Did you know that "the largest burial plot in the graveyard of ships*" lies along the coastline of Vandenberg Air Force Base? September 8th marks the seventy-seventh anniversary of the terrible Naval tragedy that occurred at Honda Point when seven destroyers ran aground due to faulty navigation.

Six year Navy veteran and visitor to Lompoc, Chuck Kemp, was so moved by what he learned about the Honda Point disaster that he emailed Lompoc Online in hopes of learning more. Chuck wrote, I have relatives in Lompoc and while we were visiting, we went to the Lompoc Museum garage sale. I saw the pictures and some info on the beaching of the ships. After that, I saw and finally understood the awesome Honda murals in downtown Lompoc. Then we went to the anchor memorial at Honda beach on Vandenberg Air Force Base. That awful happening has been on my mind ever since. If anyone can steer me to (an informational) website, I would very much appreciate it!

A search turned up several websites, some with stunning actual photographs of the incident:

Point Honda Memorial Website (http://www.users.uswest.net/~sgolowski/)
-- Detailed information for and about survivors, kin, friends and interested parties, including a newsletter called Pt. Honda Watch.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography (http://meteora.ucsd.edu/cases/point_honda.html)
-- A description of the Honda tragedy plus an astonishing overhead shot of the grounded destroyers

Haze Gray Photo Feature: Disaster at Honda, Destroyers on the Rocks (http://www.hazegray.org/features/honda/)
-- A brief description of the event and some quick loading photographs from the National Archives.

The Worst Naval Disaster in Peacetime History (http://lompoconline.com/honda_point.html)
-- Includes a review by Chuck Kemp of the book, "Tragedy at Honda", plus Honda Point related links.

* Quote from "The Navy's Death Ride at Honda Point" by Bob Nelson.

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