On September 8, 1923, Destroyer Squadron 11 was executing a high-speed endurance run from San Francisco to San Diego. Comprising fourteen Clemson-class destroyers led by Captain Edward H. Watson, the fleet maintained a brisk speed of 20 knots.
As night fell, dense fog blanketed the treacherous California coastline near Point Arguello, reducing visibility to near zero. Navigation relied heavily on dead reckoning—calculating position based on speed, time, and heading. Unbeknownst to the crew, unusual ocean currents had pushed the ships much closer to the shore than calculated.
Radio direction finder signals indicated they were further north and east than estimated, but Captain Watson dismissed the radio bearings as novel, unreliable technology and trusted his dead reckoning. Believing the squadron had successfully cleared the rocky headlands and reached the entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel, Captain Watson ordered a 90-degree turn east toward land at 21:00. Due to strict tactical formation discipline, the trailing ships dutifully mimicked the flagship's course change.
Seconds later, the flagship USS Delphy crashed directly onto the jagged reefs of Honda Point, known locally as Devil's Jaw. In the blinding fog, six following destroyers piled into the rocks or grounded on the reefs within ten chaotic minutes. Seven destroyers were completely destroyed, two others suffered damage, and 23 sailors lost their lives.
The tragedy remains a classic naval study in overconfidence, blind obedience, and the peril of ignoring modern technology.