Charles B. McVay III Military person
Rear Admiral Charles Butler McVay III (July 30, 1898 – November 6, 1968) was the Commanding Officer of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) when it was lost in action in 1945, resulting in massive loss of life. Of all the captains in the history of the U.S. Navy, he was the only one to have been subjected to court-martial because his ship was sunk by an act of war. After years of mental health problems, he committed suicide. Following years of efforts by some survivors and others to clear his name, Captain McVay was posthumously exonerated by the 106th United States Congress and President Bill Clinton on October 30, 2000. In 1978, the events surrounding McVay's court-martial were dramatized in The Failure to ZigZag by playwright John B. Ferzacca. Actor Stacy Keach portrayed McVay in the 1991 made-for-television movie Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, which depicted the ordeal of the men of the Indianapolis during her last voyage.
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Military person
| allegiance | United States of America |
|---|---|
| award | |
| military operations | |
| military branch | |
| service start | 1916 |
| service end | 1916 |