Ship disaster at Honda Point
The Honda Point shipping disaster was the US Navy's largest peacetime ship loss . On the evening of September 8, 1923 , nine destroyers ran aground at a speed of 20 knots (about 37 km / h). Only two of them were able to maneuver freely again. 23 sailors died.
Unfortunate circumstances
The ships of the 11th Destroyer Squadron ( Destroyer Squadron 11 / DESRON 11 ) under the leadership of Squadron Commander Captain Edward H. Watson were en route from San Francisco to San Diego in California . The squadron consisted of 14 ships, all of which belonged to the Clemson class and were younger than five years. Watson was on the destroyer USS Delphy (DD-261) , which led the line.
At 9:00 p.m., the ships turned east on a course of 095 ° in order to head for the Santa Barbara Channel. Navigation was based on coupling ; H. a calculation based on course and speed. Although the Delphy had a radio direction finding device , this new technology was not trusted and the bearings were thought to be faulty. No sounding of the depth of the water was done either , because it would have had to reduce the speed. This was not done because the ships carried out exercises under war conditions.
The area around Honda Point (also called Pedernales Point) at the entrance of the Santa Barbara Channel has been particularly dangerous since the times of the Spanish colonization of California. In front of the cape there are some dangerous rocks, one of which has since been called Destroyer's Rock . Due to the geographical conditions, strong winds and high seas often develop in this area . In the summer months, thick fog can also form. That was also the case on the day of the accident. On that day, the mail ship Cuba , the former Coblenz of North German Lloyds , ran aground in front of the destroyers .
Course of the accident
(The names of the lost ships are marked in bold )
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- USS Delphy (DD-261) was the flagship of the unit, which drove in a line one behind the other. After changing course to the east, she ran aground at 20 knots. She immediately warned the other ships with her siren, which gave them an opportunity to react. Three men diedon the Delphy .
- USS S. P. Lee (DD-310) followed a few hundredyardsbehind theDelphy. When shesawtheDelphystranded, she turned toport(left) and ran aground herself.
- USS Young (DD-312) failed to turn and tore its hull on an underwater rock. The rapidly penetrating water caused her to capsize to starboard (right)in a few minutes. Twenty men were killed.
- USS Woodbury (DD-309) dodged to starboard, but ran onto an offshore rock.
- USS Nicholas (DD-311) also hit the rocks after turning to port.
- USS Farragut (DD-300) ran aground but managed to break free and was rescued.
- USS Fuller (DD-297) ran aground next to Woodbury .
- USS Percival (DD-298) was able to evade and remained undamaged.
- USS Somers (DD-301) was slightly damaged.
- USS Chauncey (DD-296) attempted to rescue sailorssittingon the capsized Young . She ran aground herself and got lost.
- The destroyers USS Kennedy (DD-306) , USS Paul Hamilton (DD-307) , USS Stoddert (DD-302) and USS Thompson (DD-305) avoided the accident and remained undamaged.
Rescue operations
Because the ships were in close proximity to the shore, it was possible to save all crew members who had not died immediately when their ship was stranded or capsized. The rescue was made more difficult by the strong surf.
Consequences
As part of a court martial and further investigations, it was found that incorrect navigation was the sole cause of the accident. The radio direction finder systems and their results were not faulty. Captain Watson took full responsibility. He remained in the same rank in the Navy until his retirement in November 1929. Various officers and seamen were commended for their prudent and courageous behavior during the rescue operations.
At Honda Point, a memorial commemorates the accident. It is located on the premises of Vandenberg Air Force Base .
References
Web links
- naval-history
- Details and photos
- Collection of official documents about the accident
- Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
- The worst disaster for the US Navy in peace
literature
- Joe Silva: Honda. Left Turn 095.Santa Cruz CA 1986.
- Charles A. Lockwood, Hans Christian Adamson: Tragedy at Honda. Greenhill, London 2004, ISBN 1-59114-467-1 .
- Elwyn E. Overshiner: Course 095 to Eternity. Overshiner, Santa Rosa ca. 1980, ISBN 0-937480-00-2 .
- Charles Hice: The Last Hours of Seven Four-Stackers. Miamisburg Oh 1967.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/d3/delphy.htm DANFS Info USS Delphy
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/s1/s_p_lee-i.htm DANFS Info USS SP Lee
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/y1/young-i.htm DANFS Info USS Young
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/w10/woodbury-iii.htm DANFS Info USS Woodbury
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/n5/nicholas-i.htm DANFS Info USS Nicholas
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/f1/farragut-ii.htm DANFS Info USS Farragut
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/f5/fuller-i.htm DANFS Info USS Fuller
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/p5/percival-i.htm DANFS Info USS Percival
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/s15/somers-iv.htm DANFS Info USS Somers
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html/c7/chauncey-ii.htm DANFS Info USS Chauncey
- ^ Report of the Court of Inquiry 1931
- ↑ Official list of commended soldiers
- ^ Honda Memorial