Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis (1991) - full transcript
True story of the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, its crew's struggle to survive the sharks and exposure, and the captain's scape-goat court-martial.
[PEOPLE TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
It's him.
Hi.
MAN: There he is.
[TALKING STOPS]
Over there.
Captain's on board.
Captain McVay, sir.
MAN 1: Line handler,
get that line around
the quarter inch.
LINE HANDLER: Aye, aye, sir.
MAN 2: All right, handler.
Take it on out.
Aye, aye, sir.
That ought to
hold it, Major.
You sure that thing
will release easily?
Yes, sir.
What's in that thing
anyway, sir?
Get out of here.
Don't mind our Frankie, Major,
he's not long from the breast.
How many times
I gotta tell you
you should keep
your mouth shut? Don't...
Well, she's all yours,
Captain Wilkes.
Twenty-four hours,
round the clock.
That is your baby.
Very good, Major.
What do you think
is in that, Kinderman?
A buddy of mine
in the State Department
told me that's 5,000 rolls
of scented toilet paper
for General Douglas MacArthur.
Seems he's getting tired
of usin' his orders
to wipe his butt on.
All prepared
to get underway, sir.
Very well, Commander.
Have the crew stand by.
Aye, aye, sir.
Captain, is that
what all this hush-hush
is about?
It's kind of spooky
seeing it there,
like somebody lying in state.
[WHISTLE BLOWING]
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
MAN ON PA: Thomas to DiAngelo.
Thomas to DiAngelo.
Report to the Captain
in his sea cabin.
All right. Take it, chief.
I'm goin' topside.
...Captain in his sea cabin.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Come.
Lieutenant DiAngelo,
welcome aboard.
Congratulations
on your promotion.
Thank you, sir.
I'm looking forward
to my first cruise
as chief engineer.
I understand
you've served on a destroyer
before the Indianapolis.
That's right, sir. Convoy run.
Sit down. Sit down.Thank you.
Lieutenant, this mission
is of a somewhat
different nature.
I'm wanna make this run
in record time.
Which means I'm gonna need
everything she can give me
every inch of the way,
all the time.
Yes, sir.
Now, I expect the Indianapolis
to be as squared away
below decks
as she is topside.
I'd like to see your report
at 0800.
Aye, aye, sir.
And Lieutenant,
good luck.
Thank you, Captain.
Mail call, mail call.
Don't bother gettin' up.
Ain't nothin' here
for nobody but Dobson.
Got a winner.
Five, gentlemen, five.
Four from admirin' females,
one from family.
How come
you get so much mail, Joe?
I'm very attractive to women.
[CHUCKLING]
Oh.
What's the matter?
You didn't get
any mail, Frankie?
Not so far.
I don't know anybody, really.
Here, you can have
one of mine.
Oh, no...
I mean, isn't it private?
No, no. That's from
my kid sister, Elly.
And there's nothin' in it
you can't read.
She just writes
whatever comes into her nut.
Wow.
You can even write her back
for me, if you want.
She'd probably like to get
one back
before the war's over.
ELLY: Dear Joseph,
I wonder how long
before you get this letter,
and how long
before you write back to me.
I miss you a lot.
We all do,
but especially me.
I'm the kid sister, right?
And kid sisters
just naturally dote on their
handsome, hero big brothers.
WILKES: Guard bow,
turn to! Hut!
Steady. Change!
MAN ON PA:
Now, lay before the mast
all 0800 reports.
That is,
now lay before the mast
all 0800 reports.
Bow hands, hut!
You seagoin' bellhops
are really keepin' an eye
on this thing, ain't you?
Shove off, deck ape.
Must be a pretty important
piece of gear.
You're posting
a 24-hour guard on it.
Scuttlebutt up
in the officer's country says
she's crucial
to the war effort.
Hey, you know
what's inside this thing?
What's your seventh
general order, Marine?
Talk to no one
except in line of duty, sir.
A Marine on duty
has no friends.
Isn't that right, Cortez?
Aye, aye, sir.
Semper fi, do or die.
Know what I mean, Cortez?
Carry on.
My apologies, Major.
I'm afraid
coffee's the strongest liquid
they'll allow on board.
Just as well, sir.
This is your father,
isn't it?
Right.
Charles Butler McVay II.
I'm the third.
And the other gentleman's
the first. My grandfather.
Both Navy. Both admirals.
Seems admirals
run in the McVay bloodline.
I'm not sure
it's an inherited trait.
Well, this mission
certainly won't
do your record any harm.
You know that
the Navy picked
their best for this one.
Thank you, Major.
Captain, aren't you
the least bit curious
about what it is
you're carrying?
Petty Officer Kinderman
has it on absolute authority
we're carrying
personal toilet articles
for General MacArthur.
I think it's safe to say
that it's something
more important than that.
Are you trying
to tell me something
I don't need to know, Major?
Captain McVay,
what I'm trying to tell you
is that,
that cargo out there
on your foredeck
is a major component
of the deadliest damn weapon
the species has
come up with to date,
and frankly, sir,
I'd be more than
a little surprised
if the Navy hadn't seen fit
to inform the officer
responsible for delivering it.
Well, maybe they have.
And, then again,
maybe they think
I'd handle the situation
the same way
no matter what it is
we're carrying,
even if it is toilet paper
for General MacArthur.
Well, sir,
here's Godspeed to us all.
There's a lot riding on this,
like an end to this damn war.
What's the problem, sailor?
I got a really bad pain
in my gut, sir.
Goldstein,
how are your bowels?
You constipated?
Oh, no, sir.
I ain't constipated.
Not with the chow
they serve on this bucket,
you know?
How long have you had
the pain?
Ever since I heard
the Dodgers score.
No, I'm... I'm not sayin'
that was the cause of it.
That's just when it started.
Who beat 'em?Philly.
It was a fluke.
We're leading 2-1,
goin' into the bottom of
the ninth inning...
Put Goldstein
on a bland diet
and keep him away
from the baseball scores.
If it doesn't clear up
within two days, Goldstein,
put yourself
on a regular sick call.
Aye, aye, sir.
Gentlemen, there have been
lots of rumors
flying around the bridge
as to the nature of
this mission.
I'm not surprised.
Now, I'm sure
that you've noticed,
we are maintaining
maximum speed
on all watches.
I know you'd like to know
where we're headed and why.
Now, this much I can tell you.
You're outward bound
for the fair shores
of Tinian Island,
here, in the Marianas.
At our present speed,
we should arrive
Thursday morning,
no later than 1100.
Any questions?
Some of the men say
that Betty Grable is living
in that crate on the foredeck.
Absolutely untrue.
Miss Grable is in my cabin.
[ALL LAUGHING]
Captain, what about
the submarine threat
in these waters?
I haven't noticed
any mandatory orders about
sailing in a zigzag pattern.
Well, as far as we know,
the Japanese are pretty short
on everything,
including submarines.
What they have left, however,
they've begun to outfit
with something new,
called Kaitens.
Now, Kaitens,
for you army types,
are torpedoes
manned by human beings.
Sort of underwater kamikazes.
They're very fast,
very expendable.
You get one of those boys
in your tail
and zigzagging
wouldn't mean a thing.
The pilot just recalculates
his attack angle
and takes another run
at your midships.
Now, their weakness is range.
We're not exactly sure
how much that is,
but I think the best way
to deal with them
is to try and outrun them.
That's why I've asked
Lieutenant DiAngelo
to make all speed.
How fast are we doing,
Lieutenant?
We're a little better than
28 knots, Captain.
Good.
Faster than
the mental processes
of all but admirals, eh?
But slower than Kaitens.
That's correct, Major.
But, in my judgment,
the best way to deal with them
is to outrun them,
rather than trying to
outmaneuver them.
That'll be all, gentlemen.
You're dismissed.
Miss Grable's expecting me.
Yes, sir.
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
[MAN SPEAKING ON RECEIVER]
MAN 1: Easy, now.
Easy, easy, to the right.
MAN 2: More to my side.
More slow. Slow.
That's it.
MAN 2: Here it comes, guys.
MAN 1: Bring her in, men.
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
Watch your feet.More towards you.
Easy. Push.
[MEN WHOOPING]
All right.
That's it. Let's go.
Captain McVay, once again,
thanks for the ride.
It's been a pleasure,
Major Green.
You know, this really
has been
a historic voyage.
I'm glad to hear it, Major.
I've always wanted
to be on one of those.
Very well, sir.
I'll be going ashore.
McVAY: Bring that
20mm magazine up here.
MAN: Aye, aye, sir.
Captain McVay.
Hello, Padre.
Welcome aboard.
Thank you, sir.
It's good to have you with us.
I'm sure your presence
will help elevate
the quality of conversation
in the wardroom.
You make me feel
rather like
a maiden aunt, sir.
[CHUCKLING]
I want all those magazines
loaded and ready to go.
MEN: Aye, aye, sir.Aye, aye, sir.
Father, the men
are not too happy about
the prospect of heading out
to Leyte
without any shore leave,
so you may find
the level of profanity
fairly high
for the next couple of days.
Well, I'll pray
for all concerned, sir.
We have 1,196 souls
that need saving.
Does that include yours,
Captain?
No, Father.
Mine already belongs
to the Navy.
Carry on.
Thank you, sir.
[MEN CLAMORING]
MAN ON PA:
Now, all hands secure
from abandon-ship drill.
All hands secure
from abandon-ship drill.
That was a total disaster.
Substandard.
Thoroughly unacceptable.
Believe me,
I know most of our crew
are young
and green as grass,
but, gentlemen,
we are due to make Leyte
Tuesday morning.
So, I wanna see
a marked improvement by then.
Do I make myself clear?
ALL: Aye, aye, sir.
Good.
Let's turn to
and start making ourselves
very unpopular with the crew.
Helm, stand by
to commence zigzag.
First turn
will be starboard.
Ever known zigzagging
to help, Lieutenant?
Heard a lot of sub men say
it's a waste of time.
Well, maybe
you'd like to go back
and discuss it
with Captain McVay,
Petty Officer.
Oh, no, no, no.
Captain says
he wants me to zigzag,
I'll zigzag.
Want me to steer her straight,
I'll steer her straight.
I'm here to serve, sir.
This better be good,
Goldstein.
I just left Errol Flynn
about to capture Burma.
[SCREAMS]
Sorry, sir.
Don't let it get back
to Brooklyn, Goldstein,
but you've got yourself
a pretty sick stomach.
I'll give you something
to quell it.
It good enough
to get me off
the watch bill, sir?
It's good enough
to get you a depth charge
and a night in sickbay.
Orderly,
put Petty Officer Goldstein
in the rack
closest to the head.
[GROANING]
[BELL CLANGING]
Good evening, Captain.
Scott.
I didn't see you
at our movie tonight.
I though Errol Flynn
was your kind of guy.
Actually, I don't find
motion pictures
about the war
all that informative.
No. Well, they're meant
for the civilian
population, I imagine.
My own experience
of the Japanese
is that
they are excellent troops
with enviable discipline.
If you'll excuse me.
Oh.
Absolutely.
It seems to have settled in
pretty thick, sir.
I think we can hold
a steady course now.
Well, that should
please Petty Officer
Kinderman, sir.
McVAY: Oh?Mmm.
I wasn't aware
that Mr. Kinderman
was displeased.
No, sir.
Kinderman was asking
if zigzagging
was of any real value, sir.
Oh.
The general theory is that
if you happen
to take a hit at midships
while in the process
of zigzagging,
the chances are
zigzagging didn't make
much sense to begin with.
So, while the moon's
behind those clouds,
we'll hold our course
steady at 2-4-0,
make turns for 24 knots.
If that meets
with your approval,
Mr. Kinderman.
Aye, aye, sir.
And Lieutenant,
if there's any change
in the weather conditions,
you'll notify me at once.
Aye, aye, sir.
Captain off the bridge.
Helm, that'll be steady
on course 2-4-0.
Aye, aye, sir.
2-4-0 she is.
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
[SHOUTING IN JAPANESE]
[SONAR BEEPING]
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
MAN: Oh, boy.
You got the right idea
there, sailor.
It's not much better
out here.
[SIGHING]
I'm sweatin'.
[MAN COUGHING]
[SONAR BEEPING]
[SIGHS]
I'd rather have a sister
in a cathouse
than a brother as an officer.
Smart-ass rich boys
give me a pain in the butt.
Hey, shove off, mate.
Hey, Charlie,
I hear you let
your battleship mouth
run over
your rowboat butt again.
That 90-day wonder, DiAngelo,
just nailed me
up on the bridge.
Thought I had seen
the last of him at Tinian.
I'm supposed to have me
a set of orders
off this haze gray hotel.
Well, you're here
for the duration, I'd say.
Now, shut up and deal.
[SONAR BEEPING]
[EXCLAIMS]
FRANKIE: Dear Miss Dobson...
Elly,
I have never really
written a letter before
to anybody
and I never wrote to anybody
I don't know.
But pen pals do it
all the time, I guess.
But that's different.
I guess. Anyway.
I'm on the ship,
the same as your brother Joe,
except I see
you call him Joseph.
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
[SIGHING]
CHARLIE: Got the cowboys.
Looks like
I'm cleanin' you boys out.
[MEN SCREAMING]
Come on!
[MEN GROANING]
Get up! Up!
Get up!
[SCREAMING]
Easy, sailor. Easy.
Hey, don't touch
those engines!
We carry out the last order
from the bridge.
Maintain current speed.
Aye, aye, sir.
How bad, Commander?
No report
from Damage Control.
We've taken a hit
forward, sir.
[THUDDING][ALL GROANING]
[GROANING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
All right, let's go.
Let's go.
Let's go!
[MEN CLAMORING]
MAN 1:
Can anybody get forward?MAN 2: No.
[MEN CLAMORING]
Let's go!
Go.
Guys, I think we got hit.
Come on, Charlie.
Come on.
Yeah, yeah. I'm goin'.
Hey, buddy. What's going on?
[HISSING]
Keep trying the engine room.
Zach, make sure
we're sending out the mayday.
Aye, aye, sir.
Heavy smoke and fire
below decks, Captain.
We're takin' water fast.
How's she handling?
Answering the helm, sir,
but it's real mushy.
We can abandon ship, sir.
Not until we've heard
from Damage Control.
We still might be able
to save her.
Pass the word.
General quarters.
All hands on deck.
MAN: Aye, aye, sir.
Faber, get down below.
Have them shut down
those engines.
FABER: Yes, sir.
[PANTING]
Come on, Doc.
Leave him, now. Leave him.
Come on. Come on. Let's go.
[HISSING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
[GROANING]
[GASPING]
[MEN SCREAMING]
MAN: What's the word
from the bridge?
[MEN CLAMORING]
What can I do?
Sir.
On any injured man.
Do you understand me?
Injured men!
Aye, aye, sir.
Aye, aye, sir.
[SIZZLING]
[SCREAMING]
[VALVE BURSTS]
[SCREAMING]
Oh, God!
[MEN COUGHING]
MAN 1: Everybody,
get the rafts down!
MAN 2: We can't get
the floater nets down!
Quick!
What's the word
from the bridge?
MAN 1: Has anybody seen
the Boatswain?
MAN 2: Shouldn't
we abandon ship?
MAN 3: Has anybody heard...
MAN 4:
Get those people down first!
MAN 5: Come on!
Get some help up here!
Should we abandon ship?
What do we do, sir?
MAN: She's going down!
Everybody, over the side,
into the water!
Go! Go!
Come on out!
Into the water! Come on!
[MEN SCREAMING]
Oh, my God.
MAN:
Swim away from the ship!
Move away!
Pass the word to
abandon ship, Boatswain!
Aye, aye, sir.
All hands off the bridge!
MAN: Help me! My leg!
Captain?
[EXPLOSIONS]
The radio room
is unreachable, sir.
Thank you, Commander.
Prepare to abandon ship.
[GROANING]Here, take this.
Over the side.
[MEN SCREAMING]
[SHIP CREAKING]
Cortez!
Cortez! Cortez! He's dead.
He's dead! Get over the side!
Get over the side!
[EXPLOSIONS]
[CREAKING]
[GASPS]
Is anybody out here?
[GRUNTING]
[COUGHING]
Is anybody out here?
Oh, God, not just me.
Please, God, not just me.
Is anybody out here?
FRANKIE: And then, Elly,
I was in the water,
and, strangest of all,
after so many men
and so much activity,
I was absolutely alone,
not a single soul
to be seen or heard.
So strange.
I can't believe
it's really happening,
and I,
and I pray to God
I'm gonna awaken.
[MAN GRUNTING]
Over here, sailor!
You can make it.
Grab my hand.
I got you.
You're there.
[BOTH GRUNTING]
[COUGHING]
You okay?Yes, sir.
Are there any others?
I kept moving
to the end stern.
Did you see any others?
I don't know.
[PANTING] If there are,
they're strung out for miles.
Miles and miles, sir.
We gotta find them.
[COUGHING]
[MEN COUGHING]
So many men.
They're so spread out.
Zach, where can I
get them to bunch up?
It's gonna be hard
to keep count.
Did we get a message out?
I don't know.
Equipment was working.
There was time.
[MEN CLAMORING]
Stop it! Stop it!
[CLAMORING]
Stop fighting! Shut up!
Stop it!
Stop thrashing around!
Do you wanna attract sharks?
Come on, there's a lot of
injured men out there.
Give them a hand.Yes, sir.
Sorry.It's all right.
Find an injured man
for that jacket.
[MAN SHIVERING]
Hey, there.
Hang on to me. Hang on.
It's okay, buddy.
I'm gonna give you
this jacket.
Damn it.GOLDSTEIN: Hiya, Doc.
Believe it or not,
my gut feels
a whole lot better.
It's good to see you,
Goldstein.
It's good to see you, too.
How are we doin', sir?
If we were all doin'
as well as you,
we'd be fine.
Help me out, will you?
We gotta get
this kapok on him.
What's the matter
with your hands, Doc?
I'm not worth a dime.
Come on.
Good man, Goldstein.
We gotta get these men
closer together.
They're too spread out.
Yes, sir.
It's okay, buddy. It's okay.
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
I got you.Yeah.
Fifty or 60,
best as I can count.
We're in pretty bad shape.
How many life vests?
I'd say about half.
We gotta get 'em
on the injured.
Help me get his off.
What are you doin'?
He doesn't need it
anymore, Lieutenant.
He can make it, Captain.
Help me.
You got him?
MAN: All right, people,
listen up!
What we're gonna do
is keep the wounded afloat.
FRANKIE: I now have
three life vests, Elly.
Which is more than I can use,
but is perhaps
less than I need.
But soon I will find
some of my shipmates.
Then I can distribute them
as I was doing on the ship
before it sank.
I am sure now
that it did sink,
and that this
is not just a dream.
McVAY: How long have you been
in the Navy?
BOATSWAIN: I've been
in the Navy for 12 years
and six months now, sir.
Married?Yes, sir.
I've been married
for eight years, sir.
You got any kids?
Two kids.
Girl's seven and a boy...
Look over there.
Ahoy! The raft!
Who's there?
BOATSWAIN:
Identify yourselves!
Look, over there. Ahoy!
Let's pick 'em up.
MAN 1: Come on, come on.
Climb over.
MAN 2: Keep it straight.
Throw me that line.
Hello, Padre.
Hello, Skipper.
Hey, can you squeeze
a couple of us on your raft?
I think so.
Boatswain, help some of
these men aboard.
Aye, aye, sir.
Did you see the others?
Not yet.
We all just found each other.
There's bound
to be more of us.
Sir, I think you ought to
bring everyone aboard now.
All hands out of the water!
On the double!
Get out of the water.
MAN 1: Get out.
Get your feet out.
MAN 2: Give me your hand!
[MEN SIGHING]
MAN 1: Get off of here.MAN 2: Let me on.
MAN 1: Get off!MAN 3: There's no room.
[MEN GRUNTING]
You can't get on here.
Hey!
Let me on!All right, all right.
What do you need?
What do you need?
How many men we got here?
We got six. We're full.
I count four, sailor.
We have wounded men
in the water, Kinderman.
Now, if we start bringing
them over,
I want the uninjured
to give up their places.
We got wounded here
as it is, Lieutenant.
Then I'll leave it
to each man to decide
whether he's worse off
than the man replacing him.
How many places do you think
that's gonna
free up, Lieutenant?
Yours for one, Kinderman.
Yours for one.
Now get in the water.
Get in the water, now.
Hey, let's go.
[MEN GROANING]
[MEN GROANING]
Hang on.
[MEN SHIVERING]
Commodore Hathaway,
this is
Lieutenant Commander Olinsky.
At ease, Olinsky.
Get all settled in
over Tacloban?
Yes, sir.
Lieutenant Robinson, here,
give you some idea
of what you're up against?
Lot of traffic, sir.
More to come, if this invasion
of Japan gets underway.
Better hope they decide
to quit while they're behind.
Any news from CINPAC
he should know?
Not right now, sir.
I noticed CINPAC orders
that we don't report
combatant vessel arrivals.
Just wondered why
that was, sir.
Because the less
the enemy knows
of the whereabouts
of our fighting ships,
the safer they will be.
It's good to
have you aboard, Olinsky.
It seems pretty chaotic,
but don't be fooled.
It's a lot worse
than it looks.
Carry on.
Aye, aye, sir.
How long have you been here
on Leyte?
I've always been here.
Always will.
It's my favorite island.
Where was it
you wanted to go first, sir?
I've been trying to catch up
with a Christmas package
for eight months.
Hoping it might be here.
PRICE: Welcome to Leyte, sir.
It may be a nightmare,
but it's our nightmare.
[MAN SCREAMING]
[MEN CLAMORING]
[SCREAMS]
MAN: Don't panic.
[SCREAMING]
Let's feed him Jimmy.
He won't mind.
Come on,
let's take his shirt off.
If they get enough
of these dead guys,
maybe they won't eat
the rest of us.
Here comes the shark!
[SCREAMS]
[SCREAMING]
Cortez, Cortez, Cortez,
name three main groups
of the M1 rifle.
Come on.
Stock group,
barrel and receiver group,
trigger housing group.
Main characteristics?
Shoulder-fired, clip in,
air-cooled, gas-operated.
Again.
Shoulder-fired, clip in,
air-cooled, gas-operated,
semiautomatic, sir.
[PANTING]
Are you all right?
Yes, sir.
[MEN SIGHING]
I should have gone down
with the ship.
Why didn't I?
Why did I survive?
I think it's time to trust
in providence, Captain.
[CHUCKLES]
Providence covers
a lot of territory, Father.
The question is,
does that include the Navy?
We're in a war.
Ships get sunk.
The Navy understands that.
After all, you did
complete your mission.
I don't think
there can be any questions
of anything
except our bad luck.
I just had the feeling
that everything...
Everything
has already happened.
But you only find out about it
when it catches up with you.
[MAN COUGHING]
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
creator of Heaven and Earth,
and Jesus Christ,
his only son, our Lord,
conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born to the Virgin Mary...
SCOTT: Stay together.
Those of you
who don't have jackets,
hold on to the ones who do.
Those of you
with kapok jackets,
bunch up
and tie them together.
[SHIVERING] Sir.What is it?
It's Commander Elias.How's he doing?
He's asking me
to untie his life vest.
He's gonna die.
[WHIMPERING]
I know.
I can't do it.
It's okay, Goldstein.
You're doing the best you can.
It's okay.
I'll take care of him.
It's okay.
Zach!
Zach, it's me.
[GROANING]
Zach, how you doing?
[FEEBLY]
I can't untie the knot.
Hang on, Zach.
Help's on the way.
Not for me, Doc. Not for me.
Help me, please.
[COUGHS]
Okay, okay.
Damn it! My hands.
Skipper...
Do you think he made it?
I don't know.
He probably
went down with her.
[GASPING]
I want to...
Alice to... My wife.
I want her to marry again.
Okay.
I love her very, very much.
You'll tell her, Steve.
Please, please,
can you tell her...
Goldstein!
Goldstein!
Help!
Let him go. Let him go.
Let him go, okay?
It's okay. It's okay.
Let him go. Let him go.
He's gone. It's okay.
He's gone.
[GOLDSTEIN SOBBING]
GOLDSTEIN: Take me home.
I want to go...
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
Mr. DiAngelo.
Mr. DiAngelo.
[GRUNTING]It's me. It's Wilkes.
Captain Wilkes,
I was home.
I was home and I was in bed.
Some of the men
are drinking salt water.
I've seen it before.
We've gotta stop it
right away.
It'll make them crazy.
Are you with me?Yeah.
Come on.
Gentlemen, you get down
maybe 10, 15 feet
and the water's not salt.
Yeah.
Deeper you go,
the purer it gets.
MAN: Is that true?
I'm tellin' you.
Want me to get you some?
MEN: Yeah.
Go, go, go, go.
Okay. Comin' up.
Gangway, sailors. Gangway.
What is happening here,
people?
Shorty just went under
to get us
a drink of fresh water.
Secure him. Secure him.
Take him. Secure him.
Don't drink that water.
Listen up, people. Listen up.
[MEN LAUGHING]
Any man
that drinks salt water again
is gonna lose his vest.
It's fresh.
WILKES: Shut up!
You understand me?
You're first.
What, you want me
to start with you?
No, no, no, no.
Give it over!
You've lost your life vest.
No, no, no!Do you understand me?
Am I clear?
WILKES: Okay, you...Hear what's happenin', shrimp?
[LAUGHING]
WILKES: Let's go!
Over here!Help!
MAN: Help!
PADRE: Over here!
Down here!
Look down here!
MAN 1: Over here!MAN 2: Over here!
Can't you hear, pal?
That's the second one
we've seen
that didn't see us.
Well, maybe he did.
Maybe he's radioing
our position right now.
Yeah, maybe so.
You can't give up.
They'll be back,
and when they come,
they'll bring more planes
and more ships.
They'll find us.
You've got to believe that.
Just hang on.
We're gonna make it.
You understand?
All of us!
We're gonna make it!
Yes, sir.
He's back.
He never left.
[MEN CLAMORING]MAN: Get in the raft! Get on.
Get in! Get in.Get in.
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
BOTH: hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth
as it is in Heaven.
ALL: Give us this day
our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us,
and lead us not
into temptation,
but deliver us
from evil. Amen.
[ORCHESTRA PLAYING LOUDLY]
So you want to be
on Broadway, huh?
Well, you've come
to the right place,
Nurse Danielson.
Are you in show business,
Lieutenant?
I, in show...
I am in one of the
longest running tragifarces
in showbiz history.
I give you
The War in the Pacific.
May it run forever.
I mean...
Well, until tomorrow morning,
at least.
Lieutenant!
Lieutenant Tasker!
Can't hear you.
He's got the music up
too loud.
Lieutenant Tasker!
[WHISTLING]
Shall we?
Shouldn't you...
When it's important,
they'll wade out to me.
What they're doing now
is hovering.
Okay.
Go tell Lieutenant Tasker
we're back on duty.
Why me?
He'll kill me
for spoiling his fun.
Coward.
What're you doing?
I'm going to cut in.
[CHUCKLING]
Hey, look,
somebody's comin'.
It's that damn Marine.
Look at him go.
He swims like Tarzan.
I think maybe
we should put this stuff away.
What's he gonna do?
Haul us back
to a court-martial?
I think
we should put it away.
Listen.
This ain't the Navy anymore.
All that, "Yes, sir,"
"No, sir,"
"Saluting sir,"
"Aye, aye, sir."
It's all finished.
See this? This is it.
It's every man for himself.
You men are too far
from the main group.
We must've drifted
in the night, sir.
How many men on this raft?
I count three.
We got one more
down below here.
Wounded real bad.
There are men
who need this raft.
What about us? Aren't we men?
Don't we need this raft?
Don't we need it?
You got somethin'
to hide, sailor?
Charlie...
Gangway. I'm coming aboard.
Well.
DOBSON: Charlie?
I'm ordering you
off this raft.
You're orderin' nothin'.
Get the hell out of here.
Gangway!
Come on.
Charlie!
[GRUNTING]
I want you on your feet.
What are you doing? Hey.
Don't you know
where you are, Marine?
You're in the middle
of the Pacific Ocean.
You are on report, mister.
You are on report.
All right. Okay!
[BOTH GRUNTING]
Charlie! Charlie!
You are under arrest!
[GRUNTING]You are...
Charlie!
Charlie!
He's gone. He's gone.
No, no, no.
He was always gone.
Hey! Where you goin'?
Don't expect to come back here
and get back on this raft.
MAN: I'm with Dobson.
PETE: Me, too.
What do you mean?
Hey, where you goin'?
Petey!
Wait a second.I'm goin'.
They're not gonna come
after us.
They're lookin'
for someone to blame
this whole thing on!
We'll get medals
just for makin' it.
Don't you understand?
We'll all be heroes.
FRANKIE: When I get home,
we'll lie in the hammock
and just swing
back and forth.
It's like you were floating.
You'd like it, Elly.
It's a big enough hammock
for two.
I'm not very big.
[FRANKIE LAUGHS]
I ain't a midget,
you understand?
We'll just lie in the hammock,
swinging,
swinging,
swinging...
MAN 1: Here it comes.
MAN 2: [PANICKING]
It's coming again.
MAN 3: Get on the raft!
[AIR HISSING]
Get the injured men
and the equipment over here.
[MEN CLAMORING]
[MAN SCREAMING]
Get out of the way!Hold on! Hold on!
[GRUNTING]
Hold on.
Calm down. Don't panic.
I think
he's gone for now, sir.
[MEN SOBBING]
We'll take turns
with the watch,
every two hours.
[MAN GROANING]
She's all yours, Joseph.
Yeah, let me know
if you see anything
except clear blue water.
The more you stare,
the less you see.
What's that mean?
Keep watching. Stop thinking.
Don't tell your eyes.
Let your eyes tell you.
Out-bound leg completed.
New heading,
2-7-0 magnetic for two hours.
Well, then
let there be no deviation
from the flight plan.
Okay, Carl.
Call me when we're ready
to go home.
Takin' over.
On bearing 172.I got it.
What is it, sir, a submarine?There's somethin' down there.
What did you see, sir?
[MEN SCREAMING]
Did you hear it?
The plane? Listen. Listen!
There's more of 'em.
There's dozens.
There must be 100 or more.
TASKER: It's your plane, Joe.
Who are they?
Are they Japs?
Just a bunch of
poor drowning bastards.
TASKER:
Bring us around hard, Joe,
and get us down
over the water.
[MEN CHEERING]
It must be a surface vessel.
There's too many for a sub.
They must be us.
The Japs don't have
any surface vessels
for 400 miles.
Tell them it looks
as bad as they can imagine
and then some.
About the fuel, sir.
We have to start back soon
or we won't make it.
You go send
that message, Carl,
and then we'll talk about
fuel, okay?
Okay. I just thought
you should know.
I know.
It'll just have to wait.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
I'm doing the best I can
with the resources
at hand, Admiral.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
As soon as possible.
Yes, sir.
Do these people know
there's a war on?
We have a report
of large numbers of men
in the ocean
several hundred miles
due east of here, sir.
What do you mean
"large numbers"?
In excess of 300, sir.
What's out there?
Well, sir, the Indianapolis
should have reached port
yesterday.
We've got her marked off
our boards,
but there's no confirmation
from Port Authority.
Yes, sir,
but standing orders
are explicit, sir.
Arriving combatant ships
are not to be reported, sir.
How about non-arriving
combatant ships, Lieutenant?
I think
you better take this, sir.
[TYPEWRITERS CLACKING]
Lieutenant Commander
Olinsky, sir.
Can I be of some help?
What do you have
on the Indianapolis,Olinsky?
She was due yesterday
and we've taken her off
our board.
I know you don't report
combatant vessels.
You do notice
if they arrive or not,
don't you?
No, sir.
What exactly is the problem
with the Indianapolis,sir?
Who's on the Indianapolis?
Charlie McVay, sir.
God help him.
We're low on fuel, Lieutenant.
I mean, we're not gonna
make it back.
Well,
better put her down, then.
Where? Here?
Good a place as any.
Relax, guys.
It looks pretty rough
down there.
She'll make it.
She'll make it.
Might not get her off again,
but what the hell?
The taxpayers
have gotten their mileage
out of this baby.
Now, you tell 'em that,
owing to a fuel shortage,
we're putting down
near a group of floaters.
Carl, now you give them
our position
loud and clear. Okay?
Okay, hold tight.
She's gonna jump.
It's sent.
They know we're down.
[MEN CLAMORING]
It's one of ours!
Captain! Captain Wilkes!
Captain!
That's the Japs.
That's an old trick.
We swim over there,
they're gonna machine-gun us.
That's crazy.
They will. You'll see.
It's Japanese!
[SHOUTING]
Captain!
[ALL CLAMORING]
Captain Wilkes!
Where's Captain Wilkes?
Captain Wilkes is dead, sir.
Captain Wilkes is dead?
What are we gonna do, sir?
Keep calm.
We got to keep the men
calm, sailor.
We gotta keep them calm.
We gotta get the men
to the plane.
We're almost there.
Keep them calm. Keep them...
All right, keep calm!
We're almost there.
We gotta hold on.
We gotta hold on.
We're almost there.
Are you sure
it was a plane, sir?
Positive.
It was heading north.
That was over two hours ago.
Give me the flare pistol.
It's loaded.
Shooting stars, Elly.
Make a wish.
We don't know
that either, sir.
Yes, there was a report
picked up
from a Japanese submarine
claiming a kill,
but we've gotten used to
discounting those.
Yes, sir.
I will, sir.
That was Nimitz.
Things are starting
to get pretty squirrelly.
What have you got?
We have
the Cecil J. Doyleen route
at the present time.
The Talbot,
the Madison,the Uranus
are the other vessels
closest to
the reported sightings.
Send them.
How long have those men
been in the water?
If the Jap reports
are accurate,
about 72 hours, sir.
[SCREAMING]
[SOBBING]
MAN 1: Jap!MAN 2: I see one.
What? What?Where? Come on!
[MEN TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
There's a raft!
Over there. Over there.
Over here.
There's a raft over here.
There's a raft there.
Unbelievable.
Yeah.
[GASPS IN PAIN]
[GROANS]
Japs. I got one. I got one.
[MAN LAUGHING]MAN 1: Yeah.
Shorty got a Jap.
Take the boat!
Come on. Get it off.
Hey, climb aboard.
SHORTY: I got him.
Those bastards are everywhere.
[MAN SNIFFLING]
[MAN MUTTERING]
Sir, sir, help me
get these guys
over to the plane.
No, I can't
lose my place in line.
We gotta get to the hotel.
I need a rest.
Just 15 minutes in a room.
Take it easy, Doc. Easy.
Fifteen minutes. No! No!
Don't worry.
It's okay, Doc.Let go!
What if they don't
have any rooms?
Hang on.
We're all gonna get a room.
[SOBBING]
I gotta get a room.
We're all gonna get a room.
All these guys
are gonna get a raft.
Us, too, Doc.
Come on. Us, too.
You gotta give me a room.
[MUMBLING]
[SHUSHING]
Hang on.
You're all right.
You're all right. Come on.
Come on. I'll lift you up.
[GROANING]
[GRUNTING]
What ship are you from?
Huh?
What ship are you from?
The Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis.
[MEN SIGHING]
Come on, guys.
Get those ships here.
Sir?
Sir, there's a light
on the horizon.
Could that be a ship?
Maybe.
Yeah. Yeah, that is a ship.
And it's headin' towards us.
They found us.
They found us.
A ship!
Padre.
[MEN MUTTERING]
Wake up, Padre.
They found us. We made it.
Padre? Padre!
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
[SCREAMING]
MAN ON PA: Bridge, forecastle.
I've got a raft
two points off
the starboard bow.
MAN 2 ON PA: Now on deck,
stand by to hoist out
number two motor whaleboat.
[FEEBLY]
I'm expecting a letter.
Don't worry, son.
We'll make sure you get it.
Captain,
the rest of the men
have been picked up.
MAN: You'll be fine, sailor.
Captain. Sir,
let me give you a hand.
Abandon ship!
Abandon ship.
DOCTOR:
We need to redress this.
MALE NURSE: Yes, sir.
[MAN COUGHING]
How are you doin'?
Fine, sir.
I'll be all right.
Well, they haven't let you
out of here yet, huh?
No, sir.
Why should I leave?
I have the life.
Besides, these guys
would miss me.
[SHUDDERING]
Lieutenant.
Hey, Skipper.
I talked to your folks
last night.
Did you talk to my mom?
Told them you were okay
and they send their love.
Thanks, Captain.
Captain.
[SPLUTTERING]
Captain.
It's okay, Lieutenant.
It's okay.
I tried...
You'll be home for Christmas.
Nice tie, Goldstein.
Oh, thank you, Skipper.
How's the food
in this joint?
Terrible.
They keep serving us fish.
Hello, Commander.
Captain?
You made it.
So did you.
[SIGHING]
How is he, Louise?
He acts like, well,
you know how he acts,
all very under control.
All by the book,
as you'd say.
Well, Charlie has
what it takes.
He's been getting
a lot of phone calls lately.
From reporters, I suppose.
No, from parents and
relatives from the men
who were lost.
They're saying
terrible things to him.
Dad, they're blaming him...
It's understandable, Louise.
It's human nature.
Hello, Dad.
Charlie, how are you?
All right,
all things considered.
How are you?
Fine, just fine.
Go into the study, you two,
and I'll get some coffee.
It's a very difficult time
with the Navy, Charlie.
You just remember that.
The Pearl Harbor inquiry
is potentially
a very damaging business.
This would be
a most unfortunate time
to start dragging out
a lot of stuff about
inefficiency and
administrative confusion.
Dad,
880 men are dead.
That's a fact,
a terrible fact.
They can't just ignore that.
Of course
they can't ignore it.
Well, what are
they going to do?
There will have to be
a court-martial, Charlie.
Hello, Charles.
Jack.
How's the Admiral?
He's fine, thank you.
Kind of you to ask.
He's not here.
Didn't expect him.
You're looking well, Louise.
Thank you.
Well...
Good luck, Charles.
Thank you, Jack.
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
CHAIRMAN: Captain McVay,
you're hereby charged with
failure to give the order
to abandon ship in time
and hazarding your command
by failure to zigzag
in submarine-infested waters.
How do you plead?Not guilty.
You know, these charges
against the Captain,
they don't make any sense.
We've gotta go in there
and we've gotta tell them
how it was.
They don't wanna know
how it was, Goldstein.
What do you mean,
"They don't wanna know," sir?
MAN: Lieutenant DiAngelo.
What the hell
do they want to know?
LIPSCOMBE:
How long have you been
in the Navy, Lieutenant?
Since 1941.
So, you have had
four years' watch
in wartime conditions?
That's correct, sir.
Was it your opinion that
the U.S.S. Indianapolis,
on the night in question,
was being hazarded
by not steering
a zigzag course?
No, sir.
It was as murky a night
as I'd ever seen.
Would you have ordered
such a course
if you had deemed
it necessary?
Yes, sir.
Absolutely.
PROSECUTOR: Did you
at any time hear
the order to abandon ship?
SCOTT: No, sir.
How did you determine
as to when to do so?
When it became evident
that the ship
was going to capsize.
LIPSCOMBE: In your assessment,
how many men
got off the ship, Commander?
It's hard to say. It was dark.
There was smoke, flames,
a lot of wounded.
It could have been 800,
maybe 900.
And how many men
were rescued?
I don't believe
the number of men rescued
is relevant to the charges
against Captain McVay.
Goldstein, for God's sake,
sit your butt down.
I don't get this.
Don't they care about
all those poor guys
that drowned?
It's not at
the top of their list.
It's like going to a funeral
and not saying anything
about the corpse.
I'm gonna ask them
just what's goin' on.
Goldstein,
you don't ask questions
at a court-martial,
you answer them.
You answer the questions
they ask you.
On the night of July 29th,
can you describe
what happened,
Petty Officer Goldstein?
I had a bad case of the runs
and the ship sank.
[PEOPLE LAUGHING]
LIPSCOMBE: Captain Guardino,
you are holder of
the following decorations,
the Navy Cross, four times,
the Silver Star, twice,
the Bronze Star, three times.
Is that correct?
Yes, sir.
So for all practical purposes,
we can assume
you are an expert on
submarine attack procedures?
I guess so.
Captain, of the 28 vessels
you sank during your service,
how many were not zigzagging
at the time?
None.
Based on your experience,
what is the value
of zigzagging to a target?
With modern submarines,
fire control equipment,
high-speed torpedoes
and torpedo spreads,
I don't consider zigzagging
affects the result.
Your witness.
The Prosecution
has no questions
for Captain Guardino,
but, instead, proposes to
call to the stand
the only expert
on submarine tactics
who is relevant
to the issue
before this court,
and that is
Lieutenant Commander
Mochitsura Hashimoto,
Captain of the I-58,
the submarine
which fired at and sank
the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
[PEOPLE MUTTERING]
[PEOPLE MUTTERING]
[MAN SHUSHING]
PROSECUTOR:
Commander, what are
your religious beliefs?
I am a Shintoist.
Do you know the meaning
of falsehood and truth?
I am fully aware
of the distinction, yes.
Do you know
what perjury means?
Yes.
I'd urge
that Commander Hashimoto
be accepted
as a reliable witness
in this case,
with a knowledge of
the significance of testimony
under oath.
Before the Court
gives its opinion
on the reliability
of this witness,
I must,
on behalf of Captain McVay
and a very large body
of public opinion,
protest in the strongest terms
the decision of
the Judge Advocate's Office
to introduce
Commander Hashimoto.
This man is the enemy,
an enemy we have gone to
the most extraordinary lengths
to destroy,
an enemy we despise
and distrust.
[PEOPLE TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
That he should be brought
into this court
to give testimony
against an officer
of the caliber
and record of Captain McVay
is a travesty and an outrage.
CHAIRMAN: Silence.
Silence, silence.
Such demonstrations
have no place
in these hearings.
Captain Lipscombe,
the views you have expressed
are not germane
to the charges against
Captain McVay.
Not germane...
You will confine yourself
to procedure throughout
the rest of these hearings.
Questioning the witness
will continue.
Commander,
what was the visibility
on the night of your attack
on the Indianapolis?
In the direction of the moon,
it was relatively good.
At what distance
did you sight your target?
At about 10,000 meters.
Was the target zigzagging?
No.
In your opinion,
was the Indianapolis,
in the prevailing visibility
and following the course
that it was at the time,
was it an easy target?
Yes, it was an easy target.
I fired only three torpedoes
and reserved my Kaitens.
I had no doubt the attack
would be successful.
Would it have made
any difference to you,
on this attack,
if the target
had been zigzagging?
It would have involved
no change in the method
of the firing
of the torpedoes,
but some change
in maneuvering.
CHAIRMAN:
Captain McVay, please rise.
Captain Henshaw will read
the Court's findings
into the record.
The specification
of the first charge
in that the accused,
Charles B. McVay, III,
Captain, U.S. Navy,
failed to order abandon-ship
in proper time,
not guilty.
[PEOPLE MUTTERING]
The specification
of the second charge,
that Captain McVay
did hazard his command
by failure to zigzag,
guilty.
[PEOPLE GROANING]
This court is dismissed.
Charlie, I'm sure you know
there was nothing personal
in this.
I wish it could have
come out the other way.
Whatever the verdict,
it was for the good
of the service.
It's not fair, Charlie.
No, but it's over.
Let's go home.
REPORTER 1: Captain, what does
your father have to say?
REPORTER 2:
Captain, over here.
Over here, sir.
Have you been in contact
with any of the survivors?
REPORTER 3: Excuse me,
how about bringing
the Jap in here?
Captain McVay,
have there been
any discussions
of your retiring?
REPORTER 4: Are you staying
in the Navy, sir?
REPORTER 5: Hey, sir!
Did you expect
there to be a split...
What do you think of the Navy
bringing in Hashimoto
to testify against you?
REPORTER 6: Captain McVay,
do you plan...
Sir, do you plan an appeal?
[REPORTERS CLAMORING]
I couldn't sleep, either.
Are you all right?
It's all right.
My love, it'll be all right.
No.
No, darling.
It's not all right.
They died.
All those men.
They died.
Nobody said a word
about them.
They talked a lot
about the coffin,
but nothing about
what was inside.
You were used.
Lipscombe told you they needed
to be able to blame,
and you were what they had.
I was the Captain, Louise.
No, Charlie,
you were the scapegoat.
They convicted you
on a technicality.
I will never forgive them
for what they have done,
bringing that man
to testify against you.
It wasn't his fault.
Hashimoto had no choice.
I know that.
It has nothing to do with him.
The Navy lost
hundreds of ships
during the war.
No other captain
was ever court-martialed.
This has shown me
the lengths to which
they are willing to go
to cover for their mistake.
For God's sake,
they left you in the water
for five days.
Come on. Louise.
I need to talk to him,
to Hashimoto.
Why?
I don't know why.
But I know
I need to talk to him.
Captain, please sit down.
I appreciate
your taking the time
to see me.
I don't really know
why I came here.
You were not satisfied
with my testimony.
You told them what happened.
Nothing more.
The way you maneuvered
your ship
would have made no difference,
if that's what's
bothering you.
You were in range. I fired.
You completed your mission.
I completed mine.
Often, I have thought
of the consequences
of not stopping you
on the way to your mission
instead of on the return.
But that was not to be.
Captain.
You are a man
who believes in fate?
No.
I am a man
who is trying to accept it.
It's not easy
to be a survivor.
SCOTT: To Captain McVay.
ALL: To Captain McVay.
To our dear departed friends,
the men of
the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
ALL: The men of
the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
♪ Eternal Father
strong to save
ALL: ♪ Whose arm doth bind
the restless wave
♪ Who bids
the mighty ocean deep
♪ Its own appointed
limits keep
♪ Oh hear us
when we cry to thee
♪ For those in peril
on the sea
♪ O Savior
whose almighty word
♪ The winds and waves
submissive heard
♪ Who walkest
on the foaming deep
♪ And calm amidst
its rage did sleep
♪ Oh hear us
when we cry to thee
♪ For those in peril
on the sea ♪
It's him.
Hi.
MAN: There he is.
[TALKING STOPS]
Over there.
Captain's on board.
Captain McVay, sir.
MAN 1: Line handler,
get that line around
the quarter inch.
LINE HANDLER: Aye, aye, sir.
MAN 2: All right, handler.
Take it on out.
Aye, aye, sir.
That ought to
hold it, Major.
You sure that thing
will release easily?
Yes, sir.
What's in that thing
anyway, sir?
Get out of here.
Don't mind our Frankie, Major,
he's not long from the breast.
How many times
I gotta tell you
you should keep
your mouth shut? Don't...
Well, she's all yours,
Captain Wilkes.
Twenty-four hours,
round the clock.
That is your baby.
Very good, Major.
What do you think
is in that, Kinderman?
A buddy of mine
in the State Department
told me that's 5,000 rolls
of scented toilet paper
for General Douglas MacArthur.
Seems he's getting tired
of usin' his orders
to wipe his butt on.
All prepared
to get underway, sir.
Very well, Commander.
Have the crew stand by.
Aye, aye, sir.
Captain, is that
what all this hush-hush
is about?
It's kind of spooky
seeing it there,
like somebody lying in state.
[WHISTLE BLOWING]
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
MAN ON PA: Thomas to DiAngelo.
Thomas to DiAngelo.
Report to the Captain
in his sea cabin.
All right. Take it, chief.
I'm goin' topside.
...Captain in his sea cabin.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Come.
Lieutenant DiAngelo,
welcome aboard.
Congratulations
on your promotion.
Thank you, sir.
I'm looking forward
to my first cruise
as chief engineer.
I understand
you've served on a destroyer
before the Indianapolis.
That's right, sir. Convoy run.
Sit down. Sit down.Thank you.
Lieutenant, this mission
is of a somewhat
different nature.
I'm wanna make this run
in record time.
Which means I'm gonna need
everything she can give me
every inch of the way,
all the time.
Yes, sir.
Now, I expect the Indianapolis
to be as squared away
below decks
as she is topside.
I'd like to see your report
at 0800.
Aye, aye, sir.
And Lieutenant,
good luck.
Thank you, Captain.
Mail call, mail call.
Don't bother gettin' up.
Ain't nothin' here
for nobody but Dobson.
Got a winner.
Five, gentlemen, five.
Four from admirin' females,
one from family.
How come
you get so much mail, Joe?
I'm very attractive to women.
[CHUCKLING]
Oh.
What's the matter?
You didn't get
any mail, Frankie?
Not so far.
I don't know anybody, really.
Here, you can have
one of mine.
Oh, no...
I mean, isn't it private?
No, no. That's from
my kid sister, Elly.
And there's nothin' in it
you can't read.
She just writes
whatever comes into her nut.
Wow.
You can even write her back
for me, if you want.
She'd probably like to get
one back
before the war's over.
ELLY: Dear Joseph,
I wonder how long
before you get this letter,
and how long
before you write back to me.
I miss you a lot.
We all do,
but especially me.
I'm the kid sister, right?
And kid sisters
just naturally dote on their
handsome, hero big brothers.
WILKES: Guard bow,
turn to! Hut!
Steady. Change!
MAN ON PA:
Now, lay before the mast
all 0800 reports.
That is,
now lay before the mast
all 0800 reports.
Bow hands, hut!
You seagoin' bellhops
are really keepin' an eye
on this thing, ain't you?
Shove off, deck ape.
Must be a pretty important
piece of gear.
You're posting
a 24-hour guard on it.
Scuttlebutt up
in the officer's country says
she's crucial
to the war effort.
Hey, you know
what's inside this thing?
What's your seventh
general order, Marine?
Talk to no one
except in line of duty, sir.
A Marine on duty
has no friends.
Isn't that right, Cortez?
Aye, aye, sir.
Semper fi, do or die.
Know what I mean, Cortez?
Carry on.
My apologies, Major.
I'm afraid
coffee's the strongest liquid
they'll allow on board.
Just as well, sir.
This is your father,
isn't it?
Right.
Charles Butler McVay II.
I'm the third.
And the other gentleman's
the first. My grandfather.
Both Navy. Both admirals.
Seems admirals
run in the McVay bloodline.
I'm not sure
it's an inherited trait.
Well, this mission
certainly won't
do your record any harm.
You know that
the Navy picked
their best for this one.
Thank you, Major.
Captain, aren't you
the least bit curious
about what it is
you're carrying?
Petty Officer Kinderman
has it on absolute authority
we're carrying
personal toilet articles
for General MacArthur.
I think it's safe to say
that it's something
more important than that.
Are you trying
to tell me something
I don't need to know, Major?
Captain McVay,
what I'm trying to tell you
is that,
that cargo out there
on your foredeck
is a major component
of the deadliest damn weapon
the species has
come up with to date,
and frankly, sir,
I'd be more than
a little surprised
if the Navy hadn't seen fit
to inform the officer
responsible for delivering it.
Well, maybe they have.
And, then again,
maybe they think
I'd handle the situation
the same way
no matter what it is
we're carrying,
even if it is toilet paper
for General MacArthur.
Well, sir,
here's Godspeed to us all.
There's a lot riding on this,
like an end to this damn war.
What's the problem, sailor?
I got a really bad pain
in my gut, sir.
Goldstein,
how are your bowels?
You constipated?
Oh, no, sir.
I ain't constipated.
Not with the chow
they serve on this bucket,
you know?
How long have you had
the pain?
Ever since I heard
the Dodgers score.
No, I'm... I'm not sayin'
that was the cause of it.
That's just when it started.
Who beat 'em?Philly.
It was a fluke.
We're leading 2-1,
goin' into the bottom of
the ninth inning...
Put Goldstein
on a bland diet
and keep him away
from the baseball scores.
If it doesn't clear up
within two days, Goldstein,
put yourself
on a regular sick call.
Aye, aye, sir.
Gentlemen, there have been
lots of rumors
flying around the bridge
as to the nature of
this mission.
I'm not surprised.
Now, I'm sure
that you've noticed,
we are maintaining
maximum speed
on all watches.
I know you'd like to know
where we're headed and why.
Now, this much I can tell you.
You're outward bound
for the fair shores
of Tinian Island,
here, in the Marianas.
At our present speed,
we should arrive
Thursday morning,
no later than 1100.
Any questions?
Some of the men say
that Betty Grable is living
in that crate on the foredeck.
Absolutely untrue.
Miss Grable is in my cabin.
[ALL LAUGHING]
Captain, what about
the submarine threat
in these waters?
I haven't noticed
any mandatory orders about
sailing in a zigzag pattern.
Well, as far as we know,
the Japanese are pretty short
on everything,
including submarines.
What they have left, however,
they've begun to outfit
with something new,
called Kaitens.
Now, Kaitens,
for you army types,
are torpedoes
manned by human beings.
Sort of underwater kamikazes.
They're very fast,
very expendable.
You get one of those boys
in your tail
and zigzagging
wouldn't mean a thing.
The pilot just recalculates
his attack angle
and takes another run
at your midships.
Now, their weakness is range.
We're not exactly sure
how much that is,
but I think the best way
to deal with them
is to try and outrun them.
That's why I've asked
Lieutenant DiAngelo
to make all speed.
How fast are we doing,
Lieutenant?
We're a little better than
28 knots, Captain.
Good.
Faster than
the mental processes
of all but admirals, eh?
But slower than Kaitens.
That's correct, Major.
But, in my judgment,
the best way to deal with them
is to outrun them,
rather than trying to
outmaneuver them.
That'll be all, gentlemen.
You're dismissed.
Miss Grable's expecting me.
Yes, sir.
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
[MAN SPEAKING ON RECEIVER]
MAN 1: Easy, now.
Easy, easy, to the right.
MAN 2: More to my side.
More slow. Slow.
That's it.
MAN 2: Here it comes, guys.
MAN 1: Bring her in, men.
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
Watch your feet.More towards you.
Easy. Push.
[MEN WHOOPING]
All right.
That's it. Let's go.
Captain McVay, once again,
thanks for the ride.
It's been a pleasure,
Major Green.
You know, this really
has been
a historic voyage.
I'm glad to hear it, Major.
I've always wanted
to be on one of those.
Very well, sir.
I'll be going ashore.
McVAY: Bring that
20mm magazine up here.
MAN: Aye, aye, sir.
Captain McVay.
Hello, Padre.
Welcome aboard.
Thank you, sir.
It's good to have you with us.
I'm sure your presence
will help elevate
the quality of conversation
in the wardroom.
You make me feel
rather like
a maiden aunt, sir.
[CHUCKLING]
I want all those magazines
loaded and ready to go.
MEN: Aye, aye, sir.Aye, aye, sir.
Father, the men
are not too happy about
the prospect of heading out
to Leyte
without any shore leave,
so you may find
the level of profanity
fairly high
for the next couple of days.
Well, I'll pray
for all concerned, sir.
We have 1,196 souls
that need saving.
Does that include yours,
Captain?
No, Father.
Mine already belongs
to the Navy.
Carry on.
Thank you, sir.
[MEN CLAMORING]
MAN ON PA:
Now, all hands secure
from abandon-ship drill.
All hands secure
from abandon-ship drill.
That was a total disaster.
Substandard.
Thoroughly unacceptable.
Believe me,
I know most of our crew
are young
and green as grass,
but, gentlemen,
we are due to make Leyte
Tuesday morning.
So, I wanna see
a marked improvement by then.
Do I make myself clear?
ALL: Aye, aye, sir.
Good.
Let's turn to
and start making ourselves
very unpopular with the crew.
Helm, stand by
to commence zigzag.
First turn
will be starboard.
Ever known zigzagging
to help, Lieutenant?
Heard a lot of sub men say
it's a waste of time.
Well, maybe
you'd like to go back
and discuss it
with Captain McVay,
Petty Officer.
Oh, no, no, no.
Captain says
he wants me to zigzag,
I'll zigzag.
Want me to steer her straight,
I'll steer her straight.
I'm here to serve, sir.
This better be good,
Goldstein.
I just left Errol Flynn
about to capture Burma.
[SCREAMS]
Sorry, sir.
Don't let it get back
to Brooklyn, Goldstein,
but you've got yourself
a pretty sick stomach.
I'll give you something
to quell it.
It good enough
to get me off
the watch bill, sir?
It's good enough
to get you a depth charge
and a night in sickbay.
Orderly,
put Petty Officer Goldstein
in the rack
closest to the head.
[GROANING]
[BELL CLANGING]
Good evening, Captain.
Scott.
I didn't see you
at our movie tonight.
I though Errol Flynn
was your kind of guy.
Actually, I don't find
motion pictures
about the war
all that informative.
No. Well, they're meant
for the civilian
population, I imagine.
My own experience
of the Japanese
is that
they are excellent troops
with enviable discipline.
If you'll excuse me.
Oh.
Absolutely.
It seems to have settled in
pretty thick, sir.
I think we can hold
a steady course now.
Well, that should
please Petty Officer
Kinderman, sir.
McVAY: Oh?Mmm.
I wasn't aware
that Mr. Kinderman
was displeased.
No, sir.
Kinderman was asking
if zigzagging
was of any real value, sir.
Oh.
The general theory is that
if you happen
to take a hit at midships
while in the process
of zigzagging,
the chances are
zigzagging didn't make
much sense to begin with.
So, while the moon's
behind those clouds,
we'll hold our course
steady at 2-4-0,
make turns for 24 knots.
If that meets
with your approval,
Mr. Kinderman.
Aye, aye, sir.
And Lieutenant,
if there's any change
in the weather conditions,
you'll notify me at once.
Aye, aye, sir.
Captain off the bridge.
Helm, that'll be steady
on course 2-4-0.
Aye, aye, sir.
2-4-0 she is.
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
[SHOUTING IN JAPANESE]
[SONAR BEEPING]
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
MAN: Oh, boy.
You got the right idea
there, sailor.
It's not much better
out here.
[SIGHING]
I'm sweatin'.
[MAN COUGHING]
[SONAR BEEPING]
[SIGHS]
I'd rather have a sister
in a cathouse
than a brother as an officer.
Smart-ass rich boys
give me a pain in the butt.
Hey, shove off, mate.
Hey, Charlie,
I hear you let
your battleship mouth
run over
your rowboat butt again.
That 90-day wonder, DiAngelo,
just nailed me
up on the bridge.
Thought I had seen
the last of him at Tinian.
I'm supposed to have me
a set of orders
off this haze gray hotel.
Well, you're here
for the duration, I'd say.
Now, shut up and deal.
[SONAR BEEPING]
[EXCLAIMS]
FRANKIE: Dear Miss Dobson...
Elly,
I have never really
written a letter before
to anybody
and I never wrote to anybody
I don't know.
But pen pals do it
all the time, I guess.
But that's different.
I guess. Anyway.
I'm on the ship,
the same as your brother Joe,
except I see
you call him Joseph.
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
[SIGHING]
CHARLIE: Got the cowboys.
Looks like
I'm cleanin' you boys out.
[MEN SCREAMING]
Come on!
[MEN GROANING]
Get up! Up!
Get up!
[SCREAMING]
Easy, sailor. Easy.
Hey, don't touch
those engines!
We carry out the last order
from the bridge.
Maintain current speed.
Aye, aye, sir.
How bad, Commander?
No report
from Damage Control.
We've taken a hit
forward, sir.
[THUDDING][ALL GROANING]
[GROANING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
All right, let's go.
Let's go.
Let's go!
[MEN CLAMORING]
MAN 1:
Can anybody get forward?MAN 2: No.
[MEN CLAMORING]
Let's go!
Go.
Guys, I think we got hit.
Come on, Charlie.
Come on.
Yeah, yeah. I'm goin'.
Hey, buddy. What's going on?
[HISSING]
Keep trying the engine room.
Zach, make sure
we're sending out the mayday.
Aye, aye, sir.
Heavy smoke and fire
below decks, Captain.
We're takin' water fast.
How's she handling?
Answering the helm, sir,
but it's real mushy.
We can abandon ship, sir.
Not until we've heard
from Damage Control.
We still might be able
to save her.
Pass the word.
General quarters.
All hands on deck.
MAN: Aye, aye, sir.
Faber, get down below.
Have them shut down
those engines.
FABER: Yes, sir.
[PANTING]
Come on, Doc.
Leave him, now. Leave him.
Come on. Come on. Let's go.
[HISSING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
[GROANING]
[GASPING]
[MEN SCREAMING]
MAN: What's the word
from the bridge?
[MEN CLAMORING]
What can I do?
Sir.
On any injured man.
Do you understand me?
Injured men!
Aye, aye, sir.
Aye, aye, sir.
[SIZZLING]
[SCREAMING]
[VALVE BURSTS]
[SCREAMING]
Oh, God!
[MEN COUGHING]
MAN 1: Everybody,
get the rafts down!
MAN 2: We can't get
the floater nets down!
Quick!
What's the word
from the bridge?
MAN 1: Has anybody seen
the Boatswain?
MAN 2: Shouldn't
we abandon ship?
MAN 3: Has anybody heard...
MAN 4:
Get those people down first!
MAN 5: Come on!
Get some help up here!
Should we abandon ship?
What do we do, sir?
MAN: She's going down!
Everybody, over the side,
into the water!
Go! Go!
Come on out!
Into the water! Come on!
[MEN SCREAMING]
Oh, my God.
MAN:
Swim away from the ship!
Move away!
Pass the word to
abandon ship, Boatswain!
Aye, aye, sir.
All hands off the bridge!
MAN: Help me! My leg!
Captain?
[EXPLOSIONS]
The radio room
is unreachable, sir.
Thank you, Commander.
Prepare to abandon ship.
[GROANING]Here, take this.
Over the side.
[MEN SCREAMING]
[SHIP CREAKING]
Cortez!
Cortez! Cortez! He's dead.
He's dead! Get over the side!
Get over the side!
[EXPLOSIONS]
[CREAKING]
[GASPS]
Is anybody out here?
[GRUNTING]
[COUGHING]
Is anybody out here?
Oh, God, not just me.
Please, God, not just me.
Is anybody out here?
FRANKIE: And then, Elly,
I was in the water,
and, strangest of all,
after so many men
and so much activity,
I was absolutely alone,
not a single soul
to be seen or heard.
So strange.
I can't believe
it's really happening,
and I,
and I pray to God
I'm gonna awaken.
[MAN GRUNTING]
Over here, sailor!
You can make it.
Grab my hand.
I got you.
You're there.
[BOTH GRUNTING]
[COUGHING]
You okay?Yes, sir.
Are there any others?
I kept moving
to the end stern.
Did you see any others?
I don't know.
[PANTING] If there are,
they're strung out for miles.
Miles and miles, sir.
We gotta find them.
[COUGHING]
[MEN COUGHING]
So many men.
They're so spread out.
Zach, where can I
get them to bunch up?
It's gonna be hard
to keep count.
Did we get a message out?
I don't know.
Equipment was working.
There was time.
[MEN CLAMORING]
Stop it! Stop it!
[CLAMORING]
Stop fighting! Shut up!
Stop it!
Stop thrashing around!
Do you wanna attract sharks?
Come on, there's a lot of
injured men out there.
Give them a hand.Yes, sir.
Sorry.It's all right.
Find an injured man
for that jacket.
[MAN SHIVERING]
Hey, there.
Hang on to me. Hang on.
It's okay, buddy.
I'm gonna give you
this jacket.
Damn it.GOLDSTEIN: Hiya, Doc.
Believe it or not,
my gut feels
a whole lot better.
It's good to see you,
Goldstein.
It's good to see you, too.
How are we doin', sir?
If we were all doin'
as well as you,
we'd be fine.
Help me out, will you?
We gotta get
this kapok on him.
What's the matter
with your hands, Doc?
I'm not worth a dime.
Come on.
Good man, Goldstein.
We gotta get these men
closer together.
They're too spread out.
Yes, sir.
It's okay, buddy. It's okay.
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
I got you.Yeah.
Fifty or 60,
best as I can count.
We're in pretty bad shape.
How many life vests?
I'd say about half.
We gotta get 'em
on the injured.
Help me get his off.
What are you doin'?
He doesn't need it
anymore, Lieutenant.
He can make it, Captain.
Help me.
You got him?
MAN: All right, people,
listen up!
What we're gonna do
is keep the wounded afloat.
FRANKIE: I now have
three life vests, Elly.
Which is more than I can use,
but is perhaps
less than I need.
But soon I will find
some of my shipmates.
Then I can distribute them
as I was doing on the ship
before it sank.
I am sure now
that it did sink,
and that this
is not just a dream.
McVAY: How long have you been
in the Navy?
BOATSWAIN: I've been
in the Navy for 12 years
and six months now, sir.
Married?Yes, sir.
I've been married
for eight years, sir.
You got any kids?
Two kids.
Girl's seven and a boy...
Look over there.
Ahoy! The raft!
Who's there?
BOATSWAIN:
Identify yourselves!
Look, over there. Ahoy!
Let's pick 'em up.
MAN 1: Come on, come on.
Climb over.
MAN 2: Keep it straight.
Throw me that line.
Hello, Padre.
Hello, Skipper.
Hey, can you squeeze
a couple of us on your raft?
I think so.
Boatswain, help some of
these men aboard.
Aye, aye, sir.
Did you see the others?
Not yet.
We all just found each other.
There's bound
to be more of us.
Sir, I think you ought to
bring everyone aboard now.
All hands out of the water!
On the double!
Get out of the water.
MAN 1: Get out.
Get your feet out.
MAN 2: Give me your hand!
[MEN SIGHING]
MAN 1: Get off of here.MAN 2: Let me on.
MAN 1: Get off!MAN 3: There's no room.
[MEN GRUNTING]
You can't get on here.
Hey!
Let me on!All right, all right.
What do you need?
What do you need?
How many men we got here?
We got six. We're full.
I count four, sailor.
We have wounded men
in the water, Kinderman.
Now, if we start bringing
them over,
I want the uninjured
to give up their places.
We got wounded here
as it is, Lieutenant.
Then I'll leave it
to each man to decide
whether he's worse off
than the man replacing him.
How many places do you think
that's gonna
free up, Lieutenant?
Yours for one, Kinderman.
Yours for one.
Now get in the water.
Get in the water, now.
Hey, let's go.
[MEN GROANING]
[MEN GROANING]
Hang on.
[MEN SHIVERING]
Commodore Hathaway,
this is
Lieutenant Commander Olinsky.
At ease, Olinsky.
Get all settled in
over Tacloban?
Yes, sir.
Lieutenant Robinson, here,
give you some idea
of what you're up against?
Lot of traffic, sir.
More to come, if this invasion
of Japan gets underway.
Better hope they decide
to quit while they're behind.
Any news from CINPAC
he should know?
Not right now, sir.
I noticed CINPAC orders
that we don't report
combatant vessel arrivals.
Just wondered why
that was, sir.
Because the less
the enemy knows
of the whereabouts
of our fighting ships,
the safer they will be.
It's good to
have you aboard, Olinsky.
It seems pretty chaotic,
but don't be fooled.
It's a lot worse
than it looks.
Carry on.
Aye, aye, sir.
How long have you been here
on Leyte?
I've always been here.
Always will.
It's my favorite island.
Where was it
you wanted to go first, sir?
I've been trying to catch up
with a Christmas package
for eight months.
Hoping it might be here.
PRICE: Welcome to Leyte, sir.
It may be a nightmare,
but it's our nightmare.
[MAN SCREAMING]
[MEN CLAMORING]
[SCREAMS]
MAN: Don't panic.
[SCREAMING]
Let's feed him Jimmy.
He won't mind.
Come on,
let's take his shirt off.
If they get enough
of these dead guys,
maybe they won't eat
the rest of us.
Here comes the shark!
[SCREAMS]
[SCREAMING]
Cortez, Cortez, Cortez,
name three main groups
of the M1 rifle.
Come on.
Stock group,
barrel and receiver group,
trigger housing group.
Main characteristics?
Shoulder-fired, clip in,
air-cooled, gas-operated.
Again.
Shoulder-fired, clip in,
air-cooled, gas-operated,
semiautomatic, sir.
[PANTING]
Are you all right?
Yes, sir.
[MEN SIGHING]
I should have gone down
with the ship.
Why didn't I?
Why did I survive?
I think it's time to trust
in providence, Captain.
[CHUCKLES]
Providence covers
a lot of territory, Father.
The question is,
does that include the Navy?
We're in a war.
Ships get sunk.
The Navy understands that.
After all, you did
complete your mission.
I don't think
there can be any questions
of anything
except our bad luck.
I just had the feeling
that everything...
Everything
has already happened.
But you only find out about it
when it catches up with you.
[MAN COUGHING]
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
creator of Heaven and Earth,
and Jesus Christ,
his only son, our Lord,
conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born to the Virgin Mary...
SCOTT: Stay together.
Those of you
who don't have jackets,
hold on to the ones who do.
Those of you
with kapok jackets,
bunch up
and tie them together.
[SHIVERING] Sir.What is it?
It's Commander Elias.How's he doing?
He's asking me
to untie his life vest.
He's gonna die.
[WHIMPERING]
I know.
I can't do it.
It's okay, Goldstein.
You're doing the best you can.
It's okay.
I'll take care of him.
It's okay.
Zach!
Zach, it's me.
[GROANING]
Zach, how you doing?
[FEEBLY]
I can't untie the knot.
Hang on, Zach.
Help's on the way.
Not for me, Doc. Not for me.
Help me, please.
[COUGHS]
Okay, okay.
Damn it! My hands.
Skipper...
Do you think he made it?
I don't know.
He probably
went down with her.
[GASPING]
I want to...
Alice to... My wife.
I want her to marry again.
Okay.
I love her very, very much.
You'll tell her, Steve.
Please, please,
can you tell her...
Goldstein!
Goldstein!
Help!
Let him go. Let him go.
Let him go, okay?
It's okay. It's okay.
Let him go. Let him go.
He's gone. It's okay.
He's gone.
[GOLDSTEIN SOBBING]
GOLDSTEIN: Take me home.
I want to go...
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
Mr. DiAngelo.
Mr. DiAngelo.
[GRUNTING]It's me. It's Wilkes.
Captain Wilkes,
I was home.
I was home and I was in bed.
Some of the men
are drinking salt water.
I've seen it before.
We've gotta stop it
right away.
It'll make them crazy.
Are you with me?Yeah.
Come on.
Gentlemen, you get down
maybe 10, 15 feet
and the water's not salt.
Yeah.
Deeper you go,
the purer it gets.
MAN: Is that true?
I'm tellin' you.
Want me to get you some?
MEN: Yeah.
Go, go, go, go.
Okay. Comin' up.
Gangway, sailors. Gangway.
What is happening here,
people?
Shorty just went under
to get us
a drink of fresh water.
Secure him. Secure him.
Take him. Secure him.
Don't drink that water.
Listen up, people. Listen up.
[MEN LAUGHING]
Any man
that drinks salt water again
is gonna lose his vest.
It's fresh.
WILKES: Shut up!
You understand me?
You're first.
What, you want me
to start with you?
No, no, no, no.
Give it over!
You've lost your life vest.
No, no, no!Do you understand me?
Am I clear?
WILKES: Okay, you...Hear what's happenin', shrimp?
[LAUGHING]
WILKES: Let's go!
Over here!Help!
MAN: Help!
PADRE: Over here!
Down here!
Look down here!
MAN 1: Over here!MAN 2: Over here!
Can't you hear, pal?
That's the second one
we've seen
that didn't see us.
Well, maybe he did.
Maybe he's radioing
our position right now.
Yeah, maybe so.
You can't give up.
They'll be back,
and when they come,
they'll bring more planes
and more ships.
They'll find us.
You've got to believe that.
Just hang on.
We're gonna make it.
You understand?
All of us!
We're gonna make it!
Yes, sir.
He's back.
He never left.
[MEN CLAMORING]MAN: Get in the raft! Get on.
Get in! Get in.Get in.
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
BOTH: hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth
as it is in Heaven.
ALL: Give us this day
our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us,
and lead us not
into temptation,
but deliver us
from evil. Amen.
[ORCHESTRA PLAYING LOUDLY]
So you want to be
on Broadway, huh?
Well, you've come
to the right place,
Nurse Danielson.
Are you in show business,
Lieutenant?
I, in show...
I am in one of the
longest running tragifarces
in showbiz history.
I give you
The War in the Pacific.
May it run forever.
I mean...
Well, until tomorrow morning,
at least.
Lieutenant!
Lieutenant Tasker!
Can't hear you.
He's got the music up
too loud.
Lieutenant Tasker!
[WHISTLING]
Shall we?
Shouldn't you...
When it's important,
they'll wade out to me.
What they're doing now
is hovering.
Okay.
Go tell Lieutenant Tasker
we're back on duty.
Why me?
He'll kill me
for spoiling his fun.
Coward.
What're you doing?
I'm going to cut in.
[CHUCKLING]
Hey, look,
somebody's comin'.
It's that damn Marine.
Look at him go.
He swims like Tarzan.
I think maybe
we should put this stuff away.
What's he gonna do?
Haul us back
to a court-martial?
I think
we should put it away.
Listen.
This ain't the Navy anymore.
All that, "Yes, sir,"
"No, sir,"
"Saluting sir,"
"Aye, aye, sir."
It's all finished.
See this? This is it.
It's every man for himself.
You men are too far
from the main group.
We must've drifted
in the night, sir.
How many men on this raft?
I count three.
We got one more
down below here.
Wounded real bad.
There are men
who need this raft.
What about us? Aren't we men?
Don't we need this raft?
Don't we need it?
You got somethin'
to hide, sailor?
Charlie...
Gangway. I'm coming aboard.
Well.
DOBSON: Charlie?
I'm ordering you
off this raft.
You're orderin' nothin'.
Get the hell out of here.
Gangway!
Come on.
Charlie!
[GRUNTING]
I want you on your feet.
What are you doing? Hey.
Don't you know
where you are, Marine?
You're in the middle
of the Pacific Ocean.
You are on report, mister.
You are on report.
All right. Okay!
[BOTH GRUNTING]
Charlie! Charlie!
You are under arrest!
[GRUNTING]You are...
Charlie!
Charlie!
He's gone. He's gone.
No, no, no.
He was always gone.
Hey! Where you goin'?
Don't expect to come back here
and get back on this raft.
MAN: I'm with Dobson.
PETE: Me, too.
What do you mean?
Hey, where you goin'?
Petey!
Wait a second.I'm goin'.
They're not gonna come
after us.
They're lookin'
for someone to blame
this whole thing on!
We'll get medals
just for makin' it.
Don't you understand?
We'll all be heroes.
FRANKIE: When I get home,
we'll lie in the hammock
and just swing
back and forth.
It's like you were floating.
You'd like it, Elly.
It's a big enough hammock
for two.
I'm not very big.
[FRANKIE LAUGHS]
I ain't a midget,
you understand?
We'll just lie in the hammock,
swinging,
swinging,
swinging...
MAN 1: Here it comes.
MAN 2: [PANICKING]
It's coming again.
MAN 3: Get on the raft!
[AIR HISSING]
Get the injured men
and the equipment over here.
[MEN CLAMORING]
[MAN SCREAMING]
Get out of the way!Hold on! Hold on!
[GRUNTING]
Hold on.
Calm down. Don't panic.
I think
he's gone for now, sir.
[MEN SOBBING]
We'll take turns
with the watch,
every two hours.
[MAN GROANING]
She's all yours, Joseph.
Yeah, let me know
if you see anything
except clear blue water.
The more you stare,
the less you see.
What's that mean?
Keep watching. Stop thinking.
Don't tell your eyes.
Let your eyes tell you.
Out-bound leg completed.
New heading,
2-7-0 magnetic for two hours.
Well, then
let there be no deviation
from the flight plan.
Okay, Carl.
Call me when we're ready
to go home.
Takin' over.
On bearing 172.I got it.
What is it, sir, a submarine?There's somethin' down there.
What did you see, sir?
[MEN SCREAMING]
Did you hear it?
The plane? Listen. Listen!
There's more of 'em.
There's dozens.
There must be 100 or more.
TASKER: It's your plane, Joe.
Who are they?
Are they Japs?
Just a bunch of
poor drowning bastards.
TASKER:
Bring us around hard, Joe,
and get us down
over the water.
[MEN CHEERING]
It must be a surface vessel.
There's too many for a sub.
They must be us.
The Japs don't have
any surface vessels
for 400 miles.
Tell them it looks
as bad as they can imagine
and then some.
About the fuel, sir.
We have to start back soon
or we won't make it.
You go send
that message, Carl,
and then we'll talk about
fuel, okay?
Okay. I just thought
you should know.
I know.
It'll just have to wait.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
I'm doing the best I can
with the resources
at hand, Admiral.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
As soon as possible.
Yes, sir.
Do these people know
there's a war on?
We have a report
of large numbers of men
in the ocean
several hundred miles
due east of here, sir.
What do you mean
"large numbers"?
In excess of 300, sir.
What's out there?
Well, sir, the Indianapolis
should have reached port
yesterday.
We've got her marked off
our boards,
but there's no confirmation
from Port Authority.
Yes, sir,
but standing orders
are explicit, sir.
Arriving combatant ships
are not to be reported, sir.
How about non-arriving
combatant ships, Lieutenant?
I think
you better take this, sir.
[TYPEWRITERS CLACKING]
Lieutenant Commander
Olinsky, sir.
Can I be of some help?
What do you have
on the Indianapolis,Olinsky?
She was due yesterday
and we've taken her off
our board.
I know you don't report
combatant vessels.
You do notice
if they arrive or not,
don't you?
No, sir.
What exactly is the problem
with the Indianapolis,sir?
Who's on the Indianapolis?
Charlie McVay, sir.
God help him.
We're low on fuel, Lieutenant.
I mean, we're not gonna
make it back.
Well,
better put her down, then.
Where? Here?
Good a place as any.
Relax, guys.
It looks pretty rough
down there.
She'll make it.
She'll make it.
Might not get her off again,
but what the hell?
The taxpayers
have gotten their mileage
out of this baby.
Now, you tell 'em that,
owing to a fuel shortage,
we're putting down
near a group of floaters.
Carl, now you give them
our position
loud and clear. Okay?
Okay, hold tight.
She's gonna jump.
It's sent.
They know we're down.
[MEN CLAMORING]
It's one of ours!
Captain! Captain Wilkes!
Captain!
That's the Japs.
That's an old trick.
We swim over there,
they're gonna machine-gun us.
That's crazy.
They will. You'll see.
It's Japanese!
[SHOUTING]
Captain!
[ALL CLAMORING]
Captain Wilkes!
Where's Captain Wilkes?
Captain Wilkes is dead, sir.
Captain Wilkes is dead?
What are we gonna do, sir?
Keep calm.
We got to keep the men
calm, sailor.
We gotta keep them calm.
We gotta get the men
to the plane.
We're almost there.
Keep them calm. Keep them...
All right, keep calm!
We're almost there.
We gotta hold on.
We gotta hold on.
We're almost there.
Are you sure
it was a plane, sir?
Positive.
It was heading north.
That was over two hours ago.
Give me the flare pistol.
It's loaded.
Shooting stars, Elly.
Make a wish.
We don't know
that either, sir.
Yes, there was a report
picked up
from a Japanese submarine
claiming a kill,
but we've gotten used to
discounting those.
Yes, sir.
I will, sir.
That was Nimitz.
Things are starting
to get pretty squirrelly.
What have you got?
We have
the Cecil J. Doyleen route
at the present time.
The Talbot,
the Madison,the Uranus
are the other vessels
closest to
the reported sightings.
Send them.
How long have those men
been in the water?
If the Jap reports
are accurate,
about 72 hours, sir.
[SCREAMING]
[SOBBING]
MAN 1: Jap!MAN 2: I see one.
What? What?Where? Come on!
[MEN TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
There's a raft!
Over there. Over there.
Over here.
There's a raft over here.
There's a raft there.
Unbelievable.
Yeah.
[GASPS IN PAIN]
[GROANS]
Japs. I got one. I got one.
[MAN LAUGHING]MAN 1: Yeah.
Shorty got a Jap.
Take the boat!
Come on. Get it off.
Hey, climb aboard.
SHORTY: I got him.
Those bastards are everywhere.
[MAN SNIFFLING]
[MAN MUTTERING]
Sir, sir, help me
get these guys
over to the plane.
No, I can't
lose my place in line.
We gotta get to the hotel.
I need a rest.
Just 15 minutes in a room.
Take it easy, Doc. Easy.
Fifteen minutes. No! No!
Don't worry.
It's okay, Doc.Let go!
What if they don't
have any rooms?
Hang on.
We're all gonna get a room.
[SOBBING]
I gotta get a room.
We're all gonna get a room.
All these guys
are gonna get a raft.
Us, too, Doc.
Come on. Us, too.
You gotta give me a room.
[MUMBLING]
[SHUSHING]
Hang on.
You're all right.
You're all right. Come on.
Come on. I'll lift you up.
[GROANING]
[GRUNTING]
What ship are you from?
Huh?
What ship are you from?
The Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis.
[MEN SIGHING]
Come on, guys.
Get those ships here.
Sir?
Sir, there's a light
on the horizon.
Could that be a ship?
Maybe.
Yeah. Yeah, that is a ship.
And it's headin' towards us.
They found us.
They found us.
A ship!
Padre.
[MEN MUTTERING]
Wake up, Padre.
They found us. We made it.
Padre? Padre!
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
[SCREAMING]
MAN ON PA: Bridge, forecastle.
I've got a raft
two points off
the starboard bow.
MAN 2 ON PA: Now on deck,
stand by to hoist out
number two motor whaleboat.
[FEEBLY]
I'm expecting a letter.
Don't worry, son.
We'll make sure you get it.
Captain,
the rest of the men
have been picked up.
MAN: You'll be fine, sailor.
Captain. Sir,
let me give you a hand.
Abandon ship!
Abandon ship.
DOCTOR:
We need to redress this.
MALE NURSE: Yes, sir.
[MAN COUGHING]
How are you doin'?
Fine, sir.
I'll be all right.
Well, they haven't let you
out of here yet, huh?
No, sir.
Why should I leave?
I have the life.
Besides, these guys
would miss me.
[SHUDDERING]
Lieutenant.
Hey, Skipper.
I talked to your folks
last night.
Did you talk to my mom?
Told them you were okay
and they send their love.
Thanks, Captain.
Captain.
[SPLUTTERING]
Captain.
It's okay, Lieutenant.
It's okay.
I tried...
You'll be home for Christmas.
Nice tie, Goldstein.
Oh, thank you, Skipper.
How's the food
in this joint?
Terrible.
They keep serving us fish.
Hello, Commander.
Captain?
You made it.
So did you.
[SIGHING]
How is he, Louise?
He acts like, well,
you know how he acts,
all very under control.
All by the book,
as you'd say.
Well, Charlie has
what it takes.
He's been getting
a lot of phone calls lately.
From reporters, I suppose.
No, from parents and
relatives from the men
who were lost.
They're saying
terrible things to him.
Dad, they're blaming him...
It's understandable, Louise.
It's human nature.
Hello, Dad.
Charlie, how are you?
All right,
all things considered.
How are you?
Fine, just fine.
Go into the study, you two,
and I'll get some coffee.
It's a very difficult time
with the Navy, Charlie.
You just remember that.
The Pearl Harbor inquiry
is potentially
a very damaging business.
This would be
a most unfortunate time
to start dragging out
a lot of stuff about
inefficiency and
administrative confusion.
Dad,
880 men are dead.
That's a fact,
a terrible fact.
They can't just ignore that.
Of course
they can't ignore it.
Well, what are
they going to do?
There will have to be
a court-martial, Charlie.
Hello, Charles.
Jack.
How's the Admiral?
He's fine, thank you.
Kind of you to ask.
He's not here.
Didn't expect him.
You're looking well, Louise.
Thank you.
Well...
Good luck, Charles.
Thank you, Jack.
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
CHAIRMAN: Captain McVay,
you're hereby charged with
failure to give the order
to abandon ship in time
and hazarding your command
by failure to zigzag
in submarine-infested waters.
How do you plead?Not guilty.
You know, these charges
against the Captain,
they don't make any sense.
We've gotta go in there
and we've gotta tell them
how it was.
They don't wanna know
how it was, Goldstein.
What do you mean,
"They don't wanna know," sir?
MAN: Lieutenant DiAngelo.
What the hell
do they want to know?
LIPSCOMBE:
How long have you been
in the Navy, Lieutenant?
Since 1941.
So, you have had
four years' watch
in wartime conditions?
That's correct, sir.
Was it your opinion that
the U.S.S. Indianapolis,
on the night in question,
was being hazarded
by not steering
a zigzag course?
No, sir.
It was as murky a night
as I'd ever seen.
Would you have ordered
such a course
if you had deemed
it necessary?
Yes, sir.
Absolutely.
PROSECUTOR: Did you
at any time hear
the order to abandon ship?
SCOTT: No, sir.
How did you determine
as to when to do so?
When it became evident
that the ship
was going to capsize.
LIPSCOMBE: In your assessment,
how many men
got off the ship, Commander?
It's hard to say. It was dark.
There was smoke, flames,
a lot of wounded.
It could have been 800,
maybe 900.
And how many men
were rescued?
I don't believe
the number of men rescued
is relevant to the charges
against Captain McVay.
Goldstein, for God's sake,
sit your butt down.
I don't get this.
Don't they care about
all those poor guys
that drowned?
It's not at
the top of their list.
It's like going to a funeral
and not saying anything
about the corpse.
I'm gonna ask them
just what's goin' on.
Goldstein,
you don't ask questions
at a court-martial,
you answer them.
You answer the questions
they ask you.
On the night of July 29th,
can you describe
what happened,
Petty Officer Goldstein?
I had a bad case of the runs
and the ship sank.
[PEOPLE LAUGHING]
LIPSCOMBE: Captain Guardino,
you are holder of
the following decorations,
the Navy Cross, four times,
the Silver Star, twice,
the Bronze Star, three times.
Is that correct?
Yes, sir.
So for all practical purposes,
we can assume
you are an expert on
submarine attack procedures?
I guess so.
Captain, of the 28 vessels
you sank during your service,
how many were not zigzagging
at the time?
None.
Based on your experience,
what is the value
of zigzagging to a target?
With modern submarines,
fire control equipment,
high-speed torpedoes
and torpedo spreads,
I don't consider zigzagging
affects the result.
Your witness.
The Prosecution
has no questions
for Captain Guardino,
but, instead, proposes to
call to the stand
the only expert
on submarine tactics
who is relevant
to the issue
before this court,
and that is
Lieutenant Commander
Mochitsura Hashimoto,
Captain of the I-58,
the submarine
which fired at and sank
the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
[PEOPLE MUTTERING]
[PEOPLE MUTTERING]
[MAN SHUSHING]
PROSECUTOR:
Commander, what are
your religious beliefs?
I am a Shintoist.
Do you know the meaning
of falsehood and truth?
I am fully aware
of the distinction, yes.
Do you know
what perjury means?
Yes.
I'd urge
that Commander Hashimoto
be accepted
as a reliable witness
in this case,
with a knowledge of
the significance of testimony
under oath.
Before the Court
gives its opinion
on the reliability
of this witness,
I must,
on behalf of Captain McVay
and a very large body
of public opinion,
protest in the strongest terms
the decision of
the Judge Advocate's Office
to introduce
Commander Hashimoto.
This man is the enemy,
an enemy we have gone to
the most extraordinary lengths
to destroy,
an enemy we despise
and distrust.
[PEOPLE TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
That he should be brought
into this court
to give testimony
against an officer
of the caliber
and record of Captain McVay
is a travesty and an outrage.
CHAIRMAN: Silence.
Silence, silence.
Such demonstrations
have no place
in these hearings.
Captain Lipscombe,
the views you have expressed
are not germane
to the charges against
Captain McVay.
Not germane...
You will confine yourself
to procedure throughout
the rest of these hearings.
Questioning the witness
will continue.
Commander,
what was the visibility
on the night of your attack
on the Indianapolis?
In the direction of the moon,
it was relatively good.
At what distance
did you sight your target?
At about 10,000 meters.
Was the target zigzagging?
No.
In your opinion,
was the Indianapolis,
in the prevailing visibility
and following the course
that it was at the time,
was it an easy target?
Yes, it was an easy target.
I fired only three torpedoes
and reserved my Kaitens.
I had no doubt the attack
would be successful.
Would it have made
any difference to you,
on this attack,
if the target
had been zigzagging?
It would have involved
no change in the method
of the firing
of the torpedoes,
but some change
in maneuvering.
CHAIRMAN:
Captain McVay, please rise.
Captain Henshaw will read
the Court's findings
into the record.
The specification
of the first charge
in that the accused,
Charles B. McVay, III,
Captain, U.S. Navy,
failed to order abandon-ship
in proper time,
not guilty.
[PEOPLE MUTTERING]
The specification
of the second charge,
that Captain McVay
did hazard his command
by failure to zigzag,
guilty.
[PEOPLE GROANING]
This court is dismissed.
Charlie, I'm sure you know
there was nothing personal
in this.
I wish it could have
come out the other way.
Whatever the verdict,
it was for the good
of the service.
It's not fair, Charlie.
No, but it's over.
Let's go home.
REPORTER 1: Captain, what does
your father have to say?
REPORTER 2:
Captain, over here.
Over here, sir.
Have you been in contact
with any of the survivors?
REPORTER 3: Excuse me,
how about bringing
the Jap in here?
Captain McVay,
have there been
any discussions
of your retiring?
REPORTER 4: Are you staying
in the Navy, sir?
REPORTER 5: Hey, sir!
Did you expect
there to be a split...
What do you think of the Navy
bringing in Hashimoto
to testify against you?
REPORTER 6: Captain McVay,
do you plan...
Sir, do you plan an appeal?
[REPORTERS CLAMORING]
I couldn't sleep, either.
Are you all right?
It's all right.
My love, it'll be all right.
No.
No, darling.
It's not all right.
They died.
All those men.
They died.
Nobody said a word
about them.
They talked a lot
about the coffin,
but nothing about
what was inside.
You were used.
Lipscombe told you they needed
to be able to blame,
and you were what they had.
I was the Captain, Louise.
No, Charlie,
you were the scapegoat.
They convicted you
on a technicality.
I will never forgive them
for what they have done,
bringing that man
to testify against you.
It wasn't his fault.
Hashimoto had no choice.
I know that.
It has nothing to do with him.
The Navy lost
hundreds of ships
during the war.
No other captain
was ever court-martialed.
This has shown me
the lengths to which
they are willing to go
to cover for their mistake.
For God's sake,
they left you in the water
for five days.
Come on. Louise.
I need to talk to him,
to Hashimoto.
Why?
I don't know why.
But I know
I need to talk to him.
Captain, please sit down.
I appreciate
your taking the time
to see me.
I don't really know
why I came here.
You were not satisfied
with my testimony.
You told them what happened.
Nothing more.
The way you maneuvered
your ship
would have made no difference,
if that's what's
bothering you.
You were in range. I fired.
You completed your mission.
I completed mine.
Often, I have thought
of the consequences
of not stopping you
on the way to your mission
instead of on the return.
But that was not to be.
Captain.
You are a man
who believes in fate?
No.
I am a man
who is trying to accept it.
It's not easy
to be a survivor.
SCOTT: To Captain McVay.
ALL: To Captain McVay.
To our dear departed friends,
the men of
the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
ALL: The men of
the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
♪ Eternal Father
strong to save
ALL: ♪ Whose arm doth bind
the restless wave
♪ Who bids
the mighty ocean deep
♪ Its own appointed
limits keep
♪ Oh hear us
when we cry to thee
♪ For those in peril
on the sea
♪ O Savior
whose almighty word
♪ The winds and waves
submissive heard
♪ Who walkest
on the foaming deep
♪ And calm amidst
its rage did sleep
♪ Oh hear us
when we cry to thee
♪ For those in peril
on the sea ♪