McVay was to speed highly classified cargo to Tinian Island in the northern Marianas, Purnell said. The singer-songwriter and keyboardist died on Nov. 30 at age 79 "following a short illness," her family said at the time. McVays case stands in contrast to these: He did everything necessary for the Indy to go to sea, he responded properly to crises, and continued to lead in the aftermath.1 Accountability should be a standard, applied at all times in the same manner. Twitter mourns death of Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie "On behalf of Christine McVie's . He undertook no action, nor omitted any action that could have prevented I-58 from sinking the Indianapolis. Christine McVie, the longtime co-lead vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter for Fleetwood Mac, died Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the age of 79. This orientation toward the value of accountability allows a closer analysis of McVays responsibility in the sinking of the Indianapolis. I didnt even have a life jacket, so I was swimming from midnight to 5:30 in the morning. July 30 was a black, dark night and that submarine skipper, he looked towards the east and here was a little speck that he recognized as a ship. Captain Mcvey and the first pilot of the Larchmont were ultimately cleared over time and the blame landed on the Captain of the Harry Knowlton, Frank Haley, and his crew. I had no time to get off the deck before I heard the second explosion. Thechief medical officer reported McVay saying, "I can't tell you what the mission is. 'MISSION OF THE SHARK' - The Washington Post McVays court-martial applied a nonstandard interpretation of accountability, failed to link causes and effects, and simply proliferated survivors guilt and moral injury in Indianapolis survivors. When we were in Mare Island, a very large box was put into the port hangar and thats where everybodys attention, including mine, was put. For more see USS Indianapolis (CA-35)and Documents Relating to Loss of USS Indianapolis. The first torpedo slammed into Indys starboard bow, killing dozens of men in an instant. Captain McVay's defenders note that he had been given discretion -- not ordered -- to steer a zigzag course and had done so for a time, and that he had been advised there was little threat of enemy submarines. England, Gordon R. (July 11, 2001), Memorandum for the Chief of Naval Operations from the Secretary of the Navy. Eugene Morgan, Boatswains Mate Second Class: All the time, the sharks never let up. We left thinking everything was fine. Warner introduced a resolution in 2000 to exonerate McVay. In a court martial that became controversial years later, the captain of the Indianapolis, Charles B. McVay III, was found guilty of not running a "zig-zag" course to evade Japanese submarines. They [both Carter and the Guam routing] assured the captain everything was all right. Accountability, especially applied to captains of ships, is nearly absolute; commanders are responsible for everything that happens within their command, even if the commander played no direct causal role. What failed in this instance is that the naval officers who knew the ship was overdue did not investigate why. Some 900 other men, including the captain, Charles B. McVay III, leaped into the sea. [1] Despite that testimony, the official ruling was that visibility was good, and the court held McVay responsible for failing to zigzag. Id see them swimming below me.. Charles B. McVay, III, be court-martialed. At night especially, life was slowly sucked away as crew succumbed to hypothermia. Also, naval command assumed McVay's route would be safe at that point in the war.