Charles B. McVay III
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Charles Butler McVay III (August 31, 1898 – November 6, 1968) was an American naval officer and the commanding officer of the cruiser which was lost in action in 1945, resulting in a significant loss of life. Of all captains in the history of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, he is the only one to have been subjected to
court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
for losing a ship sunk by an act of war, despite the fact that he was on a top secret mission maintaining radio silence. The testimony of the Japanese commander who sank his ship also seemed to exonerate McVay. After years of mental health problems, he killed himself aged 70 years. Following years of efforts by some survivors and others to clear his name, McVay was posthumously exonerated by the
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and
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Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
on October 30, 2000.


Education and career

Charles Butler McVay III was born in
Ephrata, Pennsylvania Ephrata ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Effridaa'') is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg and about west-northwest ...
, on August 31, 1898, to a Navy family. His father, Charles Butler McVay Jr. (1868–1949), commanded the tender during the cruise of the
Great White Fleet The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the group of United States Navy battleships which completed a journey around the globe from December 16, 1907 to February 22, 1909 by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. Its mission was t ...
(1907–1909), was an
admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and served as Commander-in-Chief of the
Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...
in the early 1930s. Charles III was a 1920 graduate of the
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
at
Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
. Before taking command of ''Indianapolis'' in November 1944, McVay was chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee of the
Combined Chiefs of Staff The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) was the supreme military staff for the United States and Britain during World War II. It set all the major policy decisions for the two nations, subject to the approvals of British Prime Minister Winston Churchil ...
in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, the
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' highest intelligence unit. Earlier in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he was awarded the
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
for displaying courage under fire. McVay led the ship through the
invasion of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA ...
, then the bombardment of Okinawa in the spring of 1945, during which ''Indianapolis'' anti-aircraft guns shot down seven enemy planes before the ship was struck by a
kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
on March 31, inflicting heavy casualties, including eight dead, and penetrating the ship's hull. McVay returned the ship safely to
Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the eas ...
in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
for repairs.


Sinking of ''Indianapolis''

Later that year, ''Indianapolis'' received orders to carry parts and nuclear material to
Tinian Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of th ...
to be used in the
atomic bombs A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
which were soon to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After delivering her
top secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know, ...
cargo, the ship was en route to report for further duty off
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
. Early in the morning of July 30, 1945, it was attacked by the under Commander
Mochitsura Hashimoto was a Japanese officer and a submarine commander in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He was captain of the submarine ''I-58'', which sank the American heavy cruiser in 1945 after its delivery of parts and enriched uranium for t ...
. Hashimoto launched six torpedoes and hit ''Indianapolis'' twice, the first removing over forty feet of her bow, the second hitting the starboard side at frame forty (below the bridge). ''Indianapolis'' immediately took a fifteen degree list, capsized and sank within 12 minutes. Of the crew of 1,195 men, 879 men died.


Delayed rescue

About 300 of the 1,196 men on board either died in the initial attack or were trapped belowdecks and drowned when compartments were sealed in an effort to prevent sinking. The remainder of the crew, about 900 men, were able to abandon ship. Some were left floating in the water, many without lifeboats, until the rescue of 316 survivors was completed four days (100 hours) later. Because of Navy protocol regarding secret missions, the ship was not reported "overdue" and the rescue came only after survivors were spotted by pilot Lieutenant Wilber (Chuck) Gwinn and co-pilot Lieutenant Warren Colwell on a routine patrol flight. Of those who did abandon ship, most casualties were due to injuries sustained aboard the ship, dehydration, exhaustion, drinking salt water and shark attacks. The seas had been moderate, but visibility was not good. ''Indianapolis'' had been steaming at . When the ship did not reach
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
on the 31st, as scheduled, no report was made that she was overdue. This omission was officially recorded later as "due to a misunderstanding of the
Movement Report System The Movement Report System (MOVREP) is a system established to collect and make available to certain commands vital information on the status, location, and movement of flag commands, commissioned fleet units, and ships under the operational contro ...
".


Controversy

McVay was wounded but survived, and was among those rescued. He repeatedly asked the Navy why it took four days to rescue his men but never received an answer. The Navy long claimed that SOS messages were never received because the ship was operating under a policy of radio silence; declassified records show that three SOS messages were received separately, but none were acted upon because one commander was drunk, another thought it was a Japanese ruse, and the third had given orders not to be disturbed. After a Navy Court of Inquiry recommended that McVay be
court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
ed for the loss of ''Indianapolis'', Admiral
Chester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in C ...
disagreed and instead issued the captain a
letter of reprimand A letter of reprimand is a US Department of Defense procedure involving a letter to an employee or service member from their superior that details the wrongful actions of the person and the punishment that can be expected. A ''Formal Letter of Re ...
. Admiral
Ernest King Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was an American naval officer who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II. As COMINCH-CNO, he directed the Un ...
overturned Nimitz's decision and recommended a court-martial, which
Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...
James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal came from a very strict middle-class Irish Catholic fami ...
later convened. McVay was charged with failing to zigzag and failure to order abandon ship in a timely manner. He was convicted on the former. Prior knowledge of Japanese submarines being identified in the area was withheld from the court and from McVay, prior to sailing, as well. Following McVay's conviction for hazarding ''Indianapolis'' by failing to zigzag, Admiral King recommended setting aside the punishment. Hashimoto, the Japanese submarine commander who had sunk ''Indianapolis'', was on record as describing visibility at the time as fair, which is corroborated by the fact that he was able to target and sink ''Indianapolis'' in the first place. He also testified that zigzagging wouldn't have made a difference, as he would have still sunk the Indianapolis, due to being in such a good position to do so. American submarine experts testified that "zigzagging" was a technique of negligible value in eluding enemy submarines. Hashimoto also testified to this effect. Despite that testimony, the official ruling was that visibility was good, and the court held McVay responsible for failing to zigzag. An additional point of controversy is evidence that the admirals in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
were primarily responsible for placing the ship in harm's way. For instance, McVay requested a destroyer escort for ''Indianapolis'', but his request was denied because the priority for destroyers at the time was escorting transports to Okinawa and picking up downed aircrew in B-29 raids on Japan. Also, naval command assumed McVay's route would be safe at that point in the war. Many ships, including most destroyers, were equipped with submarine detection equipment, but the ''Indianapolis'' was not so equipped, which casts the decision to deny McVay's request for an escort as military incompetence. On July 24, 1945, just six days prior to the sinking of ''Indianapolis'', the destroyer had been attacked and sunk in the area by Japanese submarines. Yet McVay was never informed of this event, and several others, in part due to issues of classified intelligence. McVay was warned of the potential presence of Japanese subs, but not of the actual confirmed activity. Although about 380 ships of the U.S. Navy were lost in combat in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, McVay was the only captain to be
court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
ed for the loss of his ship. It was widely felt that he had been a
fall guy Fall guy is a colloquial phrase that refers to a person to whom blame is deliberately and falsely attributed in order to deflect blame from another party. Origin The origin of the term "fall guy" is unknown and contentious. Many sources place ...
for the Navy. The conviction effectively ended McVay's career as he lost seniority, although the sentence was overturned by Secretary James Forrestal owing to McVay's bravery prior to the sinking, and McVay was finally promoted to
rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
when he retired from the navy in 1949, although he apparently never got over his treatment. In his book ''Abandon Ship'', author Richard F. Newcomb posits a motive for Admiral King's ordering McVay's court-martial. According to Captain McVay III's father, Admiral Charles B. McVay Jr., "'King never forgot a
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". King had been a
junior officer Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational Officer (armed forces), commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below ...
under the command of McVay's father when King and other officers snuck some women aboard a ship. Admiral McVay had a letter of reprimand placed in King's record for that. "Now," he raged, "King's used
y son Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or seventh ...
to
get back "Get Back" is a song recorded by the British rock band the Beatles and Billy Preston, and written by Paul McCartney though credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to ...
at me."


Suicide

On November 6, 1968, McVay took his own life by shooting himself at his home in
Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorporat ...
. Contrary to what many may believe, McVay used a Colt pistol, an Officer's Model Target 38 Special. It was manufactured in 1906 and was not issued to the US Navy despite what the name could lead some to believe, according to th
USS Indianapolis Legacy Organization
Commonly this pistol has been referred to as McVay's
service pistol A service pistol, also known as a personal weapon or an ordnance weapon, is any handgun issued to regular military personnel or law enforcement officers. Typically, service pistols are revolvers or semi-automatic pistols issued to Officer (armed ...
, which it was not. There is another myth, that he was holding in his hand a toy sailor he had received as a boy for a good luck charm. This is also untrue, as police reports obtained by the Legacy Organization do not mention this nor show any other objects in the pictures aside from his pistol. He was found in his back porch by his gardener. Though a note was not left, McVay was known by those close to him to have suffered from loneliness, particularly after losing his wife to cancer in 1961. McVay also struggled throughout his life from the impact of vitriolic letters and phone calls he periodically received from grief-stricken relatives of dead crewmen who served aboard the ''Indianapolis''.


Exoneration

survivors organized, and many spent years attempting to clear their skipper's name. Many people, from McVay's son Charles McVay IV (1925–2012) to author Dan Kurzman, who chronicled the ''Indianapolis'' incident in ''Fatal Voyage'', to members of Congress, long believed McVay was unfairly convicted. Paul Murphy, president of the USS ''Indianapolis'' Survivors Organization, said: "Captain McVay's court-martial was simply to divert attention from the terrible loss of life caused by procedural mistakes which never alerted anyone that we were missing." Over fifty years after the incident, a 12-year-old student in
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
,
Hunter Scott Hunter Alan Scott (born June 9, 1985) is best known for the research he did on the sinking of as a sixth-grade student, which led to a United States Congress, United States Congressional investigation and exoneration for its captain. Research int ...
, was instrumental in raising awareness of the miscarriage of justice carried out at the captain's court-martial. As part of a school project for the
National History Day National History Day is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland that operates an annual project-based contest for students in grades 6-12. It has affiliates in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, American Sam ...
program, the young man interviewed nearly 150 survivors of the ''Indianapolis'' sinking and reviewed 800 documents. His testimony before the U.S. Congress brought national attention to the situation. In October 2000, the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
passed a Sense of Congress resolution that McVay's record should reflect that "he is exonerated for the loss of the USS ''Indianapolis''."
President Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
also signed the resolution. Commander Hashimoto died five days before the exoneration (on 25 October). In May 2001, Secretary of the Navy
Gordon R. England Gordon Richard England (born September 15, 1937) is an American politician and businessman who was the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and twice served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. ...
ordered Captain
William Toti William Joseph "Bill" Toti (born January 15, 1957) is a retired US Navy captain, author, photographer and military technology corporate executive. Toti was the final captain of the . He also served as commodore of Submarine Squadron 3 in Pearl Har ...
, former commanding officer of , to enter the Sense of Congress resolution into McVay's official Navy personnel record.England, Gordon R. (July 11, 2001), Memorandum for the Chief of Naval Operations from the Secretary of the Navy. Subject: Addition to the Military Personnel Record of Rear Admiral Charles B. McVay, III, USN.


Awards and decorations


In popular culture

McVay's ship, but not McVay himself, is mentioned in the 1975 blockbuster movie ''
Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...
'', in which the character of Quint is portrayed as a survivor of the incident. In 1978, the events surrounding McVay's court-martial were dramatized in ''The Failure to ZigZag'' by playwright John B. Ferzacca. The 1991 made-for-television movie '' Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis'' depicts the ordeal of the men of the ''Indianapolis'' during her last voyage (with McVay portrayed by
Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fictiona ...
), as does the 2016 film '' USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' (with McVay portrayed by
Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gu ...
). Also in 2016, ''USS Indianapolis: The Legacy'' was released. It is an in-depth film where the survivors tell the story of what happened and they speak about the aftermath of the tragic event. In 2019, PBS released a 90-minute documentary titled '' USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter''.


See also

* W. Graham Claytor Jr. *
List of U.S. Navy losses in World War II List of United States Navy and Coast Guard ships lost during World War II, from 31 October 1941 to 31 December 1946, sorted by type and name. This listing also includes constructive losses, which are ships that were damaged beyond economical repa ...
*
United States military veteran suicide United States military veteran suicideFebruary 1, 2013. Ed PilkingtonUS military struggling to stop suicide epidemic among war veterans ''The Guardian.'' Retrieved: 23 May 2014. is an ongoing phenomenon regarding the high rate of suicide among U.S ...


References

*


External links


USS ''Indianapolis'' – Still at sea


of ''Indianapolis''

* ttp://www.indianahistory.org/library/manuscripts/collection_guides/m0645.html USS ''Indianapolis'' Collection, 1898–1991 collection guide for an "artificially-created" collection of materials regarding the history of the heavy cruiser USS ''Indianapolis'' (CA-35) at the
Indiana Historical Society The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". It is housed in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center at 450 West Ohio Street ...
. * {{DEFAULTSORT:McVay, Charles B., III 1898 births 1968 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II American military personnel who committed suicide People from Ephrata, Pennsylvania Recipients of the Silver Star Suicides by firearm in Connecticut United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel who were court-martialed Military personnel from Pennsylvania