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[-] HeyJoe@lemmy.world 2 points 12 hours ago

It's not even a new thing. Here is what happened to the Captain of the USS Indianapolis after successfully delivering, in secret, the bombs that were used to end WW2. On the way home they were attacked by a Japanese sub and the ship sank.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)

Captain Charles B. McVay III, who had commanded Indianapolis since November 1944 through several battles, survived the sinking, though he was one of the last to abandon ship, and was among those rescued days later. In November 1945, he was court-martialed on two charges: failing to order his men to abandon ship and hazarding the ship. Cleared of the charge of failing to order abandon ship, McVay was convicted of "hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag". Several aspects of the court-martial were controversial. There was evidence that the Navy itself had placed the ship in harm's way. McVay's orders were to "zigzag at his discretion, weather permitting"; however, McVay was not informed that a Japanese submarine was operating in the vicinity of his route from Guam to Leyte. Further, Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto, commanding officer of I-58, wrote in his testimony to Senator John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, that zigzagging would have made no difference.[38] Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz remitted McVay's sentence and restored him to active duty. McVay retired in 1949 as a rear admiral.[39]

While many of Indianapolis's survivors said McVay was not to blame for the sinking, the families of some of the men who died thought otherwise: "Merry Christmas! Our family's holiday would be a lot merrier if you hadn't killed my son", read one piece of mail.[40] The guilt that was placed on his shoulders mounted until he killed himself in 1968, aged 70.[41]

this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2026
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