The following is the personal opinion of the writer and presents his view of what happened in the USS Indianapolis tragedy.
The 1945 sinking of the armored cruiser USS Indianapolis by the Imperial Japanese Submarine I-58 has been called the last great Naval tragedy of World War II.
Captain Charles McVay took command of the Indianapolis in November of 1944. It was the realization of a long-cherished dream. He graduated from Annapolis with the class of 1920, and was promoted to Captain on 18 June 1942. No stranger to attacks the ship was kept in the heat of battle until crashed by a Kamikaze in the Okinawa campaign. It was repaired at the Mare Island Navy Yard and was almost completed in July of 1945. McVay received an unexpected order to be ready for sea in four days. An air of secrecy surrounded the ship and there was no shortage of rumors. McVay was told he would receive two top secret pieces of cargo. The larger one was to be stowed on the quarterdeck and continually guarded. The smaller one would be guarded by two Army officers and kept in their quarters. All McVay knew was he would deliver the two boxes as soon as possible to Tinian. Everyone was guessing exactly what the boxes contained, but secrecy was extremely tight anywhere near them. The Atomic Bomb was the best kept secret of the war. Arriving at Tinian, the ship was met by a swarm of boats carrying Admirals, Generals, with everyone asking questions. The cargo was transferred to an LCT and delivered to a top secret area on Tinian, and by morning the Indianapolis was off Guam. After loading with fuel and ammo she was off to Leyte.
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