On March 31, 1930, a brand new PORTLAND heavy cruiser laid its first keel at the New York Shipyard in Camden, New Jersey. The patron of the ship was the late Senator Thomas. The daughter of Thomas Taggart-Miss Lucy Taggart, was launched on November 7th of the following year with the ship number CA-35. Because the patron had served as the mayor of Indianapolis, the ship was named USS Indianapolis (USS Indianapolis). In accordance with naval tradition, the crew affectionately referred to this 9,000-ton heavy cruiser as "Indy." "Indy" has a standard displacement of 9950 tons, a length of 610 feet, a width of 24 feet, and a height of 66 feet. It is equipped with 9 8-inch main guns, 8 5-inch secondary guns, and 4 sets of 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns. The "Indy" waterline is equipped with a 5-inch thick armor belt, the turret and deck armor is 2.5 inches thick, the command tower armor is 1.25 inches thick, the main engine power is 107,000 horsepower, and the 4-axis propulsion. It has a top speed of 32.7 knots and a crew of 621. On November 15, 1932, the Indianapolis joined active service at the Philadelphia Naval Base. The first captain was John M. Smeallie. The life of "Indy" is destined to be an extraordinary life.
On February 23, 1932, the Indianapolis ended its trials in the Atlantic Ocean and Guantanamo Bay, and then began training in the Canal Zone and the Pacific Ocean west of Chile. After recuperating at the Philadelphia Naval Base, "Indy" set off for Maine. On July 1, 1933, a VIP boarded the "Indy" on Campobello Island: President Roosevelt will board the "Indy". Indy". Two days later, the "Indy" carrying the president arrived in Annapolis, where another 6 government officials boarded the ship. On July 4, after President Roosevelt left the ship, the Indianapolis set off to return to the Philadelphia Naval Base.
On September 6, the "Indy" mast raised the flag of Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson (Claude A. Swanson)-he will take a ship to the Pacific to inspect the Canal District, Hawaii and St. Peder The United States fleet in San Pedro-San Diego. On October 27, Swanson disembarked in San Diego, and then "Indy" became the flagship of the reconnaissance squadron on November 1, 1933. Since then, "Indy" participated in the US Navy's exercises on the west coast. After the exercise, "Indy" left Long Beach (Long Beach) for New York on April 9, 1934. After arriving in New York on May 29, "Indy" "Again, the president and his entourage will participate in the ship review ceremony. On November 9, "Indy" arrived in Long Beach to conduct tactical exercises with the reconnaissance fleet.
In the rest of the peace period, "Indy" has been the flagship of the reconnaissance squadron. On November 18, 1935, glory once again came to "Indy": President Roosevelt boarded a ship in Charleston (Charleston, SC) and traveled to South America on the ship. “Indy” escorted President Roosevelt all the way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, and returned to Charleston on December 15 , Where the president and his party left the ship.
In the first
few years after the Indy war, as the international situation intensified, the United States began to prepare for a possible war, and the "Indy" also carried out intense training. Warships and crews have become efficient combat weapons and are ready at any time. Meet the incoming enemy.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. At this time, "Indy" was conducting a simulated bombardment exercise on Johnston Island. After the attack, the ship immediately joined the 12th Squadron and began searching for the Japanese aircraft carrier— —Because according to the report, the Japanese aircraft carrier is still in the nearby waters. On December 13, "Indy" arrived at Pearl Harbor to join the 11th Squadron and began to fight.
"Indy" first entered the war in the sea 350 miles south of Rabaul in the New British Isles in the South Pacific, where the Japanese navy controlled area. In the evening on February 20, 1942, the "Indy" was attacked by two waves of 18 twin-engined Japanese bombers. A total of 16 Japanese planes were shot down by fighter jets taking off from the USS Dun. The entire fleet was unharmed, and two Japanese seaplanes that had fallen behind were shot down.
On March 10, the 11th Squadron, reinforced by the aircraft carrier "Yorktown", attacked the Japanese ports of Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea, where Japanese amphibious combat troops were repairing. The US carrier-based aircraft entered from the south to launch an assault, crossing the high Owen Stanley (Owen Stanley) mountain and launching a dive attack on Japanese ships in the harbor. The attack severely damaged the Japanese battleship, the transport ship, and the US pilots also shot down many Japanese fighters that took off and faced off, and suffered only minor losses.
After the battle, "Indy" returned to the United States for rest and recuperation, and was refitted at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Since then, the revitalized "Indy" has performed an escort mission for the transport fleet to Australia. Since then, the battlefield situation deteriorated due to the Japanese landing on the Aleutian Islands, and the "Indy" was ordered to rush to the North Pacific. This is a completely unfamiliar environment for the "Indy": near these uninhabited island chains, the climate is cold and often There is heavy fog, constant rain and snow, and there are often strong winds and huge waves.
On August 7, the "Indy" fleet finally discovered the permanent fortifications of the Japanese army on the island of Kiska hidden behind it in the dense fog, as well as Japanese ships near the intricate coast. Together with other US warships, "Indy" fired at these targets with its 8-inch caliber main gun. Although the thick fog prevented the fleet from observing the effects of the bombardment, according to reports sent by the reconnaissance aircraft sent by the cruiser, some Japanese ships in the harbor were sunk, and shore facilities were also hit and set on fire. The Japanese were completely confused by this sudden artillery fire. It was not until 15 minutes later that the shore defense artillery fired back, but they fired toward the sky-they thought they had been attacked by the US air force. After the Japanese army exposed the firepower facilities, the US fleet once again used accurate artillery fire to "call them" one by one.
Japanese submarines also came to help, but the US destroyers did not miss the opportunity to launch a deep bomb attack on it, forcing it to flee hastily. Japanese seaplanes also tried to bomb the US fleet, but were repelled by artillery fire. Although the exact outcome of the battle is unknown, it is believed that the shelling was a success. This operation showed that the U.S. military needed to establish bases near the islands occupied by the Japanese. Later that month, the U.S. forces captured Adak Island (Adak), providing a stable base for surface ships and aircraft. In January 1943, "Indy" participated in supporting the US military's occupation of Amchitka Island (Amchitka). The capture of the island enabled the US Army to obtain another base on the Aleutian Islands.
Good Helper Indi
On the night of February 19th, "Indi" and two destroyers patrolled the southwestern waters of Attu Island (Attu), the purpose of which was to block Japanese transport ships carrying reinforcements and supplies to Giska Island and Attu Island. During the patrol, “Indy” ran into the Japanese transport ship “Akagane Maru”. At that time, the Japanese ship tried to send a false response signal to escape, but was detected by “Indy” and launched a decisive shelling. "Eihui Maru" was hit by an 8-inch shell, and there was an earth-shattering explosion. All crew members on the ship had no survivors. It is speculated that the ship might be full of ammunition.
Throughout the spring and summer of 1943, "Indy" served as escort for the American transport fleet and covered amphibious offensive forces in the vicinity of the Aleutian Islands. In May, the navy captured Attu Island, which was the first important area captured by the U.S. military from the Japanese. Since then, the U.S. forces began to concentrate their forces on the attack on Giska Island, which was the last fortress of the Japanese Army in the Aleutian Islands. Regrettably, before the successful landing of the U.S. forces on August 15, the Japanese had already evacuated all the defenders under the cover of thick fog.
After taking a break at Mel Island, Indy went to Hawaii, where it was selected as the flagship of the 5th Fleet under the command of Lieutenant Admiral Spruance. On November 10th, "Indy" followed the Southern Assault Fleet from Pearl Harbor to execute the "Operation Current" attack on the Gilbert Islands. On November 19th, "Indy" as a member of the cruiser squadron launched an artillery bombardment on Tarawa, and then shelled Makin Island the next day. After that, the ship returned to Tarawa as a fire support ship to provide cover for the landing forces. During the battle, the ship’s air defense firepower shot down an enemy aircraft. During the bloody and brutal battle between the landing forces and the fanatical Japanese defenders, " Indy’s naval guns effectively suppressed the strong firepower on the island.
After successfully occupying the Gilbert Islands, the U.S. forces immediately began to capture the Marshall Islands. In the battle, "Indy" remained as the flagship of the 5th Fleet. It merged with the fleet at Tarawa, the day before the operation in 1944. On January 31, as the main force of the cruiser squadron, it shelled the Kwajalein Atoll (Kwajalein Atoll) islands. The bombardment continued until D-Day. "Indy" destroyed the enemy's two shore artillery positions. The next day, "Indy" used naval guns to destroy a bunker and other shore facilities, and used extended barrage to provide advancing troops. A strong support. On February 4, "Indy" entered Kwajalein Atoll for close-in shooting until the Japanese resistance was completely eliminated.
In March and April 1944, the "Indy" as the flagship of the 5th Fleet attacked the Western Carolines (Western Carolines). On March 30-31, carrier-based aircraft carried out air strikes on Palau Island. Their main target was Japanese ships. In the air strike, the US forces sank 5 Japanese destroyers, 17 transport ships, and 5 oil tankers, and damaged 17 other ships. In addition, the US military bombed Japanese airfields and planted mines in nearby waters to prevent enemy ships from maneuvering. On March 31, the US forces attacked Yap and Ulithi, and on April 1, they attacked Woleai. During these three days, the Japanese plane also launched an offensive against the US fleet, but was successfully driven out by naval guns and failed to cause damage to the US ship. In the battle, "Indy" shot down its second enemy aircraft-a torpedo bomber. The Japanese army lost a total of 160 aircraft, of which 46 were destroyed on the ground. The US attack successfully prevented the Japanese troops in the Caroline Islands from intervening in the attempt of the US troops to land in the New Guinea Islands.
In June, the 5th Fleet intensively launched an attack on the Marianas. On June 11, U.S. carrier-based aircraft began airstrikes on Saipan, and the fleet subsequently bombarded targets on the island. From June 13, "Indy" played a major role in the shelling. On June 15th, D-Day, Admiral Spruance received a report that a large Japanese fleet consisting of battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers was advancing southward to rescue the Japanese garrison of Mariana. In view of the need to protect the amphibious operations in Saipan at all costs, Spruance was unable to move his fleet to a further place, so he sent a fast aircraft carrier formation to deal with the Japanese fleet and let another aircraft carrier formation Attack the Japanese airfields on Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima-the Japanese army may use these airfields to launch dangerous offensives against the U.S. military.
Philippines·Tokyo·Iwo Jima·Okinawa
On June 19, during the battle in the Philippine Sea, the U.S. task force and the Japanese army encountered heavy blows by the U.S. carrier-based aircraft and escort fleet guns. Those who attempted to use Guam (Guam) ) And the airfield on Tinian Island to replenish fuel and ammunition against Japanese carrier-based aircraft that attacked U.S. coastal ships and suffered heavy losses. On that day, the US military shot down 402 Sunplanes and lost only 17 of them. The glorious victory of this day is known as the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" in the history of the U.S. Navy. With the basic collapse of the Japanese air resistance operations, the US carrier-based aircraft attacked and sank 2 Japanese aircraft carriers, 2 destroyers, and 1 oil tanker, and severely damaged other Japanese ships. On June 23, "Indies" returned to Saipan to continue to provide fire support to the US forces on the island. Six days later, the ship was transferred to Tinian Island to attack Japanese coastal defense facilities. At the same time, the U.S. forces captured Guam, and "Indy" became the first U.S. warship to enter the port of Apra since the base fell at the beginning of the war. After that, "Indy" continued to fight in Mariana for several weeks, and then transferred to the West Carolina to prepare to support the planned landing operations of the US military. From September 12th to 29th, "Indy" shelled Peleliu Island in Palau, which strongly supported the landing operation. After that, the ship went to Manus in the Admiralty Islands and returned to the Meir Island Naval Shipyard 10 days later.
After repairs, "Indy" went on the journey again, and joined Lieutenant General Marc A. Mitscher's fast aircraft carrier formation on February 14, 1945. Two days later, the formation proceeded to Tokyo, Japan after Doolittle. The first air strike. The U.S. military plans to land on Iwo Jima on February 19. "Indy" accompanied the formation to prepare firepower for airport facilities and fortifications on the island. Taking advantage of the cover of bad weather, the fleet launched a surprise attack on the Japanese defenders, and the shelling lasted two full days. From February 16 to 17, the US Navy lost 49 carrier-based aircraft, but destroyed a total of 499 Japanese aircraft on the ground and in the air. In addition, Mitchell's fleet also sank a Japanese aircraft carrier, 9 coastal defense ships, 2 escort destroyers and a transport ship. The US military also destroyed the Japanese hangars, warehouses, barracks, factories and other industrial facilities on the island. In the entire operation, "Indy" took on important support tasks.
After the attack was over, the fleet immediately rushed to Bonings to support the American landing operation on Iwo Jima. "Indy" stayed there until March 1, where it was responsible for protecting the fleet and bombarding beach targets with naval guns. On February 25, when the Mitchell fleet began air raids on Tokyo and Hachijo Island (Hachijo) south of the coast of Honshu, "Indi" returned to the fleet. Despite the extreme weather, the US military destroyed 158 Japanese planes and sunk 5 small ships. In addition, they also destroyed many shore fortifications and some freight trains.
The "Indy"
American troops bombarded by Japanese artillery during the Saipan Campaign were determined to establish an outpost near the mainland of Japan. Okinawa in the Ryukyus Islands is an ideal choice. In order to occupy the island with the least cost, the U.S. military decided to attack the airport in southern Japan so that the Japanese could not carry out effective air resistance against the U.S. offensive forces. On March 14, 1945, "Indy" left Ulisi Atoll with the fast carrier formation to the coast of Japan. On the 18th, at a distance of 100 miles southeast of Kyushu, the aircraft carrier released carrier-based aircraft to carry out air strikes on the island’s airport and the Japanese fleet in Kobe and Kure in southern Honshu. On March 21, after determining the location of the US fleet, Japan dispatched 48 aircraft to launch an attack on the US fleet. The US military took off 24 carrier-based aircraft to intercept enemy aircraft 60 miles away. As a result, all these Japanese aircraft were in the sea. Found his final destination in the game.
On March 24, the US military began preparing firepower before landing on Okinawa. For 7 consecutive days, "Indy" kept dumping 8-inch shells into the shore defense fortifications. At the same time, the stubbornly resisting Japanese aircraft also repeatedly attacked the U.S. ships, and "Indy" shot down 6 enemy aircraft and also cooperated with friendly ships to shoot down two other aircraft. On the morning of March 31, the day before landing, the "Indy" anti-aircraft sentry spotted a single-engine Japanese fighter jet that was using the sun's glow to roar and dive into the bridge. The ship’s 20mm anti-aircraft artillery fired immediately. After 15 seconds, the enemy aircraft moved to the top of the warship. The tracer shells fired by the ship’s artillery continuously hit the enemy aircraft, forcing it to leave the course. However, the pilot dropped the bomb at a height of 25 feet, and then The plane hit the left rear part of the main deck. The plane overturned and fell into the sea without causing serious damage to the warship, but the bomb penetrated the deck armor, crew canteen, rest compartment and oil tank, and finally exploded through the bottom of the ship. The violent explosion tore two cracks in the bottom of the ship, causing water to enter the cabin, and 9 crew members were killed in action. The water ingress caused by the bomb caused the tail of Indy to sink and tilt to the left, but it still blocked the water stubbornly and approached a rescue ship for emergency repairs. Inspection found that the "Indy" propulsion shaft was damaged, the oil tank was ruptured, and the desalination equipment was destroyed; nevertheless, the cruiser, which had repeatedly made wars, crossed the Pacific to return to the Meyer Island Naval Shipyard on its own power.
The secret and tragedy
"Indy" seems destined to be non-stop. After receiving repairs and modifications, it received a top-secret order to transport the components and nuclear fuel required for the assembly of the atomic bomb to Tinian Island at high speed. The atomic bomb assembled from these important materials was later in Hiroshima. And Nagasaki (Nagasaki) planted two terrifying mushroom clouds. Due to the urgent mission, "Indy" left San Francisco on July 15, arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 19th, and arrived at Tinian on the 26th without escort. The voyage "Indy" set a record: sailing 5000 miles in 10 days from San Francisco!
After sending the top-secret cargo to Tinian, "Indy" went to Guam, and then set off for Leyte to report to Lieutenant Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf. After that, missions will be carried out near Okinawa. On July 28, "Indy" rushed to Wright Bay without escort. It was medium sea conditions with good visibility, and the Indianapolis was sailing at 17 knots. On the morning of July 30th, not far from the warship, a Japanese submarine quietly extended a periscope. This is the large Japanese submarine I-58, the lonely "Indy" that has unknowingly become the pole of the Japanese army. Good goal. At 00:15, the Japanese captain Mochitusra Hashimoto gave an order, and the I-58 fired two torpedoes. The torpedo accurately hit the starboard side of the "Indy". With two loud noises, the "Indy" was lit up by fire. Rushed, metal fragments splashed in the violent explosion. Twelve minutes later, "Indy" overturned and sank in the sea near 12°02' north latitude and 134°48' east longitude.
On the 31st, the ship did not arrive at Wright Bay on time, and the US military did not issue any reports for this. When "Indy" was hit, 300 crew members were killed on the spot, and nearly 900 people fell into the water. Because they were not found in time, these poor survivors had to survive in the next 5 days in order to survive the winds, waves, and water shortages. As well as the extreme fatigue of the mind and body to fight, what is even more tragic is that they also encountered hordes of bloodthirsty sharks! Many sailors who were lucky enough to survive the sunken ship became food for the sharks at this moment, and the surface of the sea was screaming screamingly, and the large areas of seawater were stained blood red...
Until 10 o'clock in the morning on August 2nd, the U.S. Army VPB-152 Squadron A PV-2 anti-submarine bomber in China is on a routine anti-submarine patrol. With the reflection of the sun on the sea, the pilot, Lieutenant Chuck Gwinn (Chuck Gwinn) from time to time sees a colorful object on the sea, watching After a few seconds, he discovered that it was a long oil belt. This discovery made him very alert, because it usually means that there is a possibility that there is a Japanese submarine nearby that is about to float to charge the battery! He immediately lowered his altitude and followed the fuel belt to track. After flying east for about 15 miles, his eyes widened suddenly-below the sea, there were scattered fragments of warships and those almost desperate. survivor!
Chuck Govin immediately radioed the discovery to the US military base on Palau Island, and at the same time put the life raft and part of the provisions on the plane to the survivors on the water. Three hours later, a "Katarina" PBY seaplane, under the command of Lieutenant Adrian Marks, arrived in the accident area and dropped life rafts and supplies for the survivors. Then, the brave lieutenant took a risk and landed on the sea against the order and began to rescue the survivors.
Some survivors climbed onto the life raft, while others were tied to the wings. In this way, Max and his crew successfully took 56 survivors to a safe area. He also notified other U.S. Navy ships of the exact location where the "Indy" fragment was found. Three U.S. destroyers and two other ships rushed to rescue them. Since then, the US military used all air and sea rescue teams to carefully search for survivors in the nearby waters. By the end of the rescue operation on August 8, the U.S. military had been carefully searching the waters within a 100-mile radius around the clock, but only rescued 321 survivors out of the 1,199 soldiers on the ship, 4 of whom were sending off. He died shortly after going to the hospital.
Reproaches, accusations and grievances
"Indy" captain Charles B. McVay (Charles B. McVay) is also among the rescued, but his suffering is far from over. In November 1944, Charles McVeigh took over as the captain of the "Indy", which was his long dream. McVeigh was a graduate of the Annapolis Naval Academy in 1920 and was promoted to captain on June 18, 1942. In July 1945, McVeigh was ordered to complete preparations for going to sea within 4 days. He was told that the two ships would be loaded with top-secret cargo on board. The larger one will be installed on the aft deck and will be guarded day and night; the smaller one will be guarded by two Army officers and stored in their cabin. McVeigh received the order to transport the two boxes to Tinian as quickly as possible. Everyone is guessing what is in the box, but no one can know-because the atomic bomb project has been in a top secret state during the war. After arriving in Tinian, the two boxes were transported to a secret location on the island. The "Indy" set off to Wright Bay after replenishing ammunition and fuel.
McVeigh had received news that there were three Japanese submarines within 200 miles. He asked for escort but was told that there were no escort ships. And because "Indy" is performing a top-secret mission, its name is not on the list of arriving and departing ships at all! Because of the activities of Japanese submarines, McVeigh was ordered to take the zigzag course, but after a while, McVeigh believed that "Indy" had gotten rid of the threat of Japanese submarines, and ordered the cancellation of the zigzag course. It was this decision that made him blamed in the future, and it was undoubtedly the most wrong decision he made. Violating such an important order is absolutely unacceptable, especially this kind of decision has put "Indy" and its crew in an extremely dangerous situation. Shortly after midnight on July 30, "Indy" was hit by a torpedo launched by the Yi-58 and sank quickly.
After the incident, Charles McVeigh was accused of being responsible for the sinking of the warship because he did not direct the warship to adopt a zigzag course. Another public concern is when McVeigh issued the order to abandon the ship—if he did, the timeliness of the order is directly related to the possibility of survival of the crew.
The war was over, and news of the sinking of "Indy" flooded the media. Someone must be held responsible for it. McVeigh seemed to be the most appropriate candidate. The U.S. Navy saw that the public would not give up the investigation of this incident, so it announced that McVeigh would be subject to the review of the military court-he became the only captain to be tried by the military court for the sinking of a battleship in World War II. This decision immediately made the headlines of major newspapers. The navy believed that McVeigh was responsible, and therefore announced that it would take the captain of the Japanese submarine, who was already a prisoner of war, to Washington to testify. This is another unprecedented decision! On December 10, 1945, the captain of the Japanese I-58 submarine Chisun Hashimoto arrived in Washington. This practice of summoning enemy officers who were prisoners of war to testify aroused strong opposition in Congress and the domestic media.
At the beginning of the trial in December 1945, McVeigh faced two charges: failing to obey the order to adopt the zigzag route and putting the warship in danger; failing to give the abandonment order in time. The testimony provided by Japanese captain Hashimoto stated that the Indianapolis did not use a zigzag course when she launched her torpedo. There are many questions Hashimoto did not clarify, such as whether he fired two or three torpedoes. Is his words true or false, can they be accepted? In addition to ordinary torpedoes, the Yi-58 also carries 6 "Huitian" suicide torpedoes, so some people wonder what kind of torpedo the Yi-58 fired. After staying in the United States for a while, Hashimoto returned to Japan, and he lived until October 25, 2000. Before his death, he wrote to Senate John Warner (John Warner) telling the latter that McVeigh had been unfairly accused and that he believed McVeigh had done nothing wrong. He said he didn't even understand why McVeigh had to go to a military court. But today we can no longer understand how people treat his views.
After the trial, the court found that the accusation against McVeigh for "ignoring orders to put naval ships in danger" was established. In view of the fact that communications on the ship were paralyzed after "Indy" was hit, the court held that McVeigh's allegation of "failure to issue an order to abandon the ship in time" was unfounded. It is still unknown whether he has issued a ship abandonment order or not. At the hearing, McVeigh admitted that he was fully responsible for the sinking of the Indianapolis. Public opinion believes that as a captain, McVeigh should be sanctioned by a military court due to his dereliction of duty. He should be sanctioned by a military court; and in the eyes of many people, as a captain, hundreds of crew drowned and many people died. It is a sin in itself to be the prey of sharks, and for some people to survive without basic life-saving equipment.
The lingering sound of tragedy
McVeigh’s father was a U.S. Navy admiral during World War I. He himself was a second-generation Naval Academy graduate. He knew his responsibilities very well. He said, "I am in charge of commanding the entire ship, and I am responsible for its fate." During the hearing, he said, "I know I can't shirk my command responsibility." In the end, the jury gave McVeigh a lighter punishment: He was not demoted as many people expected, only postponed his promotion. After careful weighing, all those who did not report that "Indy" did not arrive in Wright Bay on time were exempted from prosecution. Although McVeigh's punishment was not serious, this incident stained his naval career. In view of the huge external pressure, he was forced to retire with the rank of Rear Admiral in June 1949. He kept receiving letters full of resentment from the relatives of the dead sailors, and the accusations from the outside world made him unable to extricate himself. After his wife died of lung cancer, he was even more lonely and depressed. On November 6, 1968, McVeigh chose a special way to end these pains-he put on a neat navy uniform, walked to the front porch of his apartment in Connecticut, and put the barrel of a pistol in the entrance. Pulled the trigger!
Everything seems to be over. When this news appeared in the headlines of the newspaper, there was another uproar in the society. Some people believed that McVeigh was to blame and that his trial was fair, while others believed that he was not at all at fault.
In fact, the aftermath of the "Indy" incident has not subsided. For many years, McVeigh's son, the crew and other McVeigh supporters have been seeking to restore his reputation. The 76-year-old survivor Giles McCoy (Giles McCoy) said that as early as 1960 at the first gathering of "Indy" survivors, he expressed to McVeigh his idea of seeking to withdraw the charges against him, but McVeigh told him not to do this. Four years later, McVeigh agreed to this idea, but he doubted that the Navy would approve it. Certain documents provided by these supporters show that McVeigh, as the captain, has the right not to take the zigzag course. There are other evidences that the navy has long known that there is a Japanese submarine in the waters where Indy is sailing, but they did not notify McVeigh of this news in time. Moreover, some materials indicate that just before the capsizing of the warship, the radio operator issued a distress signal, but for some reason, the signal was either not received or not noticed. Some survivors later claimed that "Indy" had sent a signal, but the navy bureaucrats ignored it.
On August 2, 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the end of the "Indy" tragedy, the United States held a grand event along the canal outside Indianapolis to commemorate the Indianapolis. Of the 127 "Indy" survivors who were alive at the time, 107 attended the event. But at this time their captain still failed to obtain Zhaoxue.
The late Zhaoxue
In 1997, McVeigh's reputation problem took a turn for the better. The cause was Hunter Scott, a seventh-grade student in Florida. This young man accidentally heard the protagonist mention the tragic experience of the Indianapolis crew while watching the movie "Jaws", so he determined to use the opportunity of social research arranged by the school to find out the truth about the tragedy of "Indy". He began frequent contact with the survivors of the "Indy" that year. During the investigation, many more powerful evidences were discovered: "Indy" did not arrive at Port Wright on time, the navy officials did not notice, and did not take rescue measures; "Indy" did not have anti-submarine reconnaissance equipment, and was unable to detect submarines. For this reason, McVeigh once proposed to escort the destroyer, but his legitimate request was rejected; the US ship "Underhill" was sunk on the route of "Indy" 4 days ago, but the navy did not McVeigh was not notified of this situation. At night when the incident occurred, the clouds were thick, so McVeigh ordered the snake to stop before going to bed. But at midnight, the weather suddenly improved. It was at this time that Yi-58 discovered Indy and launched a torpedo.
In addition, after the sinking of the "Indy", the United States successfully intercepted the message sent by the Iraq-58 that sank the US ship, but this message was ignored by the high level, and the navy did not start rescue operations. Although it is still unclear whether Indy has sent a distress signal, the most likely scenario is that it did send a distress signal, but it did not receive attention at all.
Hunter's investigation was later broadcast on TV. His investigation gave the public a new understanding of the tragedy of "Indy". In 1998, Congressman Julia Carson (Julia Carson) submitted a bill for McVeigh, but it was opposed by the Navy. They declared that McVeigh's trial was "fair." Passed. It was not until 2000 that Congress finally approved the bill for McViezhaoxue, which took effect immediately after President Clinton signed it. In July 2001, Navy Undersecretary Gordon England had issued an order to add a document exempting McVeigh from responsibility to his archives. Many survivors on the "Indy" believe that this is the right choice.
The Indianapolis, the flagship of the 5th Fleet, has experienced several major battles since Pearl Harbor, and won a total of 10 Battle Stars until the final years of the war; but it was two years before the end of the war. Zhou ended his glorious military career with a tragedy.
Why did the "Indy" disappear without the US military noticing it? What is it that made the US military allow the "Indy" single ship to pass through the enemy's waters without escort? What is even more surprising is how the 317 people who survived lived through the most terrifying time by what kind of power? All this may never be clarified. The tragedy of "Indy" may not really be anyone's responsibility, because this is a real war.
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