Charles B. McVay III was the captain of what famous W.W. II ship?

Charles B. McVay III was the captain of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, which was sunk by a Japanese submarine 30 July, 1945. The ship, which sank in 12 minutes after being torpedoed, had been on a secret mission at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Indy delivered the second atomic bomb (LIttle Boy) to Tinian base in the Marianas. The bomb was dropped over Nagasaki.

On its return to the Philippines, the ship was torpedoed, sending much of its 1,196 crewmen into the water. Because of the secrecy of the mission, the Navy did not know that the Indy had been sunk for three days.

In the mean time, 879 crewmen died from the initial accident, injuries, exposure in the water...and shark attacks. This accident has been called the greatest mass shark attack upon man in recorded history.

McVay, who was fished from the sea along with the survivors, was court-martialed by the Navy for hazarding and other charges. McVay is still the only officer in the U.S. Navy history to be court-martialed after losing a ship in an act of war _ despite that he was on a secret mission and told to remain on radio silence. McVay was convicted of hazarding, but served no jail time. He was promoted to Rear Admiral but retired in 1945.

McVay committed suicide in 1968 after years of mental problems.

Following years of efforts by some survivors and others to clear his name, McVay was posthumously exonerated by the 106th United States Congress and President Bill Clinton on October 30, 2000.