What do a secret atomic mission, the horrors of war, and a shark tale immortalised in blockbuster cinema have in common? In this haunting, unforgettable episode of History For F***’s Sake, host Sarah Dowd welcomes naval historian, author, and maritime storyteller Nick Hewitt to dive beneath the surface of one of WWII's most infamous tragedies: the sinking of USS Indianapolis.

From Jaws’ unforgettable monologue to the real-life trauma endured by hundreds of young sailors stranded in Pacific waters, Sarah and Nick dissect the myth, memory, and legacy of an event that shaped cinema and the modern US Navy. And with 2025 marking the 250th anniversary of the US Navy, there’s no better time to look at the stories we remember (and those we choose to forget).

Highlights:

• Jaws at 50: Sarah and Nick bond over their lifelong love for Spielberg’s classic
• How Quint’s monologue about USS Indianapolis hooked generations on a hidden WWII disaster
• Nick shares about the real USS Indianapolis, and her legendary war record, and why so many lives were lost
• The real context behind the atomic mission, and what war planners didn’t want in the post-war headlines
• From Jaws to Dunkirk and Oppenheimer, Nick and Sarah debate how (and why) film and TV keep history alive
• The personal aftermath for survivors and why stories like Indianapolis matter in an age still shadowed by nuclear threat.
• From Top Gun to Crimson Tide, old-school submarine duels, and a few terrible naval movies best left overboard.

Factoid: In Jaws, Quint famously recounts the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during his chilling monologue. He says the date was June 29, 1945, but in reality, the ship was torpedoed just after midnight on July 30, 1945.

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About Nick Hewitt:

Nick Hewitt is a naval historian, author, and maritime storyteller known for making the drama of the past vivid, human, and unforgettable. His latest book is *Normandy: The Sailor’s Story* (Yale University Press, now in paperback), charting the unsung naval history of D-Day. He studied history at Lancaster University and War Studies at King’s College, London, before working at Imperial War Museums and The National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Nick’s broadcast credits include presenting the BBC’s Coast, Channel 5’s D-Day’s Sunken Secrets (2014) and the BBC’s Battle of Jutland: The Navy’s Bloodiest Day (2016). His first book, Coastal Convoys 1939-1945, was published in December 2008, and he has since published The Kaiser’s Pirates (2013) and Firing on Fortress Europe (2015) and Normandy: The Sailor’s Story (2024).

Connect with Nick:

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/NickHewitt)

Book: Normandy: The Sailor’s Story

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive...