NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Point Honda
From: Gary LaPook
Date: 2017 Jun 15, 06:17 +0000
From: Alan S <NoReply_AlanS@fer3.com>
To: garylapook@pacbell.net
Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2017 9:55 PM
Subject: [NavList] Re: Point Honda
From: Gary LaPook
Date: 2017 Jun 15, 06:17 +0000
The fleet was steaming in fog:
"On the morning of 8 September 1923, Destroyer Squadron 11 cleared San Francisco on a high-speed run to San Diego. That evening, as the column of fourteen destroyers closed the entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel in a heavy following sea, flagship Delphy led the formation in a premature course change to port. Minutes later, after entering a fog bank that concealed the coast, she stranded at 20 knots on rocky Point Pedernales (locally known as “Honda,” about two miles north of Point Arguello on the grounds of today’s Vandenberg Air Force Base)."
From: Alan S <NoReply_AlanS@fer3.com>
To: garylapook@pacbell.net
Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2017 9:55 PM
Subject: [NavList] Re: Point Honda
Gary:
Looks like the rocks are not far offshore, leaving one wondering what destroyers were doing so close to the beach. Do not recall reference to weather conditions at the time and place, fog,rain, stormy, which should have raised attention levels. People do sometimes just plain blow it though.
Alan
