McVay, Charles Butler, III, RADM

Deceased
 
 Service Photo   Service Details
14 kb
View Shadow Box View Printable Shadow Box View Time Line
Final Rank
Rear Admiral Upper Half
Last Designator Group
Line Officer
Primary Unit
1946-1949, 8th Naval District
Service Years
1916 - 1949
Rear Admiral Upper Half Rear Admiral Upper Half

 Last Photo   Personal Details 

9 kb


Home State
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
Year of Birth
1898
 
This Military Service Page was created/owned by Michael Kohan (Mikey), ATCS to remember McVay, Charles Butler, III, RADM USN(Ret).

If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
 
Contact Info
Home Town
Ephrata, PA
Last Address
Litchfield, CT
Date of Passing
Nov 06, 1968
 

 Official Badges 




 Unofficial Badges 




 Additional Information
Last Known Activity:


 RADM McVay is mostly known for his service as the Commanding Officer of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). The USS Indianapolis received orders to carry parts and nuclear material to Tinian for use in the atomic bombs which were soon to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After delivering the top secret cargo, the ship was en route to report for further duty off Okinawa. Early in the morning of July 30, 1945, she was attacked by the Japanese submarine I-58 under Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto. Six torpedoes were launched and the Indianapolis was hit twice, the first removing over forty feet of her bow, the second hitting the starboard side at frame forty (below the bridge). The Indianapolis immediately took a fifteen degree list, capsized and sank within 12 minutes. Of the crew of 1,196 men, 879 men died.

Capt. McVay was court-martialed for failing to zigzag. The conviction effectively ended McVay's career as he lost seniority, although the sentence was overturned by Secretary James Forrestal owing to McVay's bravery prior to the sinking, and McVay was finally promoted to rear admiral when he retired from the navy in 1949.

He served 29 years. McVay took his own life by shooting himself with his service pistol at his home in
Litchfield, Connecticut, holding in his hand a toy sailor he had received as a boy for a good luck charm.

In October 2000, the United States Congress passed a resolution that McVay's record should reflect that "he is exonerated for the loss of the USS Indianapolis." In July 2001, Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England ordered McVay's official Navy record purged of all wrongdoing.

Final disposition - Cremated, Ashes scattered at sea, Specifically: ashes scattered at Bayou Liberty near
Slidell, LA.

   
Other Comments:


McVay's ship, but not McVay himself, is mentioned in the 1975 blockbuster movie Jaws, in which the character of Quint is portrayed as a survivor of the incident.

In 1978, the events surrounding McVay's court-martial were dramatized in The Failure to ZigZag by playwright John B. Ferzacca. The 1991 made-for-television movie
Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis depicts the ordeal of the men of the Indianapolis during her last voyage (with McVay portrayed by Stacy Keach), as does the 2016 film USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (with McVay portrayed by Nicolas Cage). Also in 2016, USS Indianapolis: The Legacy was released. It is an in-depth film where the survivors tell the story of what really happened and they speak about the aftermath of the tragic event.

   
 Photo Album   (More...


  1944-1945, USS Indianapolis (CA-35)

Captain

From Month/Year
November / 1944

To Month/Year
July / 1945

Unit
USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Unit Page

Rank
Captain

NEC
Not Specified

Base, Station or City
Not Specified

State/Country
Not Specified
 
 
 Patch
 USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Details

USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
























 
CLASS - PORTLAND
Displacement 9,950 Tons, Dimensions, 610' 3" (oa) x 66' 1" x 24' (Max)
Armament 9 x 8"/55, 8 x 5"/25, 8 x 0.5" 4 Aircraft.
Armor, 5" Belt, 2 1/2 Turrets, 2 1/2" Deck, 1 1/4 Conning Tower.
Machinery, 107,000 SHP; Geared Turbines, 4 screws
Speed, 32.7 Knots, Crew 621.
Operational and Building Data
Keel laid on 31 MAR 1930 at New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, NJ
Launched 07 NOV 1931
Commissioned 15 NOV 1932
Fate: Torpedoed and sunk 30 JUL 1945 by Japanese submarine I-58

 

USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. She was named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.

She was the flagship of Admiral Raymond Spruance while he commanded the Fifth Fleet in battles across the Central Pacific. Her sinking led to the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. On 30 July 1945, after delivering parts for Little Boy, the first atomic bomb used in combat, to the United States air base at Tinian, the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58, sinking in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship.

The remaining 900 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks while floating with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. Only 317 survived.

 

Rank Name Date
Captain John M. Smeallie 15 November 1932 — 10 December 1934
Captain William S. McClintic 10 December 1934 — 16 March 1936
Captain Henry Kent Hewitt 16 March 1936 – 5 June 1937
Captain Thomas C. Kinkaid 5 June 1937 – 1 July 1938
Captain John F. Shafroth, Jr. 1 July 1938 – 1 October 1941
Captain Edward Hanson 1 October 1941 – 11 July 1942
Captain Morton L. Deyo 11 July 1942 – 12 January 1943
Captain Nicholas Vytlacil 12 January 1943 – 30 July 1943
Captain Einar R. Johnson 30 July 1943 – 18 November 1944
Captain Charles B. McVay III 18 November 1944 – 30 July 1945


Type
Surface Vessel
 

Parent Unit
Surface Vessels

Strength
Heavy Cruiser

Created/Owned By
Not Specified
   

Last Updated: Mar 18, 2019
   
   
Yearbook
 
My Photos For This Unit
USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
348 Members Also There at Same Time
USS Indianapolis (CA-35)

Conway, Thomas Michael, LT, (1942-1945) OFF 410X Lieutenant
Trudeau, Edmond Arthur, LT, (1940-1945) OFF Lieutenant
Barry, Charles, LTJG, (1943-1945) OFF Lieutenant Junior Grade
Crouch, Edwin Mason, CAPT, (1917-1945) OFF Captain
Haynes, Lewis Leavitt, CAPT, (1938-1965) OFF 210X Lieutenant Commander
Henry, Earl O'Dell, LCDR, (1941-1945) OFF 220X Lieutenant Commander
Gerngross, Frederick Joseph, ENS, (1942-1945) 00 00X Ensign
Anderson, Lawrence Joseph, PO2, (1941-1945) SK SK-0000 Other Service Rank
Barksdale, Thomas Leon, PO3, (1943-1945) FC FC-0000 Other Service Rank
Berry Jr., Joseph R., S1c, (1943-1945) SD SD-0000 Other Service Rank
Burkholtz, Frank, F1c, (1943-1945) EM EM-0000 Other Service Rank
Burt, William George Allan, S1c, (1942-1945) QM QM-0000 Other Service Rank
Cadwallader, John Julian, PO3, (1944-1945) RT RT-0000 Other Service Rank
Campana, Paul, PO3, (1942-1945) RD RD-0000 Other Service Rank
Consiglio, Joseph William, PO2, (1944-1945) FC FC-0000 Other Service Rank
Davis, Thomas Edward, PO2, (1942-1945) SM SM-0000 Other Service Rank
Donald, Lyle Herbert, PO1, (1942-1945) EM EM-0000 Other Service Rank
Gaither, Forest Maylon, PO2, (1942-1945) FC FC-0000 Other Service Rank
Gill, Paul Edward, PO2, (1943-1945) WT WT-0000 Other Service Rank
Guenther, Morgan Edward, PO3, (1942-1945) EM EM-0000 Other Service Rank
Guye, Ralph Lee, PO3, (1943-1945) QM QM-0000 Other Service Rank
Hartrick, Willis Boomer, PO1, (1942-1945) MM MM-0000 Other Service Rank
Hensley, Clifford, PO2, (1942-1945) 00 00E Other Service Rank
Hickey, Harry Todd, PO3, (1942-1945) RM RM-0000 Other Service Rank
Hughes, Robert Alexander, PO3, (1944-1945) FC FC-0000 Other Service Rank
Hunter, Arthur Riles, PO1, (1940-1945) QM QM-0000 Other Service Rank
Johnston, Earl Rankin, PO2, (1942-1945) BM BM-0000 Other Service Rank
Jordan, Henry, S2c, (1944-1945) StM StM-0000 Other Service Rank
Kirk, James Roy, S1c, (1943-1945) Ck Ck-0000 Other Service Rank
Knupke, Richard Roland, PO3, (1944-1945) MM MM-0000 Other Service Rank
Koegler, William, PO3, (1943-1945) Ck Ck-0000 Other Service Rank
Krawitz, Harry Joseph, PO3, (1944-1945) MM MM-0000 Other Service Rank
Landon Jr., William Wallace, PO2, (1942-1945) FC FC-0000 Other Service Rank
Laughlin, Fain Heskett, PO3, (1944-1945) SK SK-0000 Other Service Rank
Lewis, John Robert, PO3, (1943-1945) GM GM-0000 Other Service Rank
Lindsay, Norman Lee, PO3, (1943-1945) SF SF-0000 Other Service Rank
Mankin, Howard James, PO3, (1943-1945) GM GM-0000 Other Service Rank
Melichar, Charles Harry, PO3, (1943-1945) EM EM-0000 Other Service Rank
Metcalf, David William, PO2, (1943-1945) GM GM-0000 Other Service Rank
Michael, Bertrand Franklin, PO3, (1943-1945) Bkr Bkr-0000 Other Service Rank
Mills, William Harry, PO3, (1943-1945) EM EM-0000 Other Service Rank
Mittler, Peter John, PO3, (1943-1945) GM GM-0000 Other Service Rank
Newcomer, Lewis Willard, PO3, (1944-1945) MM MM-0000 Other Service Rank
Peterson, Frederick Alexander, PO3, (1945-1945) ME ME-0000 Other Service Rank
Petrincic, John Nicholas, PO3, (1943-1945) FC FC-0000 Other Service Rank
Rockenbach, Earl Arthur, PO2, (1942-1945) Ck Ck-0000 Other Service Rank
Rutherford, Robert Arnold, PO2, (1942-1945) RM RM-0000 Other Service Rank
Schlatter, Robert Leroy, PO3, (1943-1945) AOM AOM-0000 Other Service Rank
Simcox, Gordon William, PO3, (1944-1945) EM EM-0000 Other Service Rank
Smeraglia, Michael A., PO3, (1942-1945) RM RM-0000 Other Service Rank
Steigerwald, Fred, PO2, (1942-1945) GM GM-0000 Other Service Rank
Stevens, Wayne Allen, PO2, (1942-1945) MM MM-0000 Other Service Rank
Streich, Allen Charles, PO2, (1942-1945) RM RM-0000 Other Service Rank
Truitt, Robert Edward, PO2, (1943-1945) RM RM-0000 Other Service Rank
Turner, William Clifford, PO2, (1943-1945) MM MM-0000 Other Service Rank
Wallace, Earl John, PO1, (1943-1945) RD RD-0000 Other Service Rank
Wallace, John, PO1, (1943-1945) RD RD-0000 Other Service Rank
Wells, Gerald Lloyd, PO3, (1942-1945) EM EM-0000 Other Service Rank
Wennerholm, Wayne Leslie, PO3, (1942-1945) BM BM-0000 Other Service Rank

Copyright Togetherweserved.com Inc 2003-2025