The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-01
OFF ICERS BLAME ] FUR NAVAL WRECK
Bad Judgment And Faulty Navigation Caused Dis
 aSter, Board Says


 WASHINGTON. Oct. S1.--Bad judg- ment and faulty navigation on the part of three officers caused the loss of B lives and of naval material to the value of $13,000,000 in the de- stroyer accident on Honda Point, Cal, September s, the board of in quiry declared in it's final report to Secretary Deuhy.
 On the recommendations of the board. Capt. Edward H. Watson, the squadron commander; Lieut.. Com mander Donald T. Hunter, command ing the Delpny, flagship and leader of the nine destroyers which ground ed, and Lieut.. Lawrence E. Blidgett, navigator of the Delphy, will be charged before a general cou-tmar- tial with 'culpable inefficiency in the performance of duty and negli- gence.
 Flight other officers, including tha commanders of as many destroyers which figured in the catastrophe, will face charges of negligence in performance of duty.
 The report was declared by vet eran naval officers here to be all most unprecedented in it's sweeping condemnation of those alleged to be responsible for the disaster.
 Responsibility Placed.
 Tn the opinion of the court" it said, the disaster is. in the first in- stance, directly attributable to bad errors of judgment and faulty nav igation on the part of three officers attached to and serving on tile Del phy, viz. The squadron commander, the, comn'anAaE- refiaea, af.d the navigating officer. Their re- sponsibility is complete and the court sees no extenuating circum- stances
 Commanders of the other destroy CTS must be held responsible in a measure. the board found, for having too blindly followed the judgment of the squadron commander" and in failing to check the position of their individual ships against that ascer- tained for the Delphy.
 Dividing the fatal cruise of the flo- tilla into three periods, the board declared the first two reflect no credit upon the navy" but com mended highly the morale shown in the third period which comprised the time after the ships had struck.
 From that instant" the report said, squadron eleven displayed a zeal, courage and coolness in lace of grave danger, which is matter of pride to the navy and should be to every American"
 O 0 o
 Individuals Cited.
 Among individuals specially cited were:
 Commander William L. Calhoun, flor coolness, intelligence and sea manships Lieutenant Commander | Walter D. Fed, for great bravery in 1swimming 75 yards in 8 turbulent sea to test the feasibility of arrange ment for salvage of his crew" En- sign B, S. Jones and nine members of his crew of the Fuller. for volunteer ing to operate a whale boat "in the face of constant danger" Chief Boatswains Mate Arthur Peterson, Engineman E. L. Rhode-Hamel and Machinist Frank M. Moon, flor ex- traordinary heroism,' and Lieut.. b. c. Herzinger, for especially merito- rious conduct"
 The board found no evidence of unusual tides. of extreme errors of radio signals, which 1t would accept as contributing to the disaster. Each ship, the report said, had its equip ment for determining course and To- cation. which could have been used If correct judgment had been displayed.
 In view of the maneuvers in which the ship were engaged, the board did not think speed of 20 knots was excessive for the greater part of the cruise, but held that it should have been reduced considerably as soon as the first doubt as to the po- sition of the squadron was felt.