The story of the Indianapolis is not as popular as other military disasters such as Pearl Harbor or the Bay of Pigs, yet the' ignorance to the story does not make it any less important. Perhaps even more intriguing than the facts surrounding the ship, is the story of what occured after the survivors were pulled from the Pacific.

Captain Charles B. McVay III was born into a family whose lives and traditions revolved around the United States Navy. His father Charles II was a commander in the Navy in the early 20th century. Captain McVay graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1920 and was easily on pace for a great naval career.

In November 1944, he took control of the Indianapolis. He was the one who ordered the crew to stop zigzagging, a naval procedure to avoid submarine attacks, on the morning the Indianapolis was sunk. He was one of the 900 men who made it into the water, and part of the group of 316 sailors who made it back home.

The Navy did not know how to inform the public of the disaster, and concluded they needed to have someone to blame. Searching for a scapegoat, the Navy disregarded Admiral Chester Nimitz's wishes and brought charges upon McVay. The first charge was that McVay was at fault for failing to issue the abandon ship order in a timely fashion. He was found not guilty on this count. The second charge was that McVay hazarded his vessel by failing to zigzag during good visibility.

McVay was found guility of failing to zigzag, and thus became the first naval officer to be court-martialed for losing his ship. This conviction ultimately ended his naval career, as he would never be able to command a ship again. He retired in 1949 as a rear admiral. In 1968, he took his own life with his naval issued firearm.

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This exhibit was researched and designed by Edward Pincar, Jr.

This exhibit and museum were created during an introductory seminar on the Asia-Pacific War, taught at Wake Forest University during the spring semester 2002.

The material and opinions are those of their respective authors and do not represent the views of the University or the Department of History.