Rating: 
Summary: If It Wasn't True, No One Would Believe It.....
Review: Abandon Ship! tells the story of the doomed ship U.S.S. Indianapolis, sunk by a Japanese Submarine on it's way home after delivering "Little Boy", the bomb that would destroy Hiroshima and end WWII. I have been fascinated by the story of the Indianapolis ever since I was a child, and heard about it in the movie "Jaws". Abandon Ship! was originally published in 1958, and this new edition has a new Introduction and Afterword by acclaimed Author Peter Maas, which brings the reader up-to-date on what has happened with the Indianapolis Case in the intervening Years. And a LOT has happened... After leaving "Little Boy" on the Isle of Tinian, Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese Sub, leaving over 800 men in the water for over Four Days. (Over 1,200 men were on the Ship; 800 made it into the Water, slightly over 300 survived drowning, sharks, and exposure.) The book details the catastrophic chain of events that could allow an event of this magnitude to happen, including a foolish command that Combat Vessels not be reported as docking (So the Enemy doesn't know where the Combatant Vessels are...). This inevitably leads to not reporting the Indianapolis as NOT docking. The men are found completely by accident; after almost FIVE DAYS, no one had missed them yet. Author Richard Newcomb's style posed serious problems for me; after the first 75 pages I felt as if I were reading a Navy-only book. He packs the pages with Navy Jargon, never telling the reader what it means. I don't even know the Bow from the Stern, so I was lost a lot of the time, and since the whole point of the book, to me, was the 4+ Days spent in the water, I was dismayed to find Newcomb only devote around 30 pages to that portion of their ordeal. He also SERIOUSLY downplays the Shark Attacks; a peek at the Glossary will show that Shark attacks only merit ONE MENTION..... The book quickly becomes riveting reading when The Navy decides that, since SOMONE must be held accountable, they'll Court-Martial the Captain of The Indianapolis. The railroading of Captain Mcvay is shameful, and Maas' Afterword details the efforts of an 11-Year old (!) boy, as a result of his School History project, to clear Mcvay's name. The saga of The Indianapolis is truly one of the darkest moments in Military History, and this book, while not perfect, is a must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: Damn That Torpedo
Review: As a teenager in the early sixties I caddied for Charlie McVay frequently at the Litchfield Country Club, in Litchfield, CT. We thought then that we knew the story of the sinking of the Indianapolis, and we thought then that we knew the man who had been held responsible for the tragic loss of life, hours before the end of World War II. But it wasn't until Richard Newcomb's Abandon Ship! that any of us who knew McVay were able to understand the Admiral's profound pathos. The military's bungling, its cover-up, its stonewalling, its court martial of an innocent man, culminating in its gross miscarriage of justice, are more often the stuff of fiction. But it wasn't fiction, and Newcomb gives us every damning detail to prove it. Peter Maas provides an afterward showing how McVay was eventually exonerated, 32 years too late to save the the Indianapolis' last victim, my old friend, Admiral McVay, who shot himself to escape his grief. Abandon Ship! is for anyone who values truth, and who is engaged by tragedy.
Rating:
Summary: Damn That Torpedo
Review: As a teenager in the early sixties I caddied for Charlie McVay frequently at the Litchfield Country Club, in Litchfield, CT. We thought then that we knew the story of the sinking of the Indianapolis, and we thought then that we knew the man who had been held responsible for the tragic loss of life, hours before the end of World War II. But it wasn't until Richard Newcomb's Abandon Ship! that any of us who knew McVay were able to understand the Admiral's profound pathos. The military's bungling, its cover-up, its stonewalling, its court martial of an innocent man, culminating in its gross miscarriage of justice, are more often the stuff of fiction. But it wasn't fiction, and Newcomb gives us every damning detail to prove it. Peter Maas provides an afterward showing how McVay was eventually exonerated, 32 years too late to save the the Indianapolis' last victim, my old friend, Admiral McVay, who shot himself to escape his grief. Abandon Ship! is for anyone who values truth, and who is engaged by tragedy.
Rating:
Summary: A Fatal Voyage with a Tragic Ending
Review: During the last days of the Pacific War, the USS Indianapolis was steaming towards the Phillippines after delivering the components of the atomic bomb. On the night of July 30, 1945, two torpedoes struck the unsuspecting cruiser, and she sank in less than fifteen minutes. Almost 900 men managed to make their way into the water, but unfortunately for them, their ordeal was just beginning. For the next four days, these men were to face conditions almost unimaginable to civillians. The sun beat down on them mercilessly during the day, while at night, many fought hallucinations and sometimes each other. Shark attacks were common, and many men lost their lives to these predators. Meanwhile at Leyte, no one thought to check on the status of the Indianapolis, for it was not customary to report the unarrival of combatant vessels. If this rule had been modified or if any of the port authority personnel had thought to act on their own initiative instead of doing everything stictly by the book, many lives could have been saved. In the end, only 316 out of a crew of over 1100 survived. Captain Charles Butler McVay III was among the survivors, but if he had known what was about to transpire, he might have wished that he didn't survive. After an inquiry by the Navy, it was decided that Captain McVay would be court-martialed for failing to steer in a zigzag pattern and for failing to give the order to abandon ship in a timely fashion. The trial took place in Washington, and the prosecution brought the Japanese submarine commander who sunk the Indianapolis, Mochitsura Hashimoto, to testify against McVay. He claimed that it wouldn't have mattered if the Indianapolis was zigzagging or not. He still would have sunk her. However, despite convincing testimony from surviving crew members as well as an American submarine expert, McVay was convicted for failing to sail in a zigzag pattern. It was noted in the book that Hashimoto happened to surface his submarine at precisely the perfect moment when the Indianapolis was visible against the horizon. If Hashimoto would have waited even 10 minutes later, he wouldn't have spotted her. Luck was on Hashimoto's side that night; not on McVay's I was very impressed with this book. The events leading up to the sinking and the sinking itself are described very accurately, but the part of the book that impressed me the most was the excellent coverage of McVay's court-martial. Several chapters are devoted to the court-martial, and every aspect is covered. I've read many books about the Indianapolis, and this one covers the court-martial phase better than any other. The introduction and afterword by Peter Maas brings the reader up to date with events concerning the Indianapolis. It was the opinion of many that McVay was used as a scapegoat so the Navy could cover up their own mistakes, and Maas mentions a boy named Hunter Scott, who did a history project about the Indianapolis. After spending numerous hours interviewing survivors and lobbying members of Congress, his efforts to have McVay exonerated finally paid off. Even with the exoneration, the Navy will still have a black mark next to it for the way Captain McVay was mistreated. For more information on Hunter Scott's efforts, I recommend the book "Left for Dead", which deals with his efforts to have McVay exonerated. "Abandon Ship" is a fine piece of naval history. Read it and discover the tragic tale of the Indianapolis.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic Disaster Written With Finesse
Review: Excellently written, this book is a page turner. I read it in one day. This is the gripping true account of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the bizzare chain of events which led to her demise and the lengths in which the United States Navy went to cover up their neglectful mistakes by using the Captain (who managed to survive) as its scapegoat. It is so unfortunate that the courtmartial was so widely publicized, while the overturn and clearing of Captain McVey's name and service record were downplayed to the point of obscurity. At the end of this book, my heart ached for ever single parent, spouse, sister, brother, child, friend/family member of each and every one of those brave men aboard her, and for those who perished and those who survived to endure years of mental anguish at the entire ordeal, the loss of their crewmates and the hours spent in those trecherous waters, forgotten, disregarded and overlooked by the entire Pacific Fleet. My compliments to the author who managed to recount this tragic disaster with such finesse!
Rating:
Summary: Dilema of "crime and punishment" - tragedy at sea.
Review: It is not surprising that books about human tragedies are usually interesting.
"Abandon Ship" makes no exception to this rule.
When Navy administrative system failed, Captain did not follow given recommendations and unpredictable change of visibility occurred, cruiser "Indianapolis" was torpedoed by Japanese submarine. All this happened 2 weeks before the end of the WWII on the Pacific and few days before the atomic blast destroyed Hiroshima. Ironically "Indianapolis" had just delivered uranium for the bomb to Tinian Island and was on its way to Leyte (Philippines).
It seems that fate was designed for unfortunate ship and its crew, making this sinking a greatest disaster at sea in the history of the USA. Moment of sinking and four days at the sea spent by survivors are presented vividly but with respect to those who died and suffered.
Book gets even more interesting when we read how Navy tried to find who possibly could be blamed for this tragedy and whom to punish. It looked that either many or just one person could have been accused and Navy officials chose the second, easier option. Unprecedented and controversial procedure took place during the investigation - very interesting and dramatic case indeed, that never had happened before.
Afterword by Peter Mass brings reader to year 2000 and sheds light on some unknown facts that have been revealed just recently. This makes the book even more fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling
Review: Newcomb's writing style is the perfect blend of historical text and storytelling. Plenty of reviews of this book cover the major points I'd want to make in this review, but one interesting facet of the way the events unfold in the book is the point-of-view of the torpedo attack itself. We get to read narrative accounts in succession from several surviving officers and crew, but the very first account we read is from the point of view of the Japanese sub commander. We get the cold, hard, wartime mission attack version before we get the frightening accounts of the terror and death from those who suffered it.
My introduction to the Indianapolis story was as a 9-year old hearing Robert Shaw's semi-fictional account of it in "Jaws". Some details in his monologue were not exactly accurate, but certainly were true to the spirit of the real event. Given the tragic events of the last few years and weeks (the WTC and Pentagon attacks, not to mention the Rhode Island nightclub fire of Feb. 2003 that burned alive nearly 100 concert-goers -- a recent event as I type this), it is horrifyingly simpler now to imagine the kind of fear and sheer terror the sailors on the Indianapolis went through, and to have empathy as well as sympathy. And the bureaucratic process that allowed this tragedy to happen and divert blame for it is shameful. If you aren't familiar with the story of the Indianapolis, grab this book and educate yourself. These events are too important to be lost to the sands of time, which is an increasing possiblility as the decades march on farther and farther away from World War II.
Rating:
Summary: Some of the best reading this year
Review: Several years ago I read a story abut a high school student whose research was directly responsible for the overturning of a court martial. I then saw a movie with Stacy Keach about the sinking of the BattleShip Indiannapolis. After that I was very interested in finding out more about the "Ship of Doom". Now having spent 6 great hours devouring every page of this true and gripping novel, I am certain that the miscarriage of justice has been righted. This book is as good as it gets, and for those who have ever served in the Navy, you'll be strolling down memory lane as they book details life aboard a ship. The book is a true testament and record to those who died and thos that lived. The book is a compelling look at the disaster, how the crew was affected and what happened to everyone, including the captain. Using actual testimony fromt he court martial, you have a first hand, inside look into how a chain of events can be looked at from several view points. If you are a histry buff, a Navy vet or anyone who loves a good mystery, than this book is certain must have and must read. Overall you'll be hard pressed to find any better work and this one gets my highest praise and recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: The Indianapolis's Last, Fatal Voyage
Review: The author, Richard F. Newcomb, has obviously spent many countless hours researching this event and interviewing the survivors. He did a great job trying to make this book come alive.
This book describes many aspects of this incident such as the time before and after the actual sinking of the Indianapolis. I found it interesting that the author gives you a little history on Captain Charles McVay and even on the Japanese submarine commander. Abandon Ship! talks about what the men had to go through after the sinking of the great ship in the Pacific. At the end, Newcomb includes the Court Marshal of Captain Charles McVay. Overall I think this is a great book that makes history come alive. I really got in to this book and I would highly recommend reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: True account of a Terrible Tragedy
Review: The story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, is a sad memoire of senseless loss of life during war time. The first half of this book goes into details about the ship itself, the crew and even the frame of mind of the enemy submarines captain that torpedoed the Indianapolis. The hours and days that following the sinking were documented on the pages as well as statements made by survivors. The second half of the book recounts the proceedings of the court martial of the Indianapolis' Captain, McVay. So many things went wrong ,from the search and rescue,to the speed of the sinking and the inability of officers to call for "abandon ship". Of the 800 some odd men that made it off the ship, only slightly more than 300 survived the ordeal, which is what the book is here to explain. A good narative with shocking revelations, it's a fast and easy read.
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