Latest / Voices Of Life / Did You Know? - The USS Indianapolis: Honor, Tragedy, and Legacy

Transcript

Did You Know? - The USS Indianapolis: Honor, Tragedy, and Legacy · Voices Of Life

• 0:00
  This is the Voices of Life podcast, a ministry
• 0:03
  of the Church for Life. Today's Did You Know?
• 0:07
  Episode brings us face to face with one of the
• 0:10
  most extraordinary stories in American naval
• 0:12
  history. The USS Indianapolis, a ship that carried
• 0:17
  presidents, fought across the Pacific, delivered
• 0:20
  the components of the first atomic bomb, and
• 0:23
  endured one of the most tragic losses ever recorded
• 0:26
  at sea. It is a story of courage, sacrifice,
• 0:30
  and the resilience of the human spirit. And guiding
• 0:33
  us through this powerful chapter of history is
• 0:36
  your host, Pastor David. Stay with us as we uncover
• 0:41
  the mission, the mystery, and the legacy of the
• 0:46
  USS Indianapolis. Welcome to the Voices of Life.
• 0:51
  I'm Pastor David. The USS Indianapolis, hull
• 0:55
  number CA -35, was one of the most decorated
• 0:59
  and most tragic ships in the American naval history.
• 1:03
  She served presidents, fought across the Pacific,
• 1:07
  delivered the components of the first atomic
• 1:09
  bomb, and then vanished into the night in one
• 1:12
  of the worst disasters the US Navy has ever known.
• 1:18
  The Indianapolis was a Portland -class heavy
• 1:20
  cruiser, built in Camden, New Jersey, Her keel
• 1:23
  laid in 1930, launched in 1931, and commissioned
• 1:28
  in 1932. She stretched 610 feet, carried nine
• 1:34
  8 -inch guns, and could reach 32 knots, a fast,
• 1:39
  powerful symbol of American naval strength. Her
• 1:42
  displacement was about 12 ,755 tons, standard
• 1:46
  over the 13 ,000 tons fully loaded. Before the
• 1:51
  war, Indianapolis carried President Franklin
• 1:53
  D. Roosevelt on diplomatic voyages, including
• 1:56
  a 1933 Caribbean cruise and a 1936 Goodwill mission
• 2:00
  to South America. The journeys earned her nickname
• 2:04
  the President's Ship. After Pearl Harbor, Indianapolis
• 2:09
  became a frontline combat vessel. She fought
• 2:11
  in the Aleutians, supported carrier operations,
• 2:15
  and bombarded enemy positions across the Pacific.
• 2:18
  She helped liberate the Marshall Islands, fought
• 2:20
  in the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, and delivered
• 2:22
  devastating fire to Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In
• 2:27
  July 1945, Indianapolis received a secret assignment.
• 2:31
  She carried Uranium -235 and critical components
• 2:35
  of the first atomic bomb to Trinian Island, the
• 2:39
  weapon that would later be used on Hiroshima.
• 2:43
  She completed the mission in just 10 days, a
• 2:46
  record -setting speed run across the Pacific.
• 2:50
  After delivering her cargo, Indianapolis sailed
• 2:52
  toward Leyte. She was not warned that Japanese
• 2:56
  submarines were operating in the area. Just after
• 2:59
  midnight on July 30, 1945, the Japanese submarine
• 3:04
  I -58 fired six torpedoes. Two struck the cruiser.
• 3:10
  One near the bow wanted midships. The Indianapolis
• 3:14
  sank in 12 minutes. The survivors faced one of
• 3:19
  the most brutal ordeals in naval history. No
• 3:23
  lifeboats, little water, burns, injuries, oil
• 3:26
  soaked skin, and sharks. Oceanic white tips and
• 3:30
  tiger sharks circling constantly. Men died from
• 3:34
  dehydration, exhaustion, hypothermia, and salt
• 3:38
  poisoning. The survivors spent approximately
• 3:41
  four and a half days in the water. On August
• 3:44
  2nd, a Navy pilot spotted the survivors. Another
• 3:48
  pilot landed his aircraft on the open ocean,
• 3:51
  a daring act to pull men from the water. The
• 3:55
  destroyer, USS Cecil J. Doyle, arrived that night,
• 3:59
  shining her searchlights into the sky as a beacon
• 4:02
  of hope. The ship had a total of 1 ,196 crew.
• 4:07
  of which roughly 900 who entered the water and
• 4:12
  only 316 survived, bringing the total loss to
• 4:17
  the sea of 879 brave United States Navy officers
• 4:21
  and seamen. Captain Charles B. McVeigh III survived
• 4:24
  the sinking, but was later court -martialed for
• 4:27
  failing to zigzag. Even the Japanese submarine
• 4:31
  commander testified that zigzagging would not
• 4:34
  have changed the outcome. McVeigh carried the
• 4:36
  weight of the tragedy. It haunted him until he
• 4:40
  took his own life on November 6, 1968. He was
• 4:44
  survived by his two sons, Charles B. McVeigh
• 4:46
  IV, who also served in World War II as a seaman
• 4:49
  first -class, and James Kimo McVeigh, who was
• 4:54
  a promoter and worked with Don Ho in Hawaii.
• 4:57
  On October 30, 2000, Congress created a joint
• 5:01
  resolution which President Bill Clinton signed,
• 5:03
  clearing Charles B. McVeigh III of any wrongdoing.
• 5:08
  The Indianapolis story is one of courage, sacrifice,
• 5:11
  and painful lessons. It exposes failures in communication,
• 5:16
  tracking, and rescue procedures. It also revealed
• 5:20
  the extraordinary resilience of American sailors.
• 5:24
  In 2017, the wreck was found 18 ,000 feet below
• 5:29
  the Philippine Sea. a silent memorial to the
• 5:33
  men who served the border. From presidential
• 5:36
  voyages to the Pacific's fiercest battles, to
• 5:40
  a mission that changed world history, the USS
• 5:43
  Indianapolis remains a symbol of honor, sacrifice,
• 5:47
  and the enduring cost of freedom. I'm Pastor
• 5:50
  David, and this is Voices of Life, where history
• 5:53
  speaks and remembrance lives on. Thank you for
• 5:57
  joining us on this Voices of Life. Did you know
• 6:02
  episode Today we remembered the USS Indianapolis
• 6:06
  her service her sacrifice and the courage of
• 6:10
  the men who sailed into history aboard her Their
• 6:15
  story reminds us that freedom carries a cost
• 6:17
  and that honor is often written in the quiet
• 6:20
  bravery of those who stand their post May we
• 6:25
  never forget their mission May we never forget
• 6:30
  their endurance. And may we always remember the
• 6:34
  lives that were lost and the legacy they left
• 6:37
  behind. God bless you. May God bless your family.
• 6:46
  And may God bless the United States of America.
• 6:51
  Until next time, this is The Voices of Life,
• 6:55
  podcast where history speaks. and remembrance
• 7:00
  lives on.