Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man
Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man
Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man
Audiobook18 hours

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man

Written by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic

Narrated by John Bedford Lloyd

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

About this audiobook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * “GRIPPING…THIS YARN HAS IT ALL.” —USA TODAY * “A WONDERFUL BOOK.” —The Christian Science Monitor * “ENTHRALLING.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * “A MUST-READ.” —Booklist (starred review)

A human drama unlike any other—the riveting and definitive full story of the worst sea disaster in United States naval history.

Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis is sailing alone in the Philippine Sea when she is sunk by two Japanese torpedoes. For the next five nights and four days, almost three hundred miles from the nearest land, nearly nine hundred men battle injuries, sharks, dehydration, insanity, and eventually each other. Only 316 will survive.

For the first time Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic tell the complete story of the ship, her crew, and their final mission to save one of their own in “a wonderful book…that features grievous mistakes, extraordinary courage, unimaginable horror, and a cover-up…as complete an account of this tragic tale as we are likely to have” (The Christian Science Monitor). It begins in 1932, when Indianapolis is christened and continues through World War II, when the ship embarks on her final world-changing mission: delivering the core of the atomic bomb to the Pacific for the strike on Hiroshima.

“Simply outstanding…Indianapolis is a must-read…a tour de force of true human drama” (Booklist, starred review) that goes beyond the men’s rescue to chronicle the survivors’ fifty-year fight for justice on behalf of their skipper, Captain Charles McVay III, who is wrongly court-martialed for the sinking. “Enthralling…A gripping study of the greatest sea disaster in the history of the US Navy and its aftermath” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), Indianapolis stands as both groundbreaking naval history and spellbinding narrative—and brings the ship and her heroic crew back to full, vivid, unforgettable life. “Vincent and Vladic have delivered an account that stands out through its crisp writing and superb research…Indianapolis is sure to hold its own for a long time” (USA TODAY).

Editor's Note

Blockbuster history…

This gripping history offers an in-depth account of the harrowing naval disaster that claimed the lives of hundreds of men, and forced the others to battle the elements, sharks, and each other to survive.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 10, 2018
ISBN9781508251651
Author

Lynn Vincent

Lynn Vincent is the New York Times best-selling writer ofHeaven Is for Real and Same Kind of Different As Me. The author or coauthor of ten books, Lynn has sold 12 million copies since 2006. She worked for eleven years as a writer and editor at the national news biweekly WORLD magazine and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

More audiobooks from Lynn Vincent

Related authors

Related to Indianapolis

Related audiobooks

Wars & Military For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Indianapolis

Rating: 4.686602899521531 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

209 ratings22 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Authors Vincent and Vladic did an outstanding job in their research, telling and in making relevant this extremely important event in our nations history.

    The saga of the USS Indianapolis was a far more important episode than the guilty perpetrators of all that went wrong allowed to be known at the end of WWII. This was the US Navy’s greatest tragedy at sea. The coverup by the culpable Navy admirals and their aides and the scapegoating of Captain McVay sickens me as a patriotic American.

    Thank you to the authors for the part they have played in uncovering the truth in the face of the powerful forces who wished to deflect responsibility for their blame, misdeeds and negligence and shift blame to the hero of the Indianapolis.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    10 Stars, unbelievable and incredible !!! A must read survival story of an unimaginable pain and suffering. I was moved many times. I am most thankful of the ladies that poured their own souls into this work of art, you will not be disappointed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What an exceptional book. Well researched and it covers a mostly lost historical moment of great importance. It brought tears to my eyes as I read the closing chapters.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The story is incredible and the narration is great BUT the story keeping jumping parts. It’s wasn’t my network or my device. I diagnosed it as the file itself. Bad quality control issue here.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The primary sources, interviews of survivors and records stored at the national archives, makes this one of the best books I’ve every read. Truly a pleasure. A host of emotions accompanied the ingestion of this book from laughter, awe, horror, and outrage. Definitely worth the money and time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A masterful piece of literary genius. Time and effort went into this and you can tell. Everything seems historically accurate and significant, even down to the bolts on the ship. These families will never be forgotten because of this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book,
    I highly recommend. Keen insight
    Into what those men had to endure.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Extremely well written and narrated. Never forget the Indianapolis! Wow
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The details about the men, ship, and their accomplishments and struggles set this book apart from other accounts. I didn’t want to stop listening-engulfing writing. I have often read Lynn Vincent articles in World magazine and this book is her masterpiece.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The telling of this chapter of WWII breaks my heart, the horrors the entire crew faced and the despicable cover up by the navy is sobering and chilling.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    True story of the worst sea disaster in US Naval history. It starts with a high-level overview of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, tracing its involvement in various events over its lifetime. It sets the context for how it was involved in the Pacific theatre. It is known for delivering the atomic bomb that was subsequently dropped on Hiroshima. It was torpedoed by the Japanese in the Philippine Sea, resulting in the deaths of 879 sailors. The secondary narrative involves Captain Charles McVay III, who was subsequently court-martialed for not seeing to the safety of the ship by zig zagging, a technique later discredited.The authors have obviously done their homework. This book is extremely detailed and thorough. They do a top-rate job in covering the sailors (whom they interviewed) – where they were on the ship and their individual experiences in the water. The court martial and subsequent attempt to exonerate the captain become rather tedious. It may depend on which book you read first, but I enjoyed In Harm’s Way by Doug Stanton more than this one, although they are both worth reading. I read this in honor of Veteran’s Day.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Simply put this is an outstanding narrative history, one of the best I’ve ever read. On July 30, 1945 the cruiser Indianapolis with 1200 souls onboard was sunk by a Japanese submarine. 900 went into the water where for four long days they suffered from unimaginable horrors, including being attacked by packs of sharks. Only 316 survived. It was the worst disaster in US naval history. The tale here is not just one of sinking and survival; it’s an expertly woven tale of the ship, her history, the men who sailed her, and the families they left behind. It’s also the story of a systematic wall of silence protecting those who placed the ship in danger, and failed to react to her fate, the scapegoating of her Captain, and the fifty-year fight to exonerate him. Fascinating, horrific, emotional, and moving This is a compelling read whether you’ve never heard of the Indianapolis or are already familiar with her story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Solid writing and story-telling with some photos. It's long, but not too long, and I preferred reading this one in segments. For history, naval/maritime, and biography lovers. GoodReads FirstReads Giveaway
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The horror of what these men went through and the Navy's failure to even admit that the ship went down for some time is appalling. Never forget what these men went through.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ever since Man gathered in groups, formed tribes and opened villages, there have been wars. Frequently, those in power or influence did not have to participate in the wars or battles and those who did, often had little or no idea what they were there. Those who start such conflicts often suffer nothing from them and frequently even become enriched by them.
    In wars, good people who have had nothing to do with the decision to fight and kill other good people suffer and die in the conflict. And sometimes in wars, tragedies that one side or the other receives from the other side are too big, too horrible to escape the notice and anguish of the populations who’ve watched their sons and daughters go off to fight.
    The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed near the end of the war and hundreds died. Other than the attack on Pearl Harbor it is America’s greatest naval tragedy. The men who sent the ship in harm’s way made many, many mistakes that caused the catastrophic loss of life to be worse than it could have been. Much worse. With the tragedy in the public eye, these men needed a scapegoat to blame for their actions and the book, Indianapolis, tells the story of the tragedy itself, the scapegoating that followed and the crusade by those who survived the tragedy to achieve justice.
    Today, two major movements are being led by children—the March for Your Lives movement against gun violence, and the international climate change activities The Navy’s scapegoat for the tragedy was Captain Charles McVay III. The movement to remove the disgrace that was heaped upon him was led by a child a sixth grader writing a school History report.
    The research involved in this book is massive, yet minutely detailed. From the “big picture” accounts to the individual stories of victims of the ship’s sinking, every detail is brought forward. The authors give the story life. This is not a dull history book, a factual accounting, or an expose. It s a story of courage, of suffering, of turmoil, of intrigue and of the indomitable human spirt refusing to give up against high odds.
    It is no wonder that this bookhas been retold as a movie. Reading the book delivers a plot that is the absolute bedrock of good movies, and the book itself is the about best in fascinating historical reporting.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Book on CD read by John Bedford LloydThe subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man.I’ve known about the U.S.S. Indianapolis since I was about eleven years old. In 7th grade I became fascinated by sharks and read virtually every book in my public library about them. Many of those books included the story of the Indianapolis sinking and the days at sea that the survivors endured. So, this was not a new story for me, nor the first book about the tragedy that I’ve read. But knowing the story did nothing to lessen my fascination or divert my attention from the tale. Vincent and Vladic did extensive research, including interviews with survivors and their families. The result is a detailed, thorough and still intimately personal story. There was more than one section that brought me to tears, and I cheered at the eventual success the survivors had in clearing their captain of charges of culpability. The audiobook is masterfully narrated by John Bedford Lloyd. I listened in rapt attention.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    How do you review a book like this? Where do you even begin? I originally received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, but knew within just a few pages of this beautifully written non-fiction account of the USS Indianapolis's history that I HAD to own a finished copy. I was unable to finish my ARC before the publication date, but the week it was published, I bought my hard copy. Let me say that the physical book itself is just as gorgeous as the prose within.Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic have put together a well-written, unputdownable account of the USS Indianapolis, her last voyage, the sinking of the ship, the incredible, harrowing experiences of the survivors and the unthinkable final moments of those who lost their lives, as well as the court-martial of Indy's captain, and his eventual exoneration. This is a book that will make you sob hysterically, copious amounts of tears that will come so hard and fast you won't be able to see the page in front of you. It will make you gasp in horror, shake with rage and indignation, and give you immense joy and comfort.Embarrassingly, I knew NOTHING of the USS Indianapolis before I picked up this book on NetGalley. I am heartily ashamed of the gap in my education. I am beyond grateful to NetGalley and to the authors and publisher of this book for providing such a complete, compelling account. Whether you know a lot about US Naval History or you know nothing, please, I beg you...get your hands on a copy of this book. The saga of the USS Indianapolis and her crew is one that deserves to be told, honored, and remembered.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    “Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into her side, Chief. We was comin’ back from the island of Tinian to Leyte. We’d just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in 12 minutes.Didn’t see the first shark for about a half-hour. Tiger. 13-footer. You know how you know that in the water, Chief? You can tell by lookin’ from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn’t know, was that our bomb mission was so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn’t even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin’ by, so we formed ourselves into tight groups. It was sorta like you see in the calendars, you know the infantry squares in the old calendars like the Battle of Waterloo and the idea was the shark come to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin’ and hollerin’ and sometimes that shark he go away… but sometimes he wouldn’t go away.Sometimes that shark looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about a shark is he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn’t even seem to be livin’… ’til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all your poundin’ and your hollerin’ those sharks come in and… they rip you to pieces.You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don’t know how many sharks there were, maybe a thousand. I do know how many men, they averaged six an hour. Thursday mornin’, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Boson’s mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. He bobbed up, down in the water, he was like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he’d been bitten in half below the waist.At noon on the fifth day, a Lockheed Ventura swung in low and he spotted us, a young pilot, lot younger than Mr. Hooper here, anyway he spotted us and a few hours later a big ol’ fat PBY come down and started to pick us up. You know that was the time rest, June the 29th, 1945.Anyway, we delivered the bomb.” - Robert Shaw (Jaws 1975)I'm not going to lie this is the reason I read this book. This speech from the movie Jaws inspired such fear and terror and added to the movie so well that the real story had to be even scarier.And so it was in 1945 that after the USS Indianapolis carried the Hiroshima bomb it sank into the Philippine Sea leaving its crew to either sink, die of hypothermia or starvation, commit suicide, or simply wait for their turn.A gripping and heated journey through the life and death of this ship and its crew. Amazingly written in a format that uses many naval terms but not so many that the layman cannot follow. Instead of just listing off the facts the authors decided to turn the book into a play-by-play story. Which makes it a lot easier for the reader to read. But there is no mistaking that the authors definitely did their homework on this one. This might possibly be the perfect maritime novel. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in the military, Naval History, US History, the history of World War II or even just history in general.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In a highly classified naval mission during the Second World War, the crew of the USS Indianapolis delivers the materials for the atomic bomb to the Pacific Islands. Just days later, on July 30, 1945, the Indianapolis, sailing alone in the Philippine Sea, is struck by two Japanese torpedoes and sinks. While about three hundred sailors go down with the ship, almost nine hundred others find themselves in the water. But, after five nights and four days in the sea, hundreds of miles from the nearest land, injured sailors battle the elements . . . and the sharks . . . to stay alive. Based on exhaustive research and interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, this is tragic the story of a ship, her crew, and their final mission to clear Captain Charles McVay III, who was wrongly court-martialed. Although some strongly dispute accounts of events in the aftermath of the ship’s sinking, readers should consider these events in light of the conditions the sailors faced. While no one seeks to dispute the sailors’ memories of those horrific days spent waiting for rescue, traumatic memory is, at best, problematical. All of the men, including the interviewed survivors, suffered from severe exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, hallucinations, stress, and both physical and mental impairment. Therefore, readers should view reports of these events in the context of their situation at that time.This saga of heroism, courage, sacrifice, horror, and grievous errors is a must-read account of the worst sea disaster in the history of the United States Navy. Recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Even if you know the story of the Indianapolis, this book is a must read. You may know there were 1,195 men on the ship when it was torpedoed, about 300 died initially, about 900 went into the water alive and ultimately 316 survived 5 days in the water before they were rescued. This well-researched, well-written telling gives us so much detail not only from the survivors but also from the loved ones of those who were lost. It will break your heart and it will also make your heart swell with joy and pride. Highly recommend.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I received a free advance e-copy of this book from the authors and have chosen to write an honest and unbiased review. I have no personal affiliation with the authors. This was a well-written novel that told the complete story of what really happened to the Indianapolis on its very important final mission. What a shame that Captain Charles McVay is wrongly court martialed for the sinking and has to live out the rest of his life under that shadow and finally ends his life. Even Hashimoto, the Japanese sub commander who sunk the Indianapolis joins the battle to exonerate the captain. Finally a young boy researches the sinking extremely thoroughly and persistently and with the help of others is able to exonerate Captain Charles McVay posthumously. This was a very interesting book though quite detailed and long. At times it was difficult to read because of the horrors the men suffered. I look forward to reading more in the future from these authors.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    maritime, WW2, nonfiction, historical-research, historical-places-events-----Reads like fiction: big time admiralty SNAFU allowing an important USN ship, cargo, and crew to be torpedoed and sunk without support so that too many died then and there and those who were alive weren't rescued for nearly a week. Then came the cover up, wrongful accusations, driving the captain to opt out of life. But it's not fiction, it's a well researched documentation of a very shameful event near the end of WW2. The survivors suffered badly without water in the remorseless South Pacific Ocean waiting for rescue and continued to suffer even afterwards. Extremely well written and meticulously researched, it brings it all to life and reality. A rewarding read. I requested and received a free review copy via NetGalley. Thank you!