Show Date: July 20, 2005  
Peter Melyan for THE DEEP on line

USS INDIANAPOLIS CA 35
STILL AT SEA
JULY 30, 1945

Greetings and welcome to The Deep column and the deepest radio show on Earth. The Deep is the science talk radio program that takes you from the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of the universe. This week on The Deep, aired at 6:00 this evening on K-57, we’ll talk about the USS Indianapolis and meet some of the survivors from the 1945 sinking of the Ship. The Indianapolis was also the ship to deliver the atomic bomb to Tinian during the II World War. Then we’ll have some science news updates. We’ll also be taking your phone calls. Tune in tonight and join host Jim Sullivan, Pam Eastlick and our expedition coordinator Peter Melyan for the latest in scientific news! Then log on to www.thedeepradioshow.com for more information on all the latest and deepest news!

USS INDIANAPOLIS A PROUD SHIP
The USS Indianapolis was commissioned on November 15, 1932. She was host to both President Roosevelt and the Secretary of the Navy. She served as the Flag ship for the Scouting Force until the bombing of Pearl Harbor on 13 December 1941 and led the Good Neighbor Cruise to South America with President Roosevelt. During the II World War, once again the USS Indianapolis served as the flag ship for the 5th Fleet with Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. She saw battle in over 10 different operations and was part of the invasion of the Mariana Islands. Even more amazing, during the assault on Okinawa, the USS Indianapolis was actually rammed by a Japanese Fighter and had a bomb go completely through her hull and still managed to return to base unassisted. For the record, the Indianapolis earned 10 battle stars for World War II service.

SINKING OF THE USS INDIANAPOLIS The sinking of Indianapolis was one of The Worst Naval Disaster in US History. More important, the survivors of the disaster consider Captain McVay to be innocent of any wrong doing in the disaster. On tonights show you will meet Paul Murphy a survivor from the Indianapolis and hear his story of what happened and how you can help the survivors preserve the memory of the ship and its crew lost at sea.

Also important was the fact that The ship was returning from Tinian after having delivered the atomic bomb on July 26, 1945. Although the ship had docked in Guam she was still unescorted as she sailed out of Guam. Here is a quote from the May 3, 1998, article entitled "A Boy's School Project Aims to Revise History" in The New York Times

"...the Navy knew there were submarines in the area but never told McVay and sent the ship to sea unescorted ... worse, the Navy failed to notice that the cruiser had never arrived at port, while hundreds died at sea." This was written by a 12 year old boy and started the investigation into the wrongful action taken by the Navy against Captain McVay.

The sinking of the Indianapolis was terrible but the treatment of the captain and the crew was even worse. Imagine, a ship being torpedoed by the enemy at sea and no one knowing it was missing. The ship was overdue for 4 days but it was never reported. 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 were still alive.

The Indianapolis Survivor Association lists the number of surviving as 317. There is no question about the number of survivors but there is an ongoing controversy about the guilt and wrong doingassociated with the actions of the captain. The accusation of wrong doing and even a court-martial was held against Captain McVay. He was found guilty even though the Japanese submarine captain provided evidence that Captain McVay had not done anything wrong. In fact it was later shown that the Navy had placed the ship in danger and not informed the captain. The remaining crew of the Indianapolis set out to correct the injustice done to Captain McVay and his family. Over 350 Navy ships had been lost in action and not one of them or their captains were court-martialed. It was later revealed that Captain McVay may have been used as a scapegoat to cover up the mistakes of others. In October of 2000 President Clinton, after the extended efforts of the crew and McVayfamily supporters, requested that Captain McVay be exonerated for the loss of his ship and the many deaths of the crew. In July of 2001 the Navy Department announced the exoneration of Captain McVay’s record and stated that it should be amended to show no wrong doing on the part of Captain McVay.

This is a strange tale and the ending is still not clear. The exoneration was far too late, Captain McVay committed suicide in 1968 and military law does not allow the withdrawal of a court-martial. The record still reflects that Captain McVay was found guilty of court-martial.

Join The Deep and find out more about the search for the Indianapolis and the efforts to build a museum for those lost at sea and the ship. Paul Murphy and his wife Maylou will tell us about that day and how the crew has joined together to support the memory of the Indianapolis and plan a scholarship program and museum both for the survivors and those lost at sea.

You can make a donation to the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization by contacting:
Paul Murphy Chairman
1030 West 4th Avenue
Broomfield, CO 80020

Or contacting Marylou Murphy at:
e-mail murphyindy@aol.com

Tune into The Deep to learn more about the USS Indianapolis hosted by Jim Sullivan with Pam Eastlick and Peter Melyan. It is the place to be on K-57 tonight at 6:00 p.m. Don’t miss it!