Hunter Scott was determined to make things right for Captain McVay and his crew. That's why on Tuesday, September 14, 1999, Hunter took McVay's case to court once more. Hunter possessed all the information needed to clear McVay of charges. Most of the few remaining survivors came as witnesses and even the captain of the Japanese submarine that sunk the Indianapolis, Mochisura Hashimoto, was there to help clear McVay's name. Hunter presented information as the judge and others asked. That is why, on October 12, 2000, McVay was cleared of all court-martial. Hunter had completed his mission.
Right now, Hunter Scott is a helicopter pilot in San Diego, California. He graduated from University of North Carolina (located in Chapel Hill) in May 2007. Hunter Scott had an incredible sense of right and wrong for his young age that carried on throughout his years. Many books have been written about him because Hunter is a true hero.
I feel very happy that Hunter cleared McVay's name because McVay was innocent in my opinion. I can connect to Hunter and feel his hopes and dreams because, as you are reading, you just feel that Hunter is the last hope and that you too want to help him on his quest to clear McVay's charges. Hunter is a caring, selfless person who will do anything to correct an error made even if he does not know that person. I think that we should all look up to Hunter as a role model. Hunter found a hope, a dream even, and worked as hard as he possibly could to achieve that goal. I think that Hunter is a mature, caring, altruistic, boy who has a long, joyous life ahead of him. Hunter, we all thank you for your outstanding courage and devotion to helping people.
In the second paragraph, the information came from http://www.unc.edu/~hascott/hunter/hunter..html and I do not own that information.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Hunter Scott
When Hunter Scott, age 9, watched Jaws, he intently gazed in awe at the scene where a captain is explaining his spine-tingling experience on the Indianapolis. Hunter asked his dad if it was a real sinking and his dad replied that it was and that he should consider that as a topic for the school science fair. The theme for the fair was "Tragedy and Triumph" so Hunter adopted that idea saying that it was a perfect topic. Hunter could find very little information about the topic so he put an advertisement in the local paper looking for survivors and their stories. One survivor replied and gave his heartbreaking story to the child along with a list of all the survivors with their addresses and phone numbers. Hunter put together three spiral notebooks full of information from over 80 of the survivors with pictures of the ship and letters written and received by the crew members. Hunter found that it was quite unfair how McVay was treated and took in a quest of clearing McVay's name. He won the school, as well as the county, science fair, but a slight infraction of the rules disqualified him from going any farther. Hunter was determined to succeed on his quest and would not let his age get in the way.
I thought that Hunter's pure passion to clear McVay's name was priceless and touching. Hunter never met Captain McVay, but still was charged with the same drive that all who knew McVay and wanted to clear his name had. Hunter's sense of right and wrong and maturity was really surprising because of how old he was at the time. The author raises a point of saying that Hunter was very smart and had a leader-type personality and I agree with that theory. Hunter seemed like he had a natural ability to lead and persuade. I feel that what Hunter is doing for McVay is really kind and considerate.
I thought that Hunter's pure passion to clear McVay's name was priceless and touching. Hunter never met Captain McVay, but still was charged with the same drive that all who knew McVay and wanted to clear his name had. Hunter's sense of right and wrong and maturity was really surprising because of how old he was at the time. The author raises a point of saying that Hunter was very smart and had a leader-type personality and I agree with that theory. Hunter seemed like he had a natural ability to lead and persuade. I feel that what Hunter is doing for McVay is really kind and considerate.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
What Has Become of Captain McVay
"Captain Charles Butler McVay III was a good man and a great captain." McVay's crew stated. McVay had been receiving terrible letters from people who lost loved ones to the sinking of the Indianapolis. At Christmas time, people would send him horrid letters saying that he had ruined their Christmases forever because of the loss of husbands and sons to the fateful sinking. When McVay attended a survivors get-together, he expected his crew to hate him, too. His crew actually welcomed him in with joy and told him that it was not and would never be his fault. McVay replied saying that he deserved what came to him. When his beloved wife Louise died of lung cancer, McVay was heartbroken. He spread her ashes along the Gulf of Mexico. He remarried a girl named Lillian Smith and they moved onto a farm in the countryside.
On November 6, 1968, McVay spent the morning helping out on the farm. Later in the afternoon, their housekeeper, Florence Regosia, noticed that McVay had not touched his lunch. She went up to his room and found an empty gun holster on his night table. She looked to see if his car was in the garage when Boom! She heard the shot of a gun. Regosia ran to the back porch to see McVay, with a gun in his right hand, crumpled on the porch. His .38-caliber revolver was in his right hand and his keyring was in his left. On his keyring was a small toy sailor that he'd gotten as a child which was a good-luck charm to him. McVay died a couple hours later while in the hospital. His ashes were spread along the Gulf of Mexico, right where his true love Louise's ashes were.
I feel that Captain McVay did not deserve the fate that he got. He was going through a tough time already with losing his crew, ship, title as a captain, and losing his precious Louise. With all of the hate mail that was a lot to take in at all around the same time. I feel that if McVay was not blamed in the first place, then none of this would have happened. (Except for Louise. The Navy could not have stopped that.) I was appalled that all of those people would send hate mail, especially during the holidays. If I were in those people's shoes, I would have sent support mail to Captain McVay instead on hate mail. I truly think that Captain McVay did not deserve the treatment that was portrayed towards him. McVay was treated kind of like how Margot was treated in Ray Bradbury's All Summer in a Day. Margot was treated unkindly just like how McVay was treated unkindly. All said, McVay was a good man.
On November 6, 1968, McVay spent the morning helping out on the farm. Later in the afternoon, their housekeeper, Florence Regosia, noticed that McVay had not touched his lunch. She went up to his room and found an empty gun holster on his night table. She looked to see if his car was in the garage when Boom! She heard the shot of a gun. Regosia ran to the back porch to see McVay, with a gun in his right hand, crumpled on the porch. His .38-caliber revolver was in his right hand and his keyring was in his left. On his keyring was a small toy sailor that he'd gotten as a child which was a good-luck charm to him. McVay died a couple hours later while in the hospital. His ashes were spread along the Gulf of Mexico, right where his true love Louise's ashes were.
I feel that Captain McVay did not deserve the fate that he got. He was going through a tough time already with losing his crew, ship, title as a captain, and losing his precious Louise. With all of the hate mail that was a lot to take in at all around the same time. I feel that if McVay was not blamed in the first place, then none of this would have happened. (Except for Louise. The Navy could not have stopped that.) I was appalled that all of those people would send hate mail, especially during the holidays. If I were in those people's shoes, I would have sent support mail to Captain McVay instead on hate mail. I truly think that Captain McVay did not deserve the treatment that was portrayed towards him. McVay was treated kind of like how Margot was treated in Ray Bradbury's All Summer in a Day. Margot was treated unkindly just like how McVay was treated unkindly. All said, McVay was a good man.
Indianapolis Information
This is a through research document on the USS Indianapolis that is packed full with useful information. I feel that it is important to know about the ships that sunk and all of the crew's bravery. I hope you feel the same way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)
I do not own the above website.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)
I do not own the above website.
Online Summary
Here is summary of "Left for Dead" by Peter Nelson. I do not own the following material.
http://missdaisyanne.blogspot.com/2012/04/book-review-left-for-dead-young-mans.html
If you feel that you need a summary of the book before you read it, this is a good synopsis.
http://missdaisyanne.blogspot.com/2012/04/book-review-left-for-dead-young-mans.html
If you feel that you need a summary of the book before you read it, this is a good synopsis.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
The Charges
Captain McVay was charged with two allegations:
"1. "Through negligence suffering a vessel of the Navy to be hazarded... by failing to cause a zigzag course to be steered... during good visibility."
2. "Culpable inefficiency in the performance of duty... by failing to issue timely orders to abandon ship.""
The second charge was omitted because McVay called abandon ship two minutes after the torpedoes hit, but the first one remained. Captain McVay's first allegation states that he put his ship in danger because he was not zigzagging and failed to give adequate instructions to the night of the sinking. Originally, others were charged with letters of reprimand, but they were omitted so the entire blame rested on McVay's shoulders.
I feel that it was not McVay's fault that the ship sunk because the vision was not clear when he gave the orders to not zigzag and asked his crew to tell him if there were any changes in weather. The moon came out and the crew decided not to tell him because it was not a major weather change. McVay could not have possibly known that there would me a Japanese submarine waiting for him. What really shocked me was when the Navy decided that McVay was not of rank and did not tell him some vital information. The Navy was fully aware that there were submarines in the area and did not provide the Indianapolis with an escort ship to search and take down submarines. The Navy blames McVay for poor judgement of not zigzagging, but McVay probably would have been zigzagging if he had been provided with that life-saving information. For now, the blame rests on McVay's shoulders.
"1. "Through negligence suffering a vessel of the Navy to be hazarded... by failing to cause a zigzag course to be steered... during good visibility."
2. "Culpable inefficiency in the performance of duty... by failing to issue timely orders to abandon ship.""
The second charge was omitted because McVay called abandon ship two minutes after the torpedoes hit, but the first one remained. Captain McVay's first allegation states that he put his ship in danger because he was not zigzagging and failed to give adequate instructions to the night of the sinking. Originally, others were charged with letters of reprimand, but they were omitted so the entire blame rested on McVay's shoulders.
I feel that it was not McVay's fault that the ship sunk because the vision was not clear when he gave the orders to not zigzag and asked his crew to tell him if there were any changes in weather. The moon came out and the crew decided not to tell him because it was not a major weather change. McVay could not have possibly known that there would me a Japanese submarine waiting for him. What really shocked me was when the Navy decided that McVay was not of rank and did not tell him some vital information. The Navy was fully aware that there were submarines in the area and did not provide the Indianapolis with an escort ship to search and take down submarines. The Navy blames McVay for poor judgement of not zigzagging, but McVay probably would have been zigzagging if he had been provided with that life-saving information. For now, the blame rests on McVay's shoulders.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
The Sinking
The Indianapolis sunk on July 20th, 1945 by a Japanese submarine called the I-58. The captain of the I-58 was Mochitsura Hashimoto. Hashimoto had not seen any action while he was patrolling the "Peddie" route and had not sunken any ships so far. He saw a ship drifting along in the distance and thought it was a prime opportunity to prove to his country that he was doing a good job as captain. Hashimoto shot his torpedoes at the USS Indianapolis. Two torpedoes hit the ship, causing it to sink. I thought that it was horrifying to read the stories the survivors had to tell. I don't blame Hashimoto, though. He was just doing his duty as captain and staying loyal to his country. What happened was fate. A horrifying, life-changing fate that took hundreds of lives. It took only twelve minutes, twelve minutes to kill about 300 men and send roughly 880 men into the shark-infested ocean water. The same water that posed as a grave for many of the men who died in its briny waves. A total of 880 men died and 317 men had survived, but had their lives changed forever. I thought that it was daunting how long the men suffered in the water, their last breaths weighing them down further into the deathly water. These men were some of the bravest men I have ever heard of. The last of the survivors were lifted out of the water 113 hours after the ship sank. These survivors used perseverance and will-power to keep themselves alive. These survivors are some of the toughest men out there.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
McVay and Scott
Hunter Scott is a boy who did a report on the sinking of the Indianapolis and helped reveal a hidden truth about the Navy.
I included a picture so you can see what they looked like!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Captain McVay
Captain McVay was a wonderful captain according to Peter Nelson and the crew from the Indianapolis. He was respected by one and all and by every member of the crew. None of the survivors believe that McVay was responsible for the deaths of so many people and the sinking of the ships. In fact, most blame the Navy. The Navy should have and could have given the Indianapolis an escort ship to take down submarines because she didn't have radar enforcements to detect submarines but they said it was not necessary. The strange thing was that they had information of a separate ship had sunken near their route called "Convoy Route Peddie" and there had been submarine sightings in and around the area. Another thing is that the Navy had been breaching Japanese messages and had information that Japanese submarines would be cruising the area. Because of not being told the important information about the Japanese subs, Captain McVay sailed right into the enemy. He was not informed of the vital information needed to avoid the subs because he was "not of rank."
The Indianapolis Description
Peter Nelson gave a great, through description of the Indianapolis. " Her light weight, however, made her one of the fastest ships in the navy, with a flank speed of 32 knots." This is just one of the many iconographic details Nelson gives to describe. I felt as though I was there looking right at the ship in all it's resplendent glory. Nelson also includes the measurements that help you visualize the size of the grandiose ship. He gave a consummate description of the massive ship's ammunition and defensive mechanisms. The excellent description made it feel as though I was standing in front of the ship because of all the descriptive details included in the chapter. Nelson used his show-not-tell technique really skillfully in this paragraph.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Online Review
http://ussindy.blogspot.com/2009/11/left-for-dead.html
I found this online review of my book very interesting and helpful and I hope you feel the same way.
I found this online review of my book very interesting and helpful and I hope you feel the same way.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
"Left for Dead"
I've been reading this book called "Left for Dead" by Peter Nelson. So far, this book has been filled with shocking stories from the survivors from the ship the Indianapolis. This ship was sunk by Japanese torpedoes, but was such a secret voyage that no one knew the ship had sunk. These men were extremely brave and carried on for days in shark-infested water covered in the oil spilt from their sunken ship. Only about 100 men survived. This sad tale is all true. The worst part is that the Navy blames the ship's captain, Captain McVay, for this tragedy. I feel that the captain should not have been blamed for this awful event. The Japanese were doing what they needed to for their country and McVay just happened to be on that ship that sunk. I was so shocked that anyone would blame the captain for this unfortunate event. The author also makes a point of stating how he feels that the captain should not have been blamed and I agree with him. Captain McVay hopefully gets the blame taken off his shoulders soon in the book.
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