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What I've seen of Reacher has been outstanding. It's a kick-ass (literally...) show that manages to keep a sense of humourReacher (2025) binge watching no time for 13s tonight.
One of my favorite shipwrecks. I enjoyed this video.
and Quint's retelling of the ordeal of the USS Indianapolis crew ...still chilling
Navy officer's childhood project in Pensacola brings justice to USS Indianapolis captain
by Karris Harmon Tue, March 11th 2025 at 4:06 PM
Updated Wed, March 12th 2025 at 12:23 PM
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- On July 30, 1945, shortly after midnight, the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine somewhere in the Philippine Sea.
Roughly 300 of the sailors aboard went down with the ship and some 900 men were set adrift for several days. Only 316 survived.
Commanding officer of the cruiser -- Captain Charles McVay -- was court-martialed and charged with failing to evade the Japanese attack and negligence.
USS Indianapolis
Several decades later, Capt. McVay was exonerated, thanks to the help of a Pensacola middle school student.
In 1996, 11-year-old Ransom middle schooler Hunter Scott watched the movie "Jaws" with his father. Enamored with the monologue from shark hunter Captain Quint about the demise of the USS Indianapolis, he learned the vessel was responsible for transporting the components for the atomic bomb. It was a top secret mission that McVay didn't even know about.
"I stood up afterwards and asked my dad, 'Is that a true story,'" Scott said.
He and his father began researching the USS Indianapolis. Scott decided he wanted it to be the topic for his history fair project.
Scott's teacher at the time, who was in charge of the history fair, says she was blown away by his determination. She said he placed an ad in the "Gossport," NAS Pensacola's newspaper at the time, to try to locate any survivors of the USS Indianapolis.
"One man responded with a reunion list that included names and addresses," said Lynn Piech, Scott's former teacher at Ransom Middle School. "As soon as I heard that small fact, I told Hunter he needed to write to every single person on that list asking for information that they were willing to share."
So, he wrote.
"What was your job on the ship? Where were you when the torpedoes hit? What did you think of the court martial of the captain? And I got an overwhelming response," Scott said.
For months, the mail rolled in. Scott received museum quality artifacts, like photos, letters, and other primary sources from the ship. More than 40 survivors responded.
"They all felt that their captain was court martialed unjustly," Scott said. "They didn't have the words to describe it. It just didn't feel right."
After garnering relationships with many of the survivors and even speaking with the Japanese commanding officer who fired the torpedo that hit the ship, Scott completed his history fair project and discovered a declassified Navy document. It was something that would exonerate McVay.
USS Indianapolis Captain Charles McVay
The document found the ship was traveling unescorted and finding the Navy knew there were three Japanese submarines on the ship's route.
"That information was so secretive that they didn't tell the captain," said Scott. "They didn't call the port director. A few days after the Indianapolis set sail, it was sunk by one of the same Japanese submarines that the Navy knew was in the area."
Scott also found additional information that was withheld from the court-martial. The Navy did receive an SOS from the ship.
"The watch who received it had been drinking while on watch and passed out and didn't take any action," Scott said.
Scott wanted to share the story of the Indianapolis and found a listening ear with the former congressman for Florida's 1st district Joe Scarborough. That led to a resolution that exonerated McVay.
11-year-old Hunter Scott
President Bill Clinton signed it in 2000.
Now all these years later, Scott is an executive officer in the Navy at Consolidated Brig Miramar.
"My relationships with the survivors is what made me join the Navy," Scott said.
"The fact that I was watching 'Jaws' in 1996 that sparked a history project, with the help of so many people helped change history," he said. "...I'm blessed to be a part of this story," he said.
McVay died before he was exonerated, but Scott says the captain's son as well as extended family was alive to see it.