USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The USS Indianapolis was chosen because it was a heavy cruiser capable of carrying the bomb components to the Philippines. However, the aircraft that would eventually drop the bomb lacked the range to reach Japan from the mainland US, making transport to the Philippines necessary. The mission required a single, fast ship that could evade detection by the Japanese fleet.

Foreshadowing: The ship's selection was tied directly to the desperate military strategy of avoiding a costly ground invasion of Japan.

• USS Indianapolis
• atomic bomb
• Tinian
• World War 2
• secret mission

Captain McVay was ordered to proceed without protective destroyers to maintain operational secrecy. The Navy wanted to keep the bomb components hidden from Japanese forces. This was highly unusual since heavy cruisers typically traveled with destroyer escorts to defend against submarine attacks.

Foreshadowing: The lack of escort would prove fatal when the submarine attack came.

• destroyer escort
• submarine protection
• secret mission
• Navy orders

A Kaiten was a manned torpedo launched from Japanese submarines, essentially a human-guided explosive. The Japanese submarine I-58 spotted the USS Indianapolis and launched a Kaiten that struck the heavy cruiser. Unlike conventional torpedoes, the Kaiten was guided by a pilot directly toward its target, making it particularly deadly.

Foreshadowing: Captain McVay knew the ship could not outrun the deadly Kaitens.

• Kaiten
• Japanese submarine
• I-58
• manned torpedo
• weapon

The USS Indianapolis sank so quickly that its crew had no time to send a distress signal before the ship went down. The Navy also failed to respond adequately to any distress calls that may have been sent from life rafts. The ship's path was not properly tracked, and no one realized it was missing until survivors were finally spotted by a patrol plane on the fifth day.

Foreshadowing: The Navy's failure to monitor the ship's progress contributed to the delayed rescue.

• five days
• shark attacks
• no rescue
• distress signal
• survival

Captain McVay was courts-martialed for allegedly endangering his ship by failing to zigzag, a standard evasive maneuver to avoid submarine attacks. The Navy sought a scapegoat for the disaster. Despite testimony from the Japanese submarine commander who confirmed that the Kaiten would have hit regardless of evasive action, McVay was convicted and publicly vilified.

Foreshadowing: The courts-martial was a tragic miscarriage of justice that haunted McVay for years.

• Captain McVay
• courts-martial
• blame
• scapegoat
• Navy injustice

Of the 1,197 men aboard, 300 died when the ship sank. After five days adrift in shark-infested waters, only 317 survivors were rescued. Many died from shark attacks, saltwater poisoning, dehydration, and exposure during the ordeal.

Foreshadowing: The survival rate was devastatingly low despite the rescue operation.

• survivors
• death toll
• 317 rescued
• shark attacks
• Philippine Sea

The commander of the Japanese submarine I-58 returned to Japan after the war. Years later, he participated in efforts to clear Captain McVay's name, providing testimony that the captain's alleged failure to zigzag would not have prevented the sinking since the Kaiten was a direct hit.

Foreshadowing: In an ironic twist, the man who sank the ship helped exonerate its captain.

• Japanese submarine commander
• I-58
• exoneration
• testimony
• justice

In 2000, President Bill Clinton formally cleared Captain McVay of all charges, recognizing the grave injustices surrounding the disaster. This posthumous pardon came decades after McVay had taken his own life due to the relentless harassment and blame from the media and families of the lost sailors.

Foreshadowing: The exoneration came far too late for McVay to receive it in his lifetime.

• President Bill Clinton
• pardon
• exoneration
• 2000
• justice

The Navy failed to provide an escort for the Indianapolis and did not properly track its journey. When the ship sank, no one realized it was missing because the vessel's arrival at its destination was not confirmed. The distress calls were not adequately responded to, and the ship was not reported overdue until days later.

Foreshadowing: Naval negligence was a critical factor in the delayed rescue.

• Navy failure
• distress calls
• delayed rescue
• neglect
• accountability