyn 292 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 1: radioed back to base and Lieutenant Adrian Marks was dispatched 293 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,159 Speaker 1: aboard a p By flying boat, a seaplane capable of 294 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: landing on water. He wasn't supposed to land the plane 295 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: in the open sea, but when he saw the men 296 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:42,160 Speaker 1: in the water, he did, ultimately pulling fifty six men aboard, 297 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: including loading them onto the wings to get as many 298 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 1: out of the water as possible. Sadly, there were men 299 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: so desperate to get to the plane that they exhausted 300 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 1: themselves on the way and drowned. Marx had also flown 301 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:59,200 Speaker 1: over the U. S. S Cecil Jade Doyle on the 302 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:01,960 Speaker 1: way to where Gwen had reported spotting these survivors, and 303 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: he radioed the destroyer to notify them of what he 304 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:08,199 Speaker 1: was doing. The Doyle came to the survivor's aid, becoming 305 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 1: the first of eleven ships to be part of the 306 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 1: searchain rescue effort. The captain and his group were picked 307 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: up by the USS ringness Because of the swells in 308 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 1: the sea, they had no idea there were any other 309 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 1: survivors until later. They didn't know anything about Gwin spotting 310 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: them or the flying boat rescue. The ships that came 311 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: to the rescue deployed landing craft to pull men out 312 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: of the water. Those who were able also clung to 313 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: rope ladders on the sides of ships and were pulled aboard. Overwhelmingly, 314 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 1: due the combination of hunger, dehydration, and all that time 315 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: in the water, they just could not stand. Those who 316 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: had to be lifted aboard had to be pulled by 317 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:53,159 Speaker 1: their life jackets because their skin and flesh were so damaged. 318 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 1: At that point, the men being rescued had been in 319 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:59,479 Speaker 1: the water for four and a half days. Fuel oil 320 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: had to be carefully removed from their skin and hair, 321 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 1: and for many of them, Their oil soaked and salt 322 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 1: laden clothes had to be cut off of them, and 323 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,440 Speaker 1: the end of the roughly eight hundred fifty men who 324 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: went into the water when the Indianapolis When the Indianapolis sank, 325 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 1: only three hundred seventeen survived. You'll also see this number 326 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 1: as three hundred sixteen, including in official Navy records. This 327 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,200 Speaker 1: is apparently a discrepancy that has gone on for decades. 328 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,920 Speaker 1: The reason is reportedly that radio technicians second class clearance 329 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 1: William Donner was incorrectly reported as deceased, but survived survivors 330 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: were taken to bases in the Philippines before being sent 331 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 1: on to Guam by plane and aboard the hospital ship Tranquility. 332 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 1: More ships returned to the area on August four, but 333 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: no one else was found alive. The few bodies that 334 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,520 Speaker 1: were recovered were buried at sea. We'll talk more about 335 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: the aftermath of this disaster and the discovery of the 336 00:19:56,280 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 1: wreckage this year. After one more quick sponsor break, the 337 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: survivors of the U S s. Indianapolis were allowed to 338 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: write letters home from glam although, as is the usual 339 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: case in wartime correspondence, their letters were censored. They were 340 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,679 Speaker 1: also told to write as though nothing had happened to 341 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:24,920 Speaker 1: the Indianapolis. There was no announcement that the ship had 342 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:28,320 Speaker 1: been destroyed or notification of the families of the deceased 343 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:32,359 Speaker 1: for weeks. On August six, the Anola Gate dropped the 344 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:35,920 Speaker 1: atomic bomb assembled using the components delivered by the U 345 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:40,399 Speaker 1: s s Indianapolis on Hiroshima, Japan. On August nine, the 346 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,120 Speaker 1: US dropped a second bomb on the city of Nagasaki. 347 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:49,000 Speaker 1: Japan announced its unconditional surrender on August fourteen. Only then 348 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: was the destruction of the Indianapolis made public, and families 349 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: were finally notified of their loved ones deaths. By that point, 350 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: an inquiry and to the cause of the disaster was 351 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 1: the greatest loss of life at sea in US naval 352 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:07,120 Speaker 1: history had already begun. Captain Charles Butler McVeigh the third 353 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 1: was court martialed. He was acquitted of a charge of 354 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: failing to issue a timely order to abandon ship, but 355 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: he was found guilty of failing to zigzag. It was 356 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: a standard procedure to steer the ship in an evasive 357 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:23,720 Speaker 1: zigzag course in waters where a submarine attack was likely. 358 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:26,719 Speaker 1: McVeigh had done so during the day, but he had 359 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: stopped at night due to weather conditions because he needed 360 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:33,800 Speaker 1: to conserve fuel to reach late on schedule. While also 361 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 1: zig zagging, he would have needed to travel at a 362 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 1: faster speed that just wasn't fuel efficient. He basically had 363 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: contradictory orders here to simultaneously zigzag and conserve fuel, and 364 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 1: it like it wasn't possible to do both of those 365 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: things at the same time. This court martial was highly publicized, 366 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 1: and it included the testimony of Moti Sara Hashimoto, captain 367 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,400 Speaker 1: of the who said it would not have mattered if 368 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:05,120 Speaker 1: the Indianapolis had zigzagged, he would have hit the ship anyway. 369 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: This court martial was and continues to be highly controversial. Overwhelmingly, 370 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: survivors of the U. S s. Indianapolis have maintained that 371 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 1: McVeigh was a good man and a good captain and 372 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,159 Speaker 1: that he had done nothing wrong, arguing that it was 373 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,159 Speaker 1: within his discretion not to zigzag that night. McVeigh had 374 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 1: also continued to act as captain for the handful of 375 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: men that were with him in the life rafts, bolstering 376 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: their morale, rationing their food, and signaling any planes that 377 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,840 Speaker 1: they saw with mirrors and flares. He also sent letters 378 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,920 Speaker 1: to the families of his eight hundred seventy nine deceased crew. 379 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 1: In September of another circumstances, McVeigh might have faced a 380 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 1: letter of reprimand, and it's still not fully clear why 381 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 1: the Navy instead pursued a widely covered court martial. One 382 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:55,360 Speaker 1: of the hypotheses that it came down to someone's personal 383 00:22:55,440 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: grudge against mcveigh's father, who was also career military for Guardless, 384 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,680 Speaker 1: though even though McVeigh was not punished, the fact that 385 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:06,119 Speaker 1: he was found guilty meant that in the eyes of 386 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 1: many people, especially the family members of men who did 387 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: not survive, it was his fault and he should carry 388 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:16,479 Speaker 1: all of the blame. To be clear, Captain McVeigh was 389 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,840 Speaker 1: ultimately responsible for the safety of this ship. This was 390 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: his job. He knew this and accepted it, and he 391 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 1: didn't try to deflect the blame or pass the buck. 392 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:29,199 Speaker 1: He took full responsibility for the decision not to zigzag. 393 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: But simultaneously, the Navy didn't show that same level of 394 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:37,440 Speaker 1: accountability in return, for many years pinning the entire disaster 395 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,639 Speaker 1: on the failure to zigzag, even though that did not 396 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 1: at all explain the more than four days that survivors 397 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 1: were left waiting in the water. There's also been ongoing 398 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,959 Speaker 1: speculation about whether the Navy did or did not know 399 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:54,479 Speaker 1: that there was likely to be a Japanese sub between 400 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: Quam and Laity, whether they withheld that information from McVeigh 401 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,480 Speaker 1: if they did know, and whether the secrecy of their 402 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 1: mission contributed to the breakdown in communication in reporting the 403 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:10,160 Speaker 1: ship missing. Captain Charles B. McVeigh retired in nineteen forty 404 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,119 Speaker 1: nine and was promoted to rear admiral, although he was 405 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,919 Speaker 1: never given command of another ship. On November six, nineteen 406 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: sixty eight, he took his own life. In October of 407 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:23,800 Speaker 1: two thousand, Congress passed a resolution that McVeigh should be 408 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:27,040 Speaker 1: exonerated for the loss of the Indianapolis, which was signed 409 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: by President Bill Clinton, and two thousand one, a memo 410 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,119 Speaker 1: was placed in his personnel file absolving him of blame. 411 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,399 Speaker 1: This action by Congress took place after years of advocacy 412 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,439 Speaker 1: by survivors of the Indianapolis and their families. Then thirteen 413 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 1: year old Hunter Scott came to the public's attention after 414 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:48,479 Speaker 1: doing a school history project on the Indianapolis, which became 415 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: something of a viral news story. Also involved was Commander 416 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 1: William J. Tody, who commanded a submarine called the USS Indianapolis. 417 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,879 Speaker 1: When the submarine Indianapolis was decom isstioned, Tody invited the 418 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,640 Speaker 1: survivors of the cruiser Indianapolis to attend the ceremony, since 419 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 1: they had not been able to decommission their own ship. 420 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: Tody became an advocate for clearing mcveigh's name. Commander moch 421 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,520 Speaker 1: Sarah Hashimoto also wrote to the head of the Senate 422 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:19,440 Speaker 1: Armed Services Committee during all of this, saying, quote, our 423 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 1: people's have forgiven each other for that terrible war. Perhaps 424 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,359 Speaker 1: it is time your people's forgave captain McVeigh for the 425 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 1: humiliation of his unjust conviction. Although there are still questions 426 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: and criticisms of how the Navy handled the aftermath of 427 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:39,280 Speaker 1: the Indianapolis is Sinking, especially in regard to Captain McVeigh. 428 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:42,800 Speaker 1: After the ship's loss, it did adjust procedures for ship escorts, 429 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 1: life saving equipment, and reporting procedures to try to prevent 430 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 1: something similar from ever happening again, which brings us to 431 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 1: why this is in our Unearthed series. On August it 432 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 1: was announced that a civilian research team had located the 433 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 1: wreck of the U S sus Indianapolis. Although this is 434 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,440 Speaker 1: a civilian project, historians from the Naval History and Heritage 435 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: Command in Washington, d C were involved as well. Leading, 436 00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:10,919 Speaker 1: as we said at the top of the show, was 437 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 1: Paul G. Allen, who co founded Microsoft with Bill Gates 438 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:16,399 Speaker 1: and has put a chunk of his resulting wealth into 439 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: various philanthropic efforts. The discovery was made from Allen's research vessel, 440 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: the RV Petrol. It's a two hundred and fifty foot 441 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:28,639 Speaker 1: that's seventy six vessel capable of diving to a depth 442 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,399 Speaker 1: of six thousand meters. It's a little more than nineteen 443 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,879 Speaker 1: thousand feet and the researchers aboard the Petrol found the 444 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 1: ship in water about five thousand, five hundreds, or eighteen 445 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:44,040 Speaker 1: thousand feet deep. Often the discovery of wreckage like this 446 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: takes some time to authenticate, but in this case, the 447 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 1: wreckage has been protected from sunlight and it's in a 448 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: spot on the seafloor that doesn't have a lot of currents, 449 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,879 Speaker 1: so it is incredibly well preserved. There is very little 450 00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:59,880 Speaker 1: marine growth or corrosion on the surface of the ship. 451 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:03,120 Speaker 1: The number thirty five remember this was the thirty five 452 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:07,360 Speaker 1: cruiser is clearly visible on the whole and supply boxes 453 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 1: are still legible and visibly marked with the USS Indianapolis. 454 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 1: Paul Allen's team wasn't at all the first to look 455 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 1: for the ship. One reason that earlier efforts had failed 456 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 1: was that they were looking in the wrong place. Although 457 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 1: Allied intelligence did recover a transmission from the Japanese submarine 458 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:30,680 Speaker 1: if confirming the kill, that message didn't specify what ship 459 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 1: had been sunk, and the Allies didn't recover information saying 460 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:40,119 Speaker 1: exactly where. Commander Mochusura Hashimoto also destroyed his records before 461 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: surrendering at the end of the war. So initial searches 462 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:47,360 Speaker 1: for the wreckage we're working off the idea of where 463 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 1: the ship would have been along Convoy Root Petty if 464 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:53,919 Speaker 1: it was traveling exactly on that route, which was what 465 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,639 Speaker 1: it was following from Guam to Laity, and also exactly 466 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,080 Speaker 1: on schedule. But as it turns out it was it 467 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: it was slightly off the convoy route and slightly ahead 468 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:06,960 Speaker 1: of schedule. Both of these were well within the captain's discretion, 469 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:09,360 Speaker 1: and as we discussed earlier, he was trying to make 470 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,720 Speaker 1: good time for late for training purposes for his crew. 471 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:17,159 Speaker 1: This new information about the Indianapolis position is a recent 472 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 1: discovery in the Naval History and Heritage Command decided to 473 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 1: review the case of the Indianapolis to see if any 474 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:27,200 Speaker 1: new information came to light and to make sure the 475 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:30,400 Speaker 1: Navy's in the public's understanding of the disaster was accurate. 476 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:35,719 Speaker 1: This review uncovered a Memorial Day blog post John Murdick 477 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 1: did about his father, Francis G. Murdick. John Murdick told 478 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: the story of his father having been stationed on a 479 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:47,160 Speaker 1: tank landing ship or LST that passed by the Indianapolis 480 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 1: before it was sunk, and how thankful he was that 481 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:53,920 Speaker 1: his father's ship hadn't met the same fate. Historians followed 482 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 1: the bread crumb from Francis G. Murdick to the LST 483 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: he was stationed on to the l S. T. S Log, 484 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 1: and although the log did not mention the Indianapolis directly, 485 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 1: it did include a lot of other data about where 486 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:09,320 Speaker 1: it was and what it was doing, along with weather 487 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: and sea conditions, and so they crossed referenced this with 488 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 1: an oral history from Captain Charles B. McVeigh, which was 489 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 1: already on the record in which he mentioned communicating with 490 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 1: an LST in the hours before the torpedo attack. So 491 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: by cross referencing this data and the LST log and 492 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 1: the LST s log with mcveigh's description, historians figured out 493 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: a more precise location for where the ship had probably 494 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:37,160 Speaker 1: gone down. Alan and others then put that information to 495 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 1: use in their searches and the press releases about this discovery. 496 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 1: They actually alluded to a project by National Geographic when 497 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 1: it turned out to be Paul Allen who found it. 498 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: UH twenty two survivors of the Indianapolis were still living 499 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:55,680 Speaker 1: as of August. When that discovery was announced, reactions from 500 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: survivors and their families were really pretty mixed. Captain William J. To, 501 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 1: speaking for the survivors, said, quote to a man, they 502 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 1: have longed for the day when their ship would be found, 503 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: solving their final mystery. But there are family members of 504 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:12,120 Speaker 1: men who died who were also quoted as saying that 505 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: this discovery was quite painful and they had actually hoped 506 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: it would never be found. At this point. The side 507 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,760 Speaker 1: of the wreck is considered to be a military grave site, 508 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:25,320 Speaker 1: so its exact location was reported only to the Navy 509 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: and any exploration and survey of the site has to 510 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: be done without disturbing it. There is a lot of 511 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,720 Speaker 1: footage from the wreckage that you can watch online, including 512 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: a PBS special called USS Indianapolis Live from the Deep, 513 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: and we will link to that in our show notes. 514 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 1: There's also documentary called USS Indianapolis The Legacy that's pretty 515 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:49,640 Speaker 1: much all interviews with survivors and their families and the 516 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 1: family members of the deceased. Uh If you are interested 517 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 1: in this, it is highly worth watching, and I will 518 00:30:55,960 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 1: say parts of it are devastating. UH So watching this 519 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 1: with your handkerchief and just be ready for the emotional 520 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: to bring tissues. I watched it at my desk. Thany 521 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: so much for joining us on this Saturday. Since this 522 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:17,800 Speaker 1: episode is out of the archive, if you heard an 523 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 1: email address or Facebook U r L or something similar 524 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:23,400 Speaker 1: over the course of the show, that could be obsolete now. 525 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:28,080 Speaker 1: Our current email address is History Podcast at I heart 526 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 1: radio dot com. 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