--- title: "A sixth grade history project exonerated the captain of the USS Indianapolis" description: "Hunter Scott, now a naval aviator himself, poured through government documents as a sixth-grade student to set the record straight." date: "2022-06-08" modified: "2023-06-09" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/the-loss-of-uss-indianapolis/" categories: - "History" - "Military Branches" - "Military News" - "Navy" - "Wars" - "World War II" --- # A sixth grade history project exonerated the captain of the USS Indianapolis ![uss indianapolis]() In 1945, the USS* Indianapolis* completed its top secret mission of delivering atomic bomb components to [Tinian Island]() in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The heavy cruiser was sunk on its way to join a task force near Okinawa. Of the ship's 1195 crewmembers, only 316 survived the sinking and the subsequent time adrift at sea in the middle of nowhere. Among the survivors was the captain of the* Indianapolis*, Charles B. McVay III. McVay would be charged with negligence in the loss of the ship. Even though he was restored to active duty after his court-martial and retired a rear admiral, the guilt of the loss haunted him for the rest of his life. He committed suicide with his Navy revolver on his own front lawn with a toy sailor in his hand. ![]() *Even he doubted his own innocence. (US Navy)* McVay did everything he could in the wake of the torpedoing of the *Indianapolis*. He sounded the alarm, giving the order to abandon ship and was one of the last men off. Many of the survivors of the sinking publicly stated he was not to blame for its loss. But this wasn't enough for the family members of the ship's crew, who hounded McVay year after year, blaming him for the loss of their sons. The Navy was partly to blame. They didn't warn *Indianapolis* that the submarine I-58 was operating along the area of the [ship's course to Okinawa](). They also didn't warn the ship to zigzag in its pattern to evade enemy submarines. When the *Indianapolis* radioed a distress signal, it was picked up by three Navy stations, who ignored the call because one was drunk, the other had a commander who didn't want to be disturbed, and the last thought it was a trap. ![A black and white photograph of a large group of men, likely sailors or military personnel, posing in front of a ship. They are wearing uniforms with caps, arranged in four rows with some sitting cross-legged on the ground, others kneeling or standing behind them. The background shows part of the ship's structure, including a ladder on the right side and coiled ropes or equipment hanging above. The men have serious to neutral expressions.]() *(National Archives)* Three and a half days later, the survivors were rescued from the open water, suffering from salt water poisoning, exposure, hypothermia, and the largest case of shark attacks ever recorded. It was truly a horrifying scene. The horror is what led to McVay's court martial, one of very few commanders to face such a trial concerning the loss of a ship. Even though the Japanese commander of I-58, the man who actually destroyed the *Indianapolis*, told the U.S. Navy that standard Navy evasion techniques would not have worked –* Indianapolis* was doomed from the get-go. Even that didn't satisfy McVay's critics. It wasn't until sixth-grader Hunter Scott began a history project in school about the sinking of the* Indianapolis*. He poured through official Navy documents until he found the evidence he needed to conclusively prove that McVay wasn't responsible for the loss of his ship. His project caught the attention of then-Congressman Joe Scarborough and [Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich]() who helped pass a Congressional resolution exonerating McVay. It was signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000. ![USS Indianapolis]() *Admiral Raymond Spruance, Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet, awards a Purple Heart to RM1c Joseph Moran and his fellow survivors of the loss of USS *Indianapolis* (CA-35) at Base Hospital #18 Guam. The other two Sailors pictured are BGM3c Glenn Morgan (left) and S1c Louis Bitonti (right). (U.S. Navy photo/Released)* Hunter Scott, the onetime sixth-grader and eternal friend to the crew of the *Indianapolis*, is now a naval aviator. He attended the University of North Carolina on a Navy ROTC scholarship and joined active duty in 2007. He even spoke at the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. *Feature image: US Navy photo* ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()