uss indianapolis

On November 9, 2023, The City of Myrtle Beach opened its new World War 2 Memorial on the grounds of Warbird Park, just past the front entrance going into the Market Commons area of Myrtle Beach. This was, for nearly a half century, the front gate of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base until it closed in 1993.  In the years since the city of Myrtle Beach has tried to preserve its history as a military town.  

This Memorial was the brain child of Myrtle Beach City Councilman Dr. Phil Render, whose father was a World War 2 Veteran, who aided at the landing at Bougainville in the Pacific.  This Memorial was very special to us at this podcast as we have been trying to educate people on the great leadership lessons that the Greatest Generation showed us in the half century they ran the American Government.  In this episode, we actually use materials from the various episodes we have done covering the military events of the era. We use footage from interviews with Senators Dan Inouye, Strom Thurmond, and Bob Dole, we also feature George H.W. Bush and survivors from the sinking of the USS Indianapolis.  Much of this audio materials is mixed in with the recent event in Myrtle Beach. 

At that event the city was able to gather together 11 World War 2 Veterans for an amazing moment to share with the last living links to this incredible era. The Former Mayor of Myrtle Beach Robert  Hirsch spoke at the event and we have his  speech in its entirety on this broadcast.  Mayor Hirsch, who served as Mayor from 1973 to 1977, was also a World War 2 Veteran and American fighter pilot, who served in Europe and met General Patton among many of the giants of the era. He tells that story and many more in his speech at this event. Mayor Hirsch just recently celebrated his 100th birthday. This episode is a real treat, and an honor to have been able to put together , as we honor the Greatest Generation both on our show and with a beautiful Memorial in Myrtle Beach. 

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
https://podcasts.feedspot.com/american_history_podcasts/

Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

In this second episode on the sinking of the USS Indianapolis we find the sailors in the water with a nemesis arguably even more dangerous than the Japanese.  It is the predators that roam the oceans known as Sharks. With in minutes of the sinking of the ship the survivors began to see the the fins circling them as they tried to figure out how to survive. 

You will hear the men talk about how they were covered in diesel fuel and oil, hungry and thirsty, but knowing they had to avoid drinking the salt water to avoid going mad. One soldier talks about how there are times when you pray and then times when you PRAY, and they were all doing that nonstop as they bobbed up and down in 18,000 feet of water.  You will hear tales of madness, hallucinations, disemboweled bodies, shark attacks, and sharks that actually swam right up to them and nosed their life jackets. It is as horrifying a story as any Hollywood movie ever shown. 

You will also hear about their heroic rescue, the unfair court marshalling of their ship's Captain despite his own heroism at sea, and you will hear some of the movie scene that brought this story back to the forefront of the American public. But most of all, you will get a full dose of the heroism of the American fighting man, and the humility, and gratefulness, that is so much a hallmark of our military as well.  It is a story that will give you the full measure of the sacrifices of generations of Americans that has been made to keep us free. 

Our Podcast wished to recognize the veterans whose oral history and interviews we used to tell this story, all but one are now deceased : Edgar Harrell, Art Leenerman, Don McCall, Earl Wiggins, San Gabriel, Adolfo Celaya, and Harold Bray, (Mr. Bray is the lone survivor that is still living as of this production. ) 

JAWS Credit :

• Universal Pictures
  • (United States, 1975)(Universal, An MCA Company, theatrical)

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary

Jaws [Original Score] by John Williams released in 1975

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
https://podcasts.feedspot.com/american_history_podcasts/

Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

In this first episode in a two part special edition, we look back at one of the most horrifying stories of all of World War 2, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. This was the story made famous by a scene in the movie "JAWS" when the fictional Captain Quint relives his time in the water with Chief Brody and Matt Hooper.  It is used to explain the character's almost maniacal hunting of sharks.  That is totally understandable when you learn the real story from the survivors who lived through this nightmare.

We move you in this episode from finally finding the ship at the bottom of the Philippine Sea to looking at how our  selected survivors ended up on the ship, to the night it went down and left them stranded in the water for five nights and four days.  They were stranded in the deepest area of the Pacific Ocean infested with the most aggressive of deep water predators, As Captain Quint said,  " by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don’t know how many sharks there were, maybe a thousand. I don't know how many men, they averaged six an hour."

It is an extraordinary story , that captures in one tale the price our nation has often had to pay to be free.

Our Podcast wished to recognize the veterans whose oral history and interviews we used to tell this story, all but one are now deceased : Edgar Harrell, Art Leenerman, Don McCall, Earl Wiggins, San Gabriel, Adolfo Celaya, and Harold Bray, (Mr. Bray is the lone survivor that is still living as of this production. )
 

JAWS Credit :

• Universal Pictures
  • (United States, 1975)(Universal, An MCA Company, theatrical)

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary

Jaws [Original Score] by John Williams released in 1975

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
https://podcasts.feedspot.com/american_history_podcasts/

Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Doug Stanton wrote the #1 New York Times bestselling In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer turned Horse Soldiers into 12 Strong, starring Chris Hemsworth. Stanton is interested in “dramatic situations when people are forced to make a right decision at the most difficult moment.”

Here we discuss In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Store of its Survivors, and the lessons it teaches on leadership, responsibility, and accountability to each other, after the absolute worst happens.

In July of 1945, after the Indianapolis delivered the atomic bomb to Tinian Island so the Enola Gay could drop it on Hiroshima, the Indianapolis was torpedoed by the Japanese, sending 900 sailors into the shark-infested seas. Due to several catastrophic mistakes by Navy command, no one came to the rescue for days after, leaving 600 men to drown or be eaten by sharks. (This is the scene in JAWS that Quint describes while drinking with his crewmates.)

To Captain McVay III’s great credit, he kept the men together and spirits up during four inhumanly hard days – a sterling example of leadership under tremendous pressure, by McVay and the men themselves -- until finally a U.S. plane discovered them by accident, saving 300 souls. Nonetheless, McVay became the first U.S. Navy captain to be court-martialed, despite testimony from his crew to the Japanese captain who torpedoed his ship. It was a grossly unfair outcome, but Captain McVay never blamed anyone else – though he surely could have. The survivors kept reuniting for years afterward, and through their efforts, McVay’s name was finally cleared in 2000 – 32 years after his death by suicide.

Stanton tells the story masterfully, and the leadership lessons it has to teach.

Connect with Doug and get his books:

http://dougstanton.com/

For info about the book or this podcast please visit our website:

http://www.letthemleadbybacon.com

http://www.johnubacon.com

You can connect with John via these platforms:

https://www.facebook.com/johnubacon

https://twitter.com/Johnubacon

About our Host:

For info about the book or this podcast please visit our website:

http://www.letthemleadbybacon.com

http://www.johnubacon.com

You can connect with John via these platforms:

https://www.facebook.com/johnubacon

https://twitter.com/Johnubacon

In this episode Regina and Lynn share their love of sharks, particularly their love of all things Jaws related with two true life tales that lent inspiration to the movies.  

Regina tells us the tale of the 1916 shark attacks on the New Jersey shore that inspired Peter Benchley's break away novel Jaws.  We all know Regina loves delving into that era in American history, and yet again she comes back with the glaring truth of just how little people knew about things we take for granted today.

Lynn brings us home with the real life horror story that fueled the character Quint's hatred for sharks, the story of the USS Indianapolis and the fate of the 1,196 man crew who went into the water.  Delving into the darker side of terrible we see how assumption, poor communication, and baseless blame can equal tragedy.  

Find us at www.disturbinginterests.com
Facebook The Disturbing Interests Podcast
Twitter @podcast_di, @EvileQueen, @RatsnHats
Email us at disturbinginterests@gmail.com
Instagram @NekoThePodcat, @DIPodcast, @LynnPrints, @the_evile_queen
TikTok @that1chyc
PO Box, 70515 Seattle, WA, 98127

Support us at: patreon.com/disturbinginterests

Find us at www.disturbinginterests.com
Facebook The Disturbing Interests Podcast
Twitter @podcast_di, @EvileQueen, @RatsnHats
Email us at disturbinginterests@gmail.com
Instagram @NekoThePodcat, @DIPodcast, @LynnTheArtDork, @the_evile_queen
Music from Purple Planet Music

Part of the Darkcast Network