The Honda Point Disaster
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2021
- On the 9th of September 1923, seven U.S. Navy Destroyers from DesRon 11 ran aground on the California coast on the infamous Honda Point. This would be the greatest lose of Navy vessels in a peace time incident in US History. But what caused the massive pile up. What caused such seasoned navigators to take such a horribly wrong turn? Stay tuned and find out.
#History #Disaster
Thanks for watching my video on Maritime Horrors. I hope to have a new video out each week. Each one will be packed with useful and historical information about famous and lesser known maritime tragedies and disasters.
Works Cited:
Tragedy at Honda By Charles A. Lockwood
www.usni.org/magazines/naval-...
www.navalhistory.org/2020/04/...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_P...
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I bet his boss was PISSED.
don't lie, because you're caught. You're a fan of Taylor Anderson's The Destroyermen.
Only a destroyermen fan would catch what you did. @ 57 seconds in thats NOT a clemson class destroyer, its a wickies class, specifically DD-163....Uss Walker the ship in The Destroyermen series!
@Maritime Horrors I'd like to just say one thing. The Akagi was converted into a carrier due to the terms of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty.
Battle of May Island would be a terrific topic.
Blinded by glass in his eyes from his own glasses breaking while trying to save someone else.
Tied to a post to prevent him hurting himself or others as he was thrashing about in excruciating pain.
Then dragged to the bottom of the sea as he was tied to the ship.
Thanks for the nightmares.
Me, wearing glasses: *removes glasses, yeets glasses, proceeds to walk away and slam into every wall/post on my path*
@@Momo_Kawashima nooo momo-chan don't yeet your glasses 😭😭😭
Makings of a decent Tales From the Crypt episode for sure as he comes back "for the crew that he felt wronged him!"
Man deserves a medal, or some sort of recognition.
@@Momo_Kawashima *Joins in the yeeting of glasses*
man the fate of that guy who jumped in and broke his glasses was brutal. left blinded, panicked and alone, tied to the mast of a sinking ship, unable to try to swim or get away. i would have been hard pressed not to put him out of his misery before all that
or maybe help him survive?
@@greenwave819 or that
Imagining someones death really makes you feel hopeless
It probably never happened, aye did I tell you about that 300lb fish I caught with a spear back in 76..?
@@Roscoe.P.Coldchain No you didn't. Please tell us all about that epic catch. But please use the metric system, as only three countries use the other system.
Now, it's worth noting that most of the ships themselves were not total losses and could have been saved. However, the navy had such a massive surplus in destroyers of this class in the interwar period that it was cheaper to pull a few hulls out of mothball than to refloat the ships stranded on the point.
I'm not so sure that SupSal had the knowledge or equipment to salvage anything more than small equipment.
I’m not sure if this is just a joke related to the Clemson class or actual fact, however I’ve heard before that the bookkeeper in charge of their order accidentally ordered 200 instead of 20. Regardless of its veracity or not, still a funny story to explain why bringing a couple ships out of mothballs was cheaper than fixing several grounded ships
@@casualsatanist it's a joke. In reality, the Navy saw the huge role early U boats had in ww1 and the navy realized it needed a far larger and more modern escort fleet for its battleships and supply convoys. During the war, destroyers were needed by the hundreds and the Navy wanted to be ready. Problem is, the war they were built for ended the same year construction started. They needed 300 destroyers in 1918, so they ordered them. They didn't need any in 1919, so they mothballed them. It was here that the navy actually learned how to preserve ships, and the failures in the Clemson mothball fleet (many of them rusted to near uselessness... We sold those to GB as lend lease at the start of ww2) actually taught the navy the lessons learned and teqniques to preserve ships it uses to this day.
The US NAVY allows recreational.diving on certain dates. A friend of mine dived on them. He said it was a bit scary as the wrecks are very close to large rocks.
@@andyhastings5950 The currents out there are also pretty nasty.
I read some archival articles on this beaching. What struck me was that one of the officers in the back of the column, was able to save his ships after hearing the distress signals. He took evasive action. His ships were unscathed.
But, crazy outcome - Navy brass pulled rank and he was court-martialled for disobeying orders, even though he saved his vessels and crews. He should have been awarded medals for stellar leadership and seamanship, but was unjustly reprimanded instead. It seems some in the Navy preferred greater losses over common sense and competency. There would have been even more ships on the beach that night if he hadn’t taken swift action.
Pride, power, and politics, make people find outlandish faults to come to immoral conclusions to deflect consequences away from those who deserve it.
I’d never heard the fact that there had been a huge earthquake in Japan in the previous days that affected navigation. Great point.
Do you know if he actually suffered consequences for that court martial? It strikes me that if you disobey an order, they might court marshal you simply as a matter of process, and if the reasons why you disobeyed the order are clear and make sense, then you wouldn't get in trouble. AFAIK, a court marshal does not indicate that there was consequences for it, just that he had to do state his reasons why he made the decisions he did. It's like how you'll probably still have to go to court if you kill someone in self defence. Yeah, it might be obvious self defence, but they might feel it necessary to bring you before the court and make sure they get the full facts of the case out in an official setting.
Interesting thought. I can’t say, that I know if the court martial was naval due process. It’s been so long since I read the articles. I also recall his crew were able to help in the rescue.
I wish I knew this officer’s name so we could re-examine the proceedings. I was left with impression that the court martial affected his career and advancement. If that’s the case, then it’s nothing but wrong.
Pretty sure he wasn't sanctioned at all.
You might be thinking of Roper on board the Kennedy. I don't think he was charged with anything, although he did testify before the Board of Inquiry. Quoting from my own book on this: Captain Watson accepted responsibility for the incident, but the Court of Inquiry recommended a trial by general court martial for eleven officers: Watson, Lt. Cmdr. Donald T. Hunter, and Lt. (jg) Lawrence F. Blodgett of the Delphy; Capt. Robert Morris, commander of Division 33; Cmdr. William S. Pye of Division 31; Cmdr. Louis P. Davis, captain of the Woodbury; Cmdr. William L. Calhoun of the Young; Cmdr. William S. Toaz of the S.P. Lee; Lt. Cmdr. Walter D. Seed of the Fuller; Lt. Cmdr. Herbert O. Roesch of the Nicholas; and Lt. Cmdr. Richard H. Booth of the Chauncey. Watson and Hunter were eventually found guilty of culpable inefficiency and negligence. Blodgett was acquitted when it was determined he had not been the Delphy’s navigator, as investigators had previously assumed. Roesch was found guilty of negligence, but all other defendants were acquitted. Watson received a loss of 150 numbers on the list of captains, while Hunter lost 100 numbers on the list of lieutenant commanders. This meant that neither man would ever be eligible for promotion beyond their current rank. Watson would go on to serve as assistant commandant of the Fourteenth Naval District at Pearl Harbor before retiring six years later in 1929. He died in 1942. Hunter served as navigator on the battleship Nevada, first lieutenant of the Oklahoma, and instructor at the Naval War College. He also retired in 1929. He died in 1948. Blodgett was promoted to full lieutenant in 1926 and lieutenant commander in 1941. He continued on active duty until 1947, commanding naval ammunitions depots in Hawaii during and after World War II. He died in 1958. William Calhoun retired in 1946 as a four-star admiral after forty-four years of service. During World War II he ran logistic support of the Pacific fleet and naval shore-based establishments in the entire Pacific area. He died in 1963.
Michael Ray, well done! Thank you for taking my vague recollection and giving us actual substance with an account of the final outcome.
I was just forwarded this link two days ago by a friend who's a naval historian of sorts. He sent it to me because my grandfather, Walter Ekenberg, was aboard the Delphy and was awarded a life-saving medal for jumping off his ship and helping rescue numerous sailors from other ships by towing rope and getting them to safety. I'm not acutely aware of the details, but I have his medal, and I am very proud of what he did. If anyone has any detailed information about the tragedy, I am very interested in hearing it.
Have you seen the book Tragedy at Honda?
I stood near the Honda point memorial this evening with no prior knowledge of this tragedy. Sadly, even as a Navy veteran I was unaware of this event. My heart lurched in pain as I read the names of the ships and the number of sailors who were lost. As soon as I left the base and regained service I searched for information and was promptly humbled by this video. Thank you for the historical account of the incident and my condolences to the family, friends, and shipmates of the fallen sailors.
It's a big surprise to me that a twentieth-century navy could take such heavy losses, in friendly, well-charted waters, in routine weather, in peacetime with no adversary.
Search for Battle of May Island for an event that's even wilder.
Well, it wasn't really routine. The earthquake in Japan caused things to be not routine, in fact.
The megalomania of the US Empire knows no bounds.
Happens for many countries. Maybe to different degrees, but it still does.
I love history but I never heard of this happening before either. Learn something new every day.
From what I have read on the topic the last division in line had a CO who did trust the radio direction finder readings and tried to warn Watson. As he was the junior division commander he was ignored. He did slow his ships a bit and moved a bit west so missed the shore and was available for search and rescue. This is also the division that requested permission to go to the SS Cuba's assistance but was denied.
That gives this narrative a ironic twist
"We lost seven Clemson class destroyers!!"
Us Navy: " *Sigh* Alright get the spares..."
*sigh* Ok built 14 more....
Pretty much every USA player in HOI4
@@lucasfragoso7634 Sounds about right
Prolly shouldn't be names things after Clemson
Its okay, taxpayers wont mind. Free healthcare is overrated anyway.
Can you imagine just taking a casual stroll when you look out to the beach and then watch as seven massive ships all run aground in a matter of moments
i live in Lompoc and have studied this incident in depth with access to some stunning local records and photographs. also having visited the site. and spoken to witnesses of the rescue/ recovery efforts. it was an exceptional event in US naval history. it would make an incredible big budget film
It would make a great movie. We wrote a novel based on the disaster (Dead Reckoning by Michael Corbin Ray & Therese Vannier). Screenwriter Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean) had this to say about it: "Enjoy this book before it hits the silver screen. With a story so compelling and cinematic, populated with irresistible characters, it's destined to become a major motion picture."
Producers would probably love the way that its a location within a relatively short drive to LA
I live in Santa Maria and have never heard of this before shockingly.
are you just so used to everyone mispronouncing the name of the town that you dont even bother correcting it? lol (im from there and i dont think ive ever head anyone that hasnt been there ever call it the right name, vin diesel mispronounces it in the original fast and furious movie talking about the prison lol
@@DoctorRobair Probably a good thing. Only real bit of recognition it has is a mural in the alley behind Jaspers...
The fog there can be as thick as pudding! Thanks for putting this together, good info.
Uuh, pudding
@@Momo_KawashimaI've been there. Just as filling but with a nasty taste.
This whole disaster was absurd and frustrating! Great video!
Absurd and Frustrating is a pretty good definition of most people's service in the US Navy lol. But I appreciate it.
Jesus Christ listening to that pileup description felt like watching a train wreck. It might've been funny if it hadn't cost sailors their lives.
What an insane story! Fog is very terrifying. We lived in a little town in IL on Lake Michigan and had a 20 ft boat that we used to take up the coastline to Kenosha, WI to have dinner. Fog set in one night while we were eating. That trip back home was one of the scariest of my life. I literally couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I certainly wouldn't want to be following 250 ft behind anything! In retrospect, we should never have taken that boat out on that lake in those conditions. Ahh, the joys of youthful ignorance!
My father was transferred off one of those destroyers days before this happened. Some of his gear was still on board
Terrific video! I too was stationed @ VAFB from ‘81-‘84. The waters in that area were very dangerous. Despite the great beach on base, Seal Beach IIRC, was off limits for swimming. “Tsunami Warning” signs were posted and despite that, folks were lost to rogue waves every year. Whenever at the shore, you never turned you back to the sea. This is in part why sailors in this video lost their lives to the sea. While there, one morning a young girl was spotted alone on the beach. She told a story of the boat she and her grand parents were in began taking water just off shore. Granddad swam with her to shore then returned to the boat to bring his wife safely to shore, he was never seen again. There were fiberglass sections of hull that washed ashore later, but no other evidence was ever found. Knowing this, it is not at all surprising that sailors were lost to the sea after this disaster, those waters were not at all forgiving. Thanks for this very well done video.
I was assigned to VAFB in the early 90s, and remember a young Lt who was there for some annual computer war gaming. The signs were up on the beach, but he went in anyway and wound up with two broken forearms when a wave smashed him against some rocks. His unit went back to Minot without him.
@@rkelsey3341 That's an old Air Force trick to extend the TDY AWAY from Minot.
Court martial and a promotion?! "You're so fired you're rehired" 😂
11:30 Kaga was not a sister ship of the battlecrueser Amagi but a Tosa-class battleship. Amagi had only one sister - the Akagi, which was not damaged by the earthquake but converted to an aircraft carrier successfully and went on to be the flagship of the Japanese "Mobile Force" (the first rate carrier fleet) until sunk at Midway in 1942. Kaga ended up being the slowest carrier in the Mobile force due to her battleship hull.
I read this book while on a WESTPAC cruise in 64-66. I was serving my third year aboard USS Orleck (a Gearing class destroyer) at the time. The author did a very good job summarizing the critical events in this tragedy but reading the book will give everyone a much more complete understanding of why this terrible incident took place. The heroics of the sailors and the civilians ashore are to be commended.
As a glasses-wearer, I was really hoping for a hopeful postscript for the poor guy. Like, "Navy optometrists developed special shatterproof glasses in his memory, which are now issued to all Navy personnel."
That didn't happen till 1955, plastics were still in the toddler stage then.
At the time I was there I did not know the History. Thank You Maritime for bringing clarity to a childhood memory. You are awesome!
Drachinfel also did a very nice video on this disaster. His channel cannot come recommended enough for naval history fans.
Ah,,, another Drach fan
Lemmings would be a more apt analogy here than ducklings
I grew up in that area. I can remember looking out off the cliffs, and my Dad pointing out the remains of the wreckage. By that time, there wasn't much to see ( 1960s). I've heard there is nothing left to see from the land now. The Jaw one has finally finished chewing them up.
I have heard the 'name' for decades when reading autobiographical accounts from WW2 veterans. They would relate something about "The Honda Point" incident/disaster... Lots of great info here in a very small time-package. Well done!
A completely avoidable loss of life. Side note though, I love the looks of the old “four piper” destroyers. A shame there’s none still around.
This guy actually read a book before putting his video together. Would nice if the 80% of RUclips noobs who create crap videos would do the same. Keep up the good work.
I mean theres a lot of idiots watching their videos too...finding gems is on us
That many ships in such a short period, is terrifying.
look up WW II, Savo island (battle of)
My god this is like the massive car wreck from the Blues Brothers!
Another great vid. That tsunami/earthquake and its ensuing tidal effects rendering our gaggle of destroyers blind and lost to their true location? Crazy oddball stuff, quite the story. Well told too, keep it up!
What a clusterfu*k! Damn.
This class was used as fast despatch craft in the pacific during WW2. Turbines serviced and stripped of all guns over 20mm bar an added quad 40mm for anti-aircraft defense, torpedo tubes removed and a heap of other weight stripped out of them they could pull well over 40 knots with at least one recording 47 knots at flank speed. That's shifting for any ship that size let alone one almost 20 years old.
The French trying to make superfast destroyers: What the fuck
@@SudrianTales What le fuck you mean :)
When some of the Clemsons were converted to APD High Speed Transports they were quick for a troop carrier but I don’t think any of them topped 35 knots, and certainly not 40-47. Good ships, but not magic.
Dead reconing through reefs at poor visibility at night at high speed in close formation.
What could go wrong?
Amazing. I had never heard of this incident before. Leaders today don't own up to their mistakes.
As a point of interest, Charles Lockwood isn’t simply a random history author. He commanded the US submarine fleet in the Pacific during WWII, which was a major factor in the defeat of Japan. One of the great US Navy leaders of the war (easily the equivalent of Halsey and Spruance, in my opinion), now largely forgotten
ole Charlie knew our super torpedos were JUNK
I'm currently reading Thunder Below, the story of the Barb, and he appears in that.
@@darladoxstater8528 Great book. Gene Fluckey was one of the best, absolutely fearless
The wounded were taken to lompoc as it's the closest town. Plus there's a mural there that commentates the wreck. P.S. it's lom-poke, not lom-poc
News reports at the time said the wounded were taken by train to Santa Barbara. That makes sense as they were transporting a lot of men, and it would have been more difficult to shuttle them all individually to Lompoc. That mural at the veterans building has a great back story. It was painted by an inmate serving a life sentence at the Lompoc correctional facility who taught himself to paint while in prison. He later received a presidential pardon.
P.S.S. Color me curious. Does the mural offer spoken commentary? If not, it "commemorates," not "commentates."
This is a very good re-telling of the Honda Tragedy. Destroyers on the Rocks is another good book about the incident, it delves more into Edward Watson. The Santa Barbara maritime Museum has an excellent exhibit on this tragedy.
20 knots, in the dark and fog, while not knowing where your fleet is, and distrusting the only navigational aid you have. Yeah, that's one smaaaart cookie in command.
You have a way with words man! You can tell how much passion you have for this
I remember reading and hearing stories about this. I’m a Santa Barbara local, and this was a huge part of our history.
I used to live near there, a propeller and shaft can be found outside of the Veterans Memorial Building in Lompoc, California.
Very interesting! Thank you for researching, producing, and posting!
Yeah, this was a bad day for the US Navy
No matter what way you slice it. Though on the bright side, it could always have been worse.
@@MaritimeHorrors yeah, the whole squadron could have run aground instead of half of it
It seems the second group believed the radio nav system.
Just found this channel, and I'm loving it!
Thank you for an interesting and informative documentary. I do have to take issue with one statement in the video, that the resulting court-martial was the largest in US Naval History. In the aftermath of the 1944 Port Chicago disaster there were 50 black sailors that were all tried for mutiny in a single Court Martial hearing. I don't know if that was the largest but it is one that I'm familiar with because my grandfather, a civilian contract carpenter, was working on one of the ships that exploded up until about an hour before the disaster.
Into all the dark series wich led me to this. 6th video in and give yourself a Raise. Excellent content and historically spot on with every one. Thanks for the hard work
This is why every ship is ultimately responsible for its own navigation. No excuses.
Had never heard of this one. Very like the battle of May Island ( or the Camperdown/Victoria) both of which would be suitable for this channel which appears to be well researched - If you haven't already done them of course
This story has always fascinated me. Thanks for a well told story. Frustratingly, I have read plenty of research, and nothing to add!
Great vid MH, haven't heard of this disaster. Thanks for the great content.
I was stationed at Vandenberg AFB for years (which now controls this area of coastline) and was an active scuba diver just south of Honda point. We would stop quite often when the tide was low, to look at the bow(?) of one of the ships as it protruded from the ocean. Very haunting….
Most of your videos get crazier and crazier but this one was just wild
Great stuff! Great channel! Keep up the good work! Cheers from Sweden!
Excellent content. Thanks for taking the time to create it. 👍🇺🇸
Dude great video I grew up in Santa Barbara and this story was a prominent feature in a term paper I wrote in high school about shipwrecks in the Santa Barbara Channel including the SS Cuba
I can attest to the horrendous fog of this area. There are mountains and hills near the coast that keep dense fog from dispersing inland. The waters are super rough and reach freezing temperatures. The rocks are also very sharp. I can't imagine for the sailors to have to wait on thr rocks until the next day. In a time of peace they probably never would've imagined to have to endure such horrors.
Thanks. This tale fascinates me. Great story!
Good stuff. Almost as good as creepy pasta readings. This is really good, informative and terrifying, mainly because I’m terrified of the ocean.
I have been reading/listening to a series of books called " The Destroyermen" by Taylor Anderson, the series follows a pair of Wilkes class destroyers after they have been transported to an alternative universe. The main ship is DD-163 "Walker" and is actually featured in your video at 0:55, and one of the early antagonists is the IJN Battlecruiser "Amagi", the Honda point incident is mentioned by name in the book as well. It was rather interesting to hear them mentioned in content outside of that series.
I live in Santa Barbara and for about 6 months of the year, there’s insane fog almost every night and early morning over the Channel Islands and SB coast. It gets hung up on the mountains which almost hang over the water.
Hey this was good! So good that I can't think of anything that needed any improvement on! Awesome job! I just got done watching Fascinating Horror. This seems very similar. Now I get to have two fascinating channels to watch! Subscribed!
Much appreciated, I actually love that channel and was inspired by him.
*gasp* and you reply in less than a minute?! Is there anything you can't do?
Calculus?
@@MaritimeHorrors Dunno if you'll get this or not, but recently I've been thinking about starting my own youtube channel. Got any advice?
You're asking me? I'm honestly flattered, but I don't even know how I've even gotten this far lol. I suppose consistency, have a good subject matter, and be engaging. Other than that, I have no clue lol
New subscriber here, really love the channel
I would also be interested in hearing about smaller vessels, personal sailboats etc that have gone down
Thank you for the informative content
Great lobster fishing just south of there.
The super tide can be incredibly high, even without an earthquake. Got to witness a great white in some shallow water, even standing in a 34 foot boat it was still unsettling.
The three men who wished them luck and then floated away never to be seen again after being so close to shore is absolutely horrifying and sad. Not sure which is worse that or the man who went under tied to a mast.
That’s insane.
Loved the story..
Can’t wait to hear the next
It's like a multi-car pileup, but with ships.
I was raised up near there and my Dad was in the Air Force there in the 60's. He'd take us kids to visit the wrecks now and then. In the 60's there ere still a lot of pieces to walk around. I remember a doorway with the big wheel to lock it shut. It was rusted open and I could walk through it. But almost all the walls were gone, just some ragged bits of metal here and there, and we were walking on metal that might have broken through.
I found a rusted pocket knife in among the metal once and was convinced it was from a sailor 45 years before.
Never heard of this. Tragic but fascinating.
"One man jumped overboard, shattering his eyeglasses in which the shards of glass blinded him. After floating in the oil slick water, he was pulled aboard, thrashing about wildly. Slick with oil and in agonizing pain he couldn't climb the rocks to shore. So, his fellow sailors tied him to the mast for his own safety until he could be rescued in the morning. However, during the night his ship split apart and sunk into the icy waters."
Me: Okay I just won't ever sleep comfortably ever again.
So, one fun fact, and one minor correction. You said that the wrecking of the Amagi made her 'sister ship Kaga, a battlecruiser', be converted into a carrier. Kaga wasn't a battlecruiser or a sister ship to the Amagi, she was a Tosa-class battleship, selected because the 3rd and 4th ships of the Amagi-class had already been scrapped completely. The fun fact, meanwhile, is that the Clemson-class wasn't *just* used by Allied navies in WW2, one was captured and used by the Japanese.
Wow! The way you told this story was fabulous! You write/speak vary eloquently. Lines like that day devils point had had its meal of metal ships but it's feast of sailors would not be as great." rule! I may be off just a few it about the wording but it very much impressed me.
Love your channel !
RDF was accurate. Reefs are well marked on nautical charts. Always turn away from shore turning to port was fatal. Nor many vessels get a rock named after them. Even less get their hulls sliced by upsidedown props. Taking soundings would have saved them.
Excellent work as always
This was excellent, thank you!
I Myself Have Visited The Honda Point And Collected Pieces Of One Of The Ships As A Child.
I had never heard of this before. Ships can be replaced, lost lives cannot. Peace to the lost.
Wow, this was kind of like a black ice pile-up on a highway.
Never heard about this, great story 👍
The term is L.O.P. 'line of position'. At least that is what I was taught and used as a United States Air Force navigator. At the intersection of two different lines of position, that is your location. Taking a bearing off of a radio navaid and getting an LOP then plotting another bearing off of another radio navaid gives another LOP, where the two intersect, that is your position. This is also the same principle for celestial fixes. Ultimately striving for at least two and preferably three lines of position to give one a pinpoint fix. Of course, always keeping a good DR while enroute and updating your DR with known position or fixes.
Staying on top of your data points and monitoring and recording speed(knots), heading, magnetic variation, drift(L/R) and time enroute are all the factors in keeping a good DR(deduced reckoning estimate of position along the intended course.
I can just imagine how expensive a lot time consuming it'd be, but I'd love to have had some sort of animations to show how the ships traveled. It's so much easier to understand something through seeing than hearing.
Love the channel!
Well done. Despite the disaster courage was displayed. The USN learned from this horrible event.
Thank you such interesting videos
Wow, what an event. Never heard about that one before, thx
Watson was an Annapolis grad, had 27 years of service, and was only a Commander? Something there sends up red flags. Perhaps promotions were handled differently back then.
He was a captain and acting as commodore of the destroyer squadron when this happened. His father was an admiral and he had high hopes and expectations of following that path. There had been another accident not long before this one, though, that put a mark on his career. I forget the details, but something about a ship he was in charge of colliding with another ship that just happened to be carrying the President of the United State. Not a good look.
I served in the navy and am an amateur historian, yet I first heard of this from a sci fi book , one of the books in ‘ the destroyermen ‘ series
Here's to USS Walker and the American Navy Clan!
Great video!!
Happy to hear about so few losses!
Great work 👍
I am currently reading about this incident. I was visiting Morro Bay at noticed there is a bell from the Young but I didn’t know much about it. Finally when the Mairtime place was open, I asked about the bell and the worker, real nice lady, told me about it.
New subscriber here.
Good job!
I had never heard about this. I have a Bro-in-law who was stationed at San Diego in the late 50s, and intend ti ask if he knows about it.
Bravo Zulu, Shipmate.
Subscribed tonight.
DOUGout
What I learned today: Earthquakes can cause fire tornados.
Good video thanks 👍
Lahm (rhymes with bomb) poke. There's an exhibit at the Lompoc museum, which is housed in the former Carnegie Library. There is also an artifact in town. The Amtrak stop at Surf (closest to Lompoc) is not far from Honda Point. I'd also recommend Course 090 to Disaster, which is the book I've read about it.
I did not know of this disaster, very interesting video
You brought this story to life for me in a way that far more detailed tellings did not. It feels better inside of me now. i can't explain why exactly, it just does. Thank you!:-)
I grew up near Honda Point and never knew this. In return for the knowledge, Lompoc is Lom-poke.