"Dispelling the Myths of the Indianapolis" Topic

The discovery of the USS Indianapolis in August may be the final chapter in a tragic, yet captivating, story. Despite the tale's intrigue and popularity, many of its commonly repeated features are untrue.

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Thanks for sharing the link Bill… that was an interesting article.

i second that. thanks

Thanks here too, Bill.

A shameful moment for the USN when they scapegoated the captain.

That's a USN tradition, as it is in many navies. A captain's job is a powerful lonely job and there's no one to pass the buck to.

Reminds me of a joke (stop me if you've heard it):

After the change of command ceremony, the departing captain took the new captain to his cabin. He showed him three envelopes, numbered 1, 2 and 3, which he put in the safe. He then said, if you screw up, open envelope #1. He then shook hands and departed.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, the captain screwed up. He went to his cabin and opened envelope #1: "Blame the previous captain", it read. So he did, and all was OK.

When he screwed up the second time, he opened Envelope #2: "Blame the crew". So he did, and all was OK.

When he screwed up a third time, he opened Envelope #3: "Prepare 3 envelopes."

Bad-Dum.