In July 1945, having just delivered the atom bomb to be used on Hiroshima, the "U.S.S. Indianapolis" was torpedoed by a Japanese sub, sending more than 900 crewmen into the Pacific Ocean. Five days later, only 317 survivors were rescued. Those harrowing five days are recounted here by eyewitness accounts from survivors. of photos.

Reviews

Adult/High School-On July 16, 1945, the battle cruiser USS Indianapolis left San Francisco for Tinian Island in the South Pacific. The secret mission, the identity of which was unknown to even Captain Charles Butler McVay, was to deliver parts for the atomic bomb "Little Boy" that was to be dropped on Hiroshima. After the delivery, the ship headed to Guam where it was to rejoin the fleet for the proposed invasion of Japan. It never made it. On July 29, 1945, the cruiser was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Stanton begins this harrowing true story with Captain McVay's suicide in 1968, and continues in a style that reads like an adventure novel. More than 1200 men were aboard the Indianapolis when it left San Francisco; approximately 300 were killed by the torpedoes. The rest were tossed into the South Pacific and remained there for nearly five days facing dehydration, starvation, exposure, and recurring shark attacks. Due to a series of tragic errors, no rescue operation was mounted. The 321 men who ultimately survived (four of whom subsequently died) were found purely by accident. Captain McVay, scapegoated by the Navy, was court-martialed and convicted of negligence, despite the ongoing protests of his remaining crew. At the time, their story was lost in the euphoria of Japan's surrender and the Navy's desire to ignore their errors. It is time their story is told and Stanton has done it magnificently, with meticulous research and great poignancy.-Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Given the stringent precision of the U.S. Navy and military during wartime, how could a WWII battleship carrying over 1,000 men be torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sink, leaving the survivors to bob in the Pacific Ocean at the mercy of elements and predators, without anyone realizing the loss for more than four days? Stanton not only offers a well-researched chronicle of what is widely regarded as the worst naval disaster in U.S. history, but also vividly renders the combatants' hellish ordeal during the sinking, and the ensuing days at sea as well as attempts to cope with the traumatic aftermath. Stanton documents the facts of the case, embellishing his story with lurid details gleaned from interviews with survivors. Though the ship's captain would become the first and only in U.S. naval history to be court-martialed for the loss of his ship, Stanton offers a solid body of evidence to justify the survivors' partially successful efforts to exonerate him. Stanton's omniscient narrative shifts among the individual perspectives of several principal characters, a successful technique that contributes to the book's absorbing, novelistic feel. Readers, of course, must trust Stanton and his research in order to be truly consumed, but the authority of his voice should win over all but the most obsessive skeptics. Illuminating and emotional without being maudlin, Stanton's book helps explain what many have long considered an inexplicable catastrophe. (May 21) Forecast: Following on the heels of the bestselling Abandon Ship, recently resurrected by Peter Maas, this book is unlikely to be ignored. A $150,000 marketing campaign includes a nine-city author tour, national print advertising, and target marketing to the military and naval market. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Who can forget the crusty, narrow-eyed shark hunter Quint, played by Robert Shaw, in the blockbuster movie Jaws? He growls out the story of the USS Indianapolis he had been a member of its crew, he says a battle cruiser that was sunk in the South Pacific in 12 minutes by torpedoes from a Japanese submarine. The ship had just finished a secret run to Tinian with parts of the Hiroshima atom bomb. The Navy refused to provide a destroyer escort, even though there was solid intelligence about the presence of the sub. Three hundred men were killed outright; 900 were thrown into the sea. Five days later, when the Navy accidentally figured out that the ship was missing, only 321 men were left; sharks, hypothermia, starvation and thirst, and hallucinatory dementia had taken the rest. The story of Captain Charles Butler McVay is particularly heart-wrenching: he became the only ship's captain to be court-martialed during the war. Many years later he committed suicide, with the Navy still insisting upon his guilt in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. A fascinating, horrible tale, and Stanton brings it off well, supported skillfully by American-voiced Boyd Gaines. For collections of military and World War II history. Don Wismer, Cary Memorial Lib., Wayne, ME Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

"Stellar...A gut-wrenching story of everyday heroes."--"New York Post"
"Gripping...Compelling."--"Chicago Tribune"
"Powerful...One of the most poignant tragedies and injustices of World War II."--Mark Bowden
"Infuriating, mesmerizing, and heartbreaking...Impossible to put down."--Rick Atkinson
"The most frightening book I've ever read."--Stephen Ambrose
"A chilling account."--"The Atlantic Journal-Constitution"
"Do yourself a favor. Read "In Harm's Way"."--James Bradley
"Stanton has created a war story that is part Titanic, part Stephen King nightmare."--"Minneapolis Star-Tribune"