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U.S. Naval Institute

Nov 12 • 2 tweets • 1 min read Twitter logo

#OTD in 1970, the Oregon Highway Division consulted with the U.S. Navy and decided the best way to dispose of a whale carcass was to blow it up with a 1/2 ton of dynamite. The explosion caused blubber to rain down on spectators for over a 1/4 of a mile. The TV segment is classic.

A five-foot chunk of the whale hit a new Oldsmobile that spectator Walter Umenhofer had bought at a dealer's "whale of a deal" promotion. Due to the physical damage and the smell that permeated the car, insurance covered the full retail value of the Olds.
#ExplodingWhaleDay

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U.S. Naval Institute

@NavalInstitute

Dec 4, 2020

#OTD in 1945, the trial began for Capt. Charles McVay over the loss of USS Indianapolis. Of all the CO's who lost ships during WWII, McVay was the only one court-martialed. McVay was charged with hazarding his ship by not using the technique of zigzagging to avoid sub attacks.

Mochitsura Hashimoto, who sank the Indianapolis as CO of the sub I-58, was called to be a witness for the prosecution but testified that zigzagging would not have prevented him from making his successful torpedo attack. However, McVay was still found guilty of negligence.

The entire ordeal weighed heavily on McVay who committed suicide in 1968. Survivors of the Indianapolis maintained that his conviction was unjust. They campaigned for decades to clear his name. McVay was posthumously exonerated in 2001.

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