Educational Media Reviews Online

"At 12:14 a.m. on July 30, 1945, The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea and sank in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 men on board, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remainder, about 900 men were left floating in shark infested waters with no lifeboats and most with no food or water. The ship was never missed, and by the time the survivors were spotted by accident four days later only 316 men went on to survive."-- USS Indianapolis Official Web site.

The subject of this video is the history of the heavy cruiser, USS Indianapolis (CA-35), especially its sinking. The video's opening focuses viewer attention with several graphic depictions. The first scene shows the suicide of Charles McVay at his Connecticut home in 1968. The second is the explosion of the Atomic bomb. These two seemingly unrelated events are tied together by a third connecting element - the life and death of the USS Indianapolis.

The Indianapolis transported the first Atomic device to be used in war, to the South Pacific island of Tinian, where it was to be loaded onto an airplane that would drop the bomb on Hiroshima. However, this would be only a small episode in the history of the ill-fated ship, and her Captain, Charles Butler McVay, III. The events following the ship's historic mission is a dramatic story in itself.

Video flashbacks to the building of the Indianapolis, provide interesting footage of the ship's construction and launching. She was launched on November 7, 1931, during a time when the United States knew that it needed newer and better ships, but was restricted by treaties from World War I. The ship was fast and had heavy armaments. However treaty limitations on weight meant that Indianapolis would need to compromise to achieve these strengths. The ship's weight was kept within the 10,000 ton limit by eliminating heavy armor plating, and by the addition of large fuel tanks, both features that would eventually prove to be her Achilles heel.

The Indianapolis had an exemplary record before and during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the cruiser in many official trips, and the Indianapolis spent most of her career as a flagship of various U.S. Navy fleets. The Indianapolis takes part in many desperate campaigns, sustaining damage from combat and kamikaze attacks. One attack forces the ship to return to California for repairs, beginning the chain of events that lead to its eventual destruction.

The Indianapolis receives an important assignment. The atomic bomb is placed onto the ship under secrecy so great that even the crew and the Captain are not told. They do know that they are selected for a very critical mission. The ship was chosen because it was presently available and because it was a very fast vessel. The nuclear device is delivered to Tinian Island on July 16, 1945. Indianapolis is given new orders, which will send it on its path to destiny. What follows in the story is described in easy to understand, and well presented visuals and narration. The video presents the ship's adversary, Japanese submarine, I-58, which has just begun its patrol, and which is on a course that will cross that of the Indianapolis.

The sinking of the Indianapolis was the result of a compounding of simple events that taken separately might not have been significant, but which together created a major disaster. The viewer witnesses the spiraling situation up to the point where torpedoes strike the ship. Live-action simulations and stock footage dramatize the chaos aboard the dying vessel, and eyewitness narratives make it as realistic as possible. Just when the viewer thinks that the story is almost ended, the video continues its gripping story. While the sinking was the death of the Indianapolis, her crew's ordeal had only begun.

About 900 men managed to abandon ship, which was incredible considering the damage and chaos that followed in the 12 minutes it took for the ship to sink. The following day, sharks began to attack survivors. One can feel the tension and the fear that crewmen experienced as men went crazy from thirst, exposure, lack of sleep, burns, hallucinations and declining hopes of rescue. Again, live-action clips and simulations with survivor commentary, with the addition of original photographs of similar situations, makes the account almost real. Recounting the third and fourth days, survivors describe the hopelessness they felt. This, coupled with explanations of how all the problems were conspiring against the crew, draws the video to a dramatic moment.

The story then switches to Palau and the routine patrol flight of Lieutenant Chuck Gwinn, piloting his Lockheed Navy Ventura PV-1 bomber across the Pacific on antisubmarine patrol. While on this mission, a problem with an antenna winch forces Gwinn to leave the controls of his plane to resolve the problem. While leaning out of the plane, guiding the wire to the winch, he happens to glance down at the ocean where he spots a huge oil slick. Thinking that an enemy sub has just submerged beneath his plane, he returns to the cockpit, and drops down several hundred feet for a depth charge run. Gwinn is about to drop depth charges on the suspected enemy sub, when he spots hundreds of men in the water. He begins the process of getting help for the survivors. A Catalina PBY flying boat arrives, dropping inflatable rafts, and eventually Navy ships reach the site to rescue the survivors. The crew's ordeal at sea is over.

Searchers retrieved 316 survivors from the water and 880 men, who initially survived the sinking, died during the five days adrift. The Navy was shocked--the Indianapolis sinking represented its worst single disaster ever, and the Navy was to a large extent responsible. When survivors reached Guam, questions began to arise: why was so large a ship missing for four days without anyone noticing? Why was submarine activity in the area not reported to the Captain of the Indianapolis? More questions arose but, as the video explains, the disaster was overshadowed by the surrender of Japan. News of the sinking, and of the heavy loss of life, was not printed until two weeks following the event, where it appeared insignificantly in newspapers. Eventually people began asking for answers as the Navy began scrambling for a way to divert attention from their negligence.

In this phase of the documentary, a number of concepts are presented that are necessary to explain the reasons behind the Navy's denial of how its actions affected the fate of the warship. It clearly shows how Captain McVay is set up as the scapegoat for the entire affair. The political and personal struggles between Navy officials, witnesses, and McVay are presented, with some surprises. Here the video producers show the extent of their objective research. Examinations into records and interviews with survivors and other personnel, reveal that the conclusions drawn in the court martial, were designed to place blame as far as possible from those responsible. Admiral King pressed his opinion that Captain McVay was to blame, rather than the Navy. That his reasons may have been personal, are shown in the video in a way that dramatically increases viewer curiosity. While answering the basic questions involving the Indianapolis incident, the video does not condemn conflicting conclusions about what really happened, maintaining its objectivity.

Also documented at the end of the film are some disturbing facts. USS Indianapolis was not given a service commendation, despite her prestigious and dedicated service. Remaining veterans of the crew have been troubled by their experiences during the disaster, and by the Navy's lack of compassion. (Not shown at the time of production, but probably related to this, and other documentaries on the Indianapolis, are the results of public campaigns to restore Captain McVay's honor, and to provide the truth about what actually happened. The Senate on October 12th, 1999, adopted the Conference Report to H. R. 4205, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2001, in which the Senate agreed with the House on language for this Act, including the section expressing that, among other things, "Captain McVay's military record should now reflect that he is exonerated for the loss of the USS Indianapolis" and the lives of her crew.) Indianapolis: Ship of Doom, is a solid production. The script is well written, and the visuals clearly support the narration of events and concepts. The use of live-action, still photographs, interviews with survivors, and supporting graphics, complement the text very well. Film flow is steady, maintaining interest and giving a good overview of the events surrounding the disaster. The many key and debatable points are provided in this production in an interesting and thoughtful manner, not at all tedious as in some documentaries.

There are some inconsistencies in this documentary. Not all facts are correct, or differ from some of the varying histories. However, these flaws do not take away much from the effort. Other materials should augment the video and many good resources exist. Indianapolis, Ship of Doom won the CINE Golden Eagle Award and received the nomination for Best Director by the Director's Guild of America. This video production deserves to be in most collections and is suitable for high school, college, and adult audiences.

Web Resources
USS Indianapolis Official Web site http://www.ussIndianapolis.org/main.htm. This Web site has materials and links to almost anything regarding the ship, its crew, and the main protaganists. It includes photographs, crew lists, document transcripts, Court-martial documents, Congressional documents, sound files of survivors, memorial ceremonies, and more. This site also has a fairly good narrative of the ship's, and the crew's history, from start to finish.

Sinking of USS Indianapolis FAQ http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq30-1.htm. Naval Historical Center, Department Of The Navy. This page includes: Links to photographs of the USS Indianapolis http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-i/ca35.htm
Links to photographs of Japanese submarine I-58 http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-i/i58.htm
Transcripts of related materials, such as: Charges pressed against Captain McVay and Court Martial reports; information on archival collections and a selected bibliography.

Memorial site dedicated to the ship and its crew http://members.tripod.com/IndyMaru/IndyMaru.html

Search for the USS Indianapolis http://www.discovery.com/exp/Indianapolis/Indianapolis.html. Discovery Channel documentary. Additional materials and links.