The Worst Accident In US Navy History
Into the Devil’s Jaw
The history of the US Navy is filled with accidents and incidents. It is the cost of doing business on the high seas. Recently, the Navy saw a collision between a destroyer and a container ship in 2017 and an underwater collision featuring a submarine and a mountain in 2021. However, no accident was as bad as the one that unfolded in 1923. A combination of speed, foul weather, and poor judgment left multiple expensive ships lying on their sides in bad seas.
The Honda Point Disaster, as it is now known, marks the worst accident in Navy history and the largest loss of ships during peacetime. The disaster instantly raised the question, how did multiple modern destroyers run aground in a matter of mere minutes?
Sailing Into The Devil’s Jaw
There is a point just north of the Santa Barbara Channel known as the Devil’s Jaw. It is a part of the Honda Point geographical feature and has been a dangerous naval hazard for centuries. The area around the point features steep rocky cliffs, submerged rocks, fast currents, winds, and fog. Numerous ships have met a grisly end at Honda Point.
