Abandon Ship!, Richard F. Newcomb
Abandon Ship!, Richard F. Newcomb
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Abandon Ship!
The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the Navy's Greatest Sea Disaster

Author: Richard F. Newcomb

Narrator: Qarie Marshall

Unabridged: 10 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/14/2019

Synopsis

Sailing across the Pacific, the battle-scarred heavy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis had just delivered a secret cargo that would trigger the end of World War II. Heading westward, she was sunk by a Japanese submarine. In twelve minutes, some 300 men went down with her. More than 900 other spent four horrific days and five nights in the ocean with no water to drink, savaged by a pitiless sun and swarms of sharks. Incredibly, no one knew they were there until a Navy patrol plane accidentally discovered them. In the end, only 316 crewmen survived. How could this have happenedand why? This updated edition of Abandon Ship!, with an introduction and afterword by Peter Maas, supplies the chilling answer. A harrowing account of military malfeasance and human tragedy, Abandon Ship! also scrutinizes the role of the U.S. Navy in the disaster, especially the court-martial of the ship's captain, Charles Butler McVay III. Maas reveals facts previously unavailable to Richard Newcomb and chronicles a forty-year crusade to right a wrong, a crusade Abandon Ship! inspired.

About Richard F. Newcomb

Richard F. Newcomb served as a wartime naval correspondent during World War II and received a Purple Heart. He is a retired news editor of the Associated Press and the author of six books. He lives in Palm Coast, Florida.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Cary on June 12, 2012

OK, where do I begin? First off, the Indianapolis should have had a Destroyer escort, being since it was an older ship and did not have any submarine detection devices. People in the loop knew that enemy sub activity had been reported and verified in the very path that the Indianapolis was to take.......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on May 24, 2020

A highly detailed, clear, non-biased account into a great tragedy of WWII. Well-written and engaging. The last voyage of the ship U.S.S. Indianapolis was one of those events where everything goes wrong. The sinking was only the beginning of the nightmare for the 900 men who went alive into the water.......more

Goodreads review by Jenn on May 27, 2017

This book meant a lot to me. My grandfather was one of the survivors. We were never aloud to talk about it with him and now he is gone so reading is the only way I can learn. My grandfather is actually mentioned in this book :)......more

Goodreads review by Cynthia on February 03, 2020

Great book, tragic story that never should have happened.......more

Goodreads review by Dee on February 08, 2025

Audible credit 10 hours 40 min. Narrated by Quarie Marshall (5) 4.5 stars This is the first book published about the terrible disaster that followed the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis on July 29/30,1945. Its publication and instant rise to the best seller list was responsible for reuniting 159 of......more

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