Review by Choice Review
Kurzman's book is the newest account of the sinking of the US cruiser Indianapolis during WW II and the resulting huge loss of life because of a bizarre set of circumstances. Kurzman is a talented and recognized writer-correspondent, well qualified to write on the subject. The book does not offer much that is new concerning the basics of this tragic event. Based on 40 interviews by the author, it does, however, fill out portraits of the personalities of many of the survivors and other participants. Richard Newcomb's Abandon Ship! (1958) has been the standard popular reference on the sinking of the Indianapolis. This new work supersedes it by virtue of the interview material plus nine pages of chapter notes, ten pages of bibliography, and eight pages of interesting photographs. General, community college, and lower-division undergraduate readers. -B. H. Groene, Southeastern Louisiana University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
When the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine after delivering the components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to Tinian Island, the crew was left to float in the ocean for five days before being rescued. Very few of them survived, and those who died often perished horribly, falling victim to attacks by man-eating sharks. Set for publication on the forty-fifth anniversary of the sinking of the vessel, this book relies on exhaustive research and eyewitness accounts to tell the whole grim story of that ill-fated ship and its men. In particular, Kurzman presents a convincing argument for the exonoration of the ship's captain, who was blamed for what has come to be known as the worst sea disaster in the history of the U.S. Navy. Recommended for medium and large collections. Appendix, notes, bibliography; index. --Steve Weingartner
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The cruiser Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945. Most of its crew went down with the ship, but many died during the extraordinary five-day delay in rescue. The ship's captain was one of 316 who survived of a crew of 1196. Charles B. McVay III was court-martialed for negligence, becoming the first captain ever tried by the U.S. Navy for losing his ship in battle. (He later committed suicide.) Kurzman ( A Killing Wind ) here presents a shocking, convincing tale of how a good officer became a political pawn and scapegoat for high-level administrative negligence. He also describes the efforts by McVay's family and survivors of the tragedy to overturn the conviction, efforts which continue despite the ``total resistance'' of the Navy. The sinking of the Indianapolis has been called the Navy's worst sea disaster; Kurzman suggests that it is the Navy's worst moral disaster as well. This is a first-rate work, covering the details of the sinking, the five-day ordeal of the survivors in shark-infested water, and the unusual court-martial (it featured in-person testimony by the Japanese submarine commander). Photos. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In July 1945 the cruiser Indianapolis sailed from San Francisco to Tinian in the Marianas to deliver components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Then, en route from Tinian to Leyte, sailing alone, the ship was torpedoed and sunk. Incredibly, it was not missed for five days, by which time the survivors had been diminished to under 200 from shark attack, thirst, and exposure. Kurzman argues that the Navy railroaded the captain to court-martial and eventual suicide while covering up indifference and incompetence by higher officials, all to protect the service's public image. Recommended for coverage of the inquiry, which many readers will find distressingly similar to the treatment of more recent disasters. For public and military libraries.-- Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army TRALINET Ctr., Fort Monroe, Va. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
World War II was all but over when, on July 30, 1945, a Japanese submarine torpedoed and sank the US Navy cruiser Indianapolis. In dramatic and entertaining fashion, Kurzman (Day of the Bomb, 1985; A Killing Wind, 1987, etc.) re-creates the ill-fated cruise and the tragic aftermath that continued to resound more than 20 years later. Under the command of Capt. Charles B. McVay III, the Indianapolis was en route from Guam to the Leyte Gulf after secretly delivering atomic bomb components to the island of Tinian. Current reports placed the closest enemy submarine more than 300 miles away. With the Japanese navy in a shambles, there was little cause for more than routine concern; indeed, writes Kurzman, even though ships were under orders to ""zigzag"" through enemy waters, few continued to utilize the elusive maneuver. When the torpedoes struck the cruiser, chaos ensued. Communications were knocked out, and entire sections of the ship were cut off, including the engine room: McVay had no way to order the engines shut down. It was initially difficult to assess the extent of the damage and, although some sailors almost immediately abandoned ship, McVay delayed his abandon-ship order until he was certain the Indianapolis could not be saved. It was three days before anyone discovered that a ship had been sunk, and it was mere accident that survivors were spotted by a routine Air Force patrol. Hundreds of men spent up to five torturous days adrift in the ocean. Only 316 of the 1,196 aboard survived, with scores losing their lives after the ship was sunk. In order to cover the Navy's fatal delay in attending to the missing ship, McVay was court-martialed for issuing delayed abandon-ship orders and for not zigzagging through the supposedly safe waters. He was acquitted on the first charge, but found guilty on the second. Haunted by the loss of his ship and the death of 880 of his men, he took his own life in 1968. Kurzman, an able historian and a talented writer, gives an especially gripping account of the survivors' days adrift. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
