In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors |  | Author: Doug Stanton
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
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Seller: gr8lakesbooks1
Rating:  139 reviews
Sales Rank: 29749
Media: Paperback
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0805073663
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.545973
EAN: 9780805073669
ASIN: 0805073663
Publication Date: May 1, 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
Now available for the first time in trade paperback, the bestselling account of America’s worst naval disaster—and of the heroism of the men who, against all odds, survived
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated three hundred men were killed upon impact; close to nine hundred sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they struggled to stay alive, battered by a savage sea and fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and dementia. By the time help arrived—nearly four days and nights later—all but 317 men had died. How did the navy fail to realize the Indianapolis was missing? Why was the cruiser traveling unescorted in enemy waters? And how did these 317 men manage to survive? Interweaving the stories of three survivors—the captain, the ship’s doctor, and a young marine—journalist Doug Stanton has brought this astonishing human drama to life in a narrative that is at once immediate and timeless.
The definitive account of this harrowing chapter of World War II history—already a bestseller in its hardcover and mass market editions—In Harm’s Way is a classic tale of war, survival, and extraordinary courage.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 139
 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 beaurocracy 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!
For the, USS Indianapolis September 7, 2009
Richard Neal Huffman (Michigan)
My daughter gave me, "In harm's way" as a Father's-day gift. I must admit that while I have watched and read a lot about the Second World War it has mostly centered on the fights between ground forces. I served in the US Army and never had a lot of interest in the Navy. My father-in-law, now 82, served on a ship during World War Two so he has told me of some things the Navy did.
I started to read, "In harm's way" and I found it one of those books hard to put down. The author, Doug Stanton, did a great job researching the events before, during and after the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. He put real faces on those that served aboard the vessel. I went through a variety of emotions as I read. I was apprehensive; afraid, sad, happy, frustrated, felt the hopelessness, wondered at the dedication to country. I saw incredible acts of heroism and selflessness. Witnessed exhilaration, shame, excitement and fear. Watched injustice perpetrated by superiors and politicians. Saw the unfairness fought by people who had nothing personal to gain from it, willing to make their voice heard by reluctant ears.
I learned that love, beliefs, determination, stubbornness, care toward another more than ones self can push away the approach of death and force the flesh to go beyond what it says it can endure.
You must read this book!
Dreams in Blue: "The Real Police"
Showing reviews 1-5 of 139
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