About USS Indianapolis, a cruiser sunk by a Japanese submarine and carrying an atomic bomb in World War II.

The whole story of Indianapolis tragedy in the United States

Peter Maas

1945 One night in the summer, an American cruiser was hit by a Japanese submarine and sank into the Pacific Ocean. No one understands why the US Navy's high command always knew that the cruiser was entering a dangerous situation, but never warned the captain.

This is a story that happened in the Pacific Ocean on a summer night in 1945. Until now, 55 years later, the story is coming to an end.

The cruiser "Indianapolis, USA" carried nearly 1200 officers and men. On July 1945, the cruiser set sail from San Francisco. Even the captain doesn't know the secret cargo on board. The cargo in a heavy lead barrel is uranium 235, which is an important part of two bombs with unprecedented explosive power. It was these two bombs that landed in two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, shortly thereafter, and changed the world pattern forever.

The occurrence of tragedy

After unloading the cargo at Tianning Island in the western Pacific Ocean, the cruiser continued to sail for Guam. From there, it crossed the Philippine Sea and went to Wright, a base built by the navy on the Philippine Islands. But it didn't get there, which was the biggest maritime disaster in the history of the US Navy. Although the cruiser was not equipped with submarine detection equipment, the captain Charles Butler McEvoy's request to escort the destroyer was rejected. He was told that the enemy submarine would not actually pose a threat to cruisers along the way. Just in case, the boss ordered him to make the cruiser zigzag according to his own wishes according to the visibility and weather.

Late at night on July 29, the sky was overcast, and you could hardly see the other side when standing at one end of the ship. The cruiser stopped zigzagging. Before going to bed, Mike Evoy left a message that he would continue his tortuous journey if the weather improved. At midnight, the clouds suddenly dispersed and the moon leaned out. Just then, one of the few submarines still in service in Japan, 1-58, surfaced and found the position of the cruiser. The submarine fired six torpedoes. The first one blew up the bow of the cruiser, and the second one plunged into its powder magazine and fuel tank. After only 12 minutes, the cruiser sank. In this crazy ten minutes, the crew sent out SOS distress signals at least three times.

About 300 people sank with the ship. About 900 people-many of them naked or wearing only underwear-managed to put on life jackets and jump into the sea. Others, including Captain McEvoy, boarded several rubber boats. In the morning, they were full of hope and thought they would be rescued immediately. But one day passed, and then the next day, the third day. Their kapok life jackets enabled them to drift at sea for 48 hours. They have to raise their jaws to keep breathing. The vicious sun mercilessly shone on their rotting faces eroded by oil and salt water. Surrounded by sea water, they have no water to drink. Sharks haunt around, fins are looming, and screams are endless.

On the fourth day, all hopes seemed to be dashed. The incredible fact is that no one knows where they are. On the fourth day, they died one after another. The pilot of a naval patrol aircraft happened to be searching for oil spills and accidentally saw them.

be laden with misgivings

By the end of the large-scale rescue operation, nearly 1/4 crew members-317 people-survived. On the same day that Japan surrendered, the US Navy announced that the "Indianapolis" was wrecked and sank. The news didn't make the headlines. But the media started asking questions. How did all this happen? The navy's answer is captain mcveigh, a military court. His crime was to make the cruiser "desperate" during the national war. Why all the crew can't help in the ocean has never been answered. By this time, the whole thing seemed to be over. But this story is far from over. 1958, Richard newcomb, editor of the Associated Press, wrote a best-selling book about the "Indianapolis" cruiser disaster and Mike Evoy's subsequent trial in a military court, entitled "Abandon the ship! Harper Collins Publishing Company will publish its revised edition next year 1 month.

But abandon ship! "It's not just a bestseller. It triggered a debate that is still fierce today, a debate about shameful injustice, a lot of cover-up, deception and deception, personal humiliation and finding scapegoats. Decades later, people will find that the navy high command always knew that the cruiser Indianapolis was in extreme danger, but it never warned the captain.

Painful memories

Survivors have suffered unspeakable hardships. They don't want to tell their family and friends about this terrible experience, or even remember it with other survivors. But newcomb got first-hand information, basically because he was a naval reporter himself. The publication of his works was a relief for these people and led them to reunite for the first time in 1960. Giles McCaughey, a marine on the cruiser, said in an interview: "I didn't think of this party until this book was published."

Crew member John Brad is now free to speak. He recalled: "Someone shouted:' Shark!'" "We saw the shark fin approaching us ... I saw a man left behind and was killed by a shark."

Captain Mike Curilla recalled: "Exposure and lack of water are worse than sharks. We have blisters on our bodies. During the day, we were roasted by the scorching sun, praying that the night would come soon. At night, we are shivering in the cold sea water, longing for the sun to appear early. If you give up, you will die. A man said to me, "We will meet again." But then he swam away and I never saw him again. "

A captain with a nervous breakdown

Captain McEvoy didn't want to attend the first party. Because he was accused in a military court, he often received curse letters from the families of the victims, calling him a murderer. He doesn't know what kind of cold reception he will get at the party. To his surprise, the survivors embraced him warmly, saluted him and told him how proud he was as his subordinate. But even this is not enough to support his idea. 1968, when Mike Evoy opened another curse letter, he had a nervous breakdown and committed suicide.

At the first party, people began to try to restore Mike Evoy's reputation on the grounds that he was unfairly taken as a scapegoat. However, it was not until the early 1980s that confidential documents were disclosed that the Navy's Supreme Command knew that 1-58 and another Japanese submarine were heading for the cruiser Indianapolis. To make matters worse, only four days ago, an American destroyer was torpedoed in the same area. However, no one told Mike Evoy all this.

It is still unknown who decided not to tell Mike Evoy. The navy claimed that there was no written record and all the participants had died.

However, members of Congress don't want to be involved at all. The navy didn't say a word. There must be someone behind this.

The captain was finally rehabilitated.

Then at 1996, the situation took a dramatic turn. Hunter Scott, a student in Pensacola, Florida, has seen the movie Jaws. In this film, a character recalls how sharks attacked the crew of the wrecked cruiser. Scott decided to investigate the tragedy further. Used to abandon the ship! After the book was published, he learned that these people said with one voice that their captain had suffered great injustice.

Young Scott also learned that at least three naval stations received SOS distress signals, but they either ignored them or thought it was a trick the Japanese wanted. By 1999, Scott's research results and conversations with many survivors once again set off an uproar in the country, and the voice for McVoiping's revenge became louder and louder.

This spring, the House of Representatives passed a resolution by an overwhelming majority, saying that the accusation against Mike Evoy was "morally unfounded" and his conviction was "an unfair trial, which led to his unfair humiliation and ruined his career".

The resolution passed by the Senate was not so harsh. The resolution stipulated that Mike Evoy "should not be punished", but did not say anything unfair. Now, the two houses must reach a compromise. Only then will the story of the cruiser Indianapolis and its brave crew come to an end.