20 Things You Somehow Missed In Jaws
11. Quint's USS Indianapolis Story Is Inaccurate
The scene where Quint is relaying the event of the USS Indianapolis is a quietly chilling part of the movie, thanks to the naturally engaging storytelling of Robert Shaw. It was worked into the story to explain Quint’s hatred of sharks.
The monologue was devised by playwright Howard Sackler but it was actually filled with a few historical inaccuracies. First of all, the Indianapolis toppled and sunk on the 30th of July, not the 29th. And allegedly, only a few men were killed by sharks, not ‘600’, whilst the others died of drowning, drinking sea water, exposure etc. Furthermore, a distress signal WAS sent and the majority of the sharks were of white tip species, not Tiger.
The character could get away with this because at this point, he is inebriated and may not be able to recollect the facts with complete truth.