| In Harm's Way |  | Author: Doug Stanton
Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print
Buy Used: $36.18
as of 3/19/2010 18:49 CDT details
Used (4) from $36.18
Seller: Livrenoir
Rating:  139 reviews
Sales Rank: 4416814
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Large Print edition
Pages: 400
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0750519630
EAN: 9780750519632
ASIN: 0750519630
Publication Date: February 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
On July 26, 1945, the heavy cruiser Indianapolis steamed into port at the Pacific island of Tinian, carrying a cargo that would end World War II: the uranium that would be dropped on Hiroshima just three weeks later. Having delivered its load without incident, Indianapolis moved on toward the Philippines to join the great armada moving in on Japan. Though intelligence reports assured Captain Charles McVay that the route from Guam to Leyte was safe, there were Japanese submarines active in the area. On the night of July 29, having detected with sonar the clinking of dishes aboard the Indianapolis from a distance of more than a dozen miles, the submarine I-58 sank the American ship, killing nearly 900 sailors in the explosion and its terrible aftermath. Captain McVay was quickly court-martialed for having failed to follow evasive maneuvers, "the first captain in the history of the U.S. Navy," Doug Stanton observes, "to be court-martialed subsequent to losing his ship in an act of war." Although the sailors under his command would insist that McVay had been scapegoated, and although I-58's commander testified before the court that "he would have sunk the Indianapolis no matter what course she was on," McVay was never able to clear his name. He committed suicide in 1968. Stanton captures the drama of these events in his vigorous narrative, which augments and updates Richard Newcomb's Abandon Ship!. Stanton observes that although McVay was exonerated by an act of Congress in 2000, the conviction still stands in Navy records. Stanton's book makes a powerful case for why that conviction should be overturned, and why the captain and crew of the Indianapolis deserve honor. --Gregory McNamee
Product Description
"The worst part...wasn't the sharks, and it wasn't seeing your buddies die...It was when you realize...they've forgotten us. We can't last out here forever-- we're gonna die..."--Giles McCoy, private first-class, USMC, USS Indianapolis
On the night of July 30, 1945, the Navy cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese sub, sending 900 men into the black, churning waters of the Pacific. What happened next was a nightmarish battle for survival. Injured, adrift, clinging to each other and their waterlogged life rafts, the men watched in horror as their crewmates fell victim to catastrophic injuries, exposure, hallucinations, and relentless shark attacks. Worst of all, their last radio S.O.S. had been disregarded by the Navy as a possible prank. When help finally arrived an astonishing five days later, only 317 of the ship's crew were still alive. Meticulously researched, including eyewitness reports from USS Indianapolis survivors, In Harm's Way recounts with frightening accuracy those five harrowing days at sea, and gives readers a moving, unforgettable account of the worst naval disaster at sea in U.S. history.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 139
 Skeptic but read it and loved it December 27, 2009
R. Newberry (USA)
At first I was kinda back and forth whether to read this book. But I am glad I did from beginning to end was amazing what the men had to do to survive. Saddening because it was based on true events but learning about their experiences and what happened when no one else in the United States knew what was going on was just heart wrenching. I am glad I read this book. I bought it but lost it awhile back so I decided to buy it again and I am glad I did. Just pure in your face history and never got boring to read. I was actually on the edge of my seat the whole time and didn't want to put it down.
Superb book November 13, 2009
Judy A. Lucas (Santa Ana, CA USA)
I wanted to relish every word - the best book that I have read on the Indianapolis.
 Highly readable but incomplete account October 30, 2009
J. P. Wright (Madison, WI USA)
In Harm's Way is very readable but an incomplete account of the fate of the sailors aboard USS Indianapolis when she is torpedoed in the waning weeks of World War II. The story is well told but in limited depth. Presumably, the ever-dwindling number of survivors hampered research, but surely there are earlier accounts, including those of the various inquiries, that could have led to a more thorough accounting of the ship's fate. The book skims the surface, albeit in a compelling narrative.
 A horrible story, superbly told. October 16, 2009
C (Seattle, WA)
A heart-rending account of men battered, killed, and scarred by forces beyond their control--forces of war, forces of nature, and forces of politics. The needless loss of hundreds of sailors' and marines' lives in a tragedy overshadowed by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the surrender of Japan, and suppressed by a military bureaucracy using the victim as a scapegoat will leave your blood boiling with outrage.
This book should, as much as anything could, vindicate the survivors from the guilt they place on themselves and from the guilt placed on them by the hubris of the politics of war. But vindication will not bring back the heroes of the Indianapolis' survivors whose psychological wounds proved fatal in the intervening years.
This story is a horrible lesson that every military leader should read about the horrible consequences of discarding personal discretion, initiative, and reason in the interest of following the letter of the law.
Superb! October 1, 2009
Dirtgirl74 (Florida)
Having a great respect for our military, I have recently starting reading a bit about its history. The story of the USS Indianapolis isn't new to me, but I wanted to gain another viewpoint than what I saw on many of the documentaries about her. This book brings to life the many men that proudly served our country and were sadly "forgotten" during their time of need. It flows wonderfully and will keep you enthralled until the very end. I definitely recommend it!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 139
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