“TRAGEDY At HONDA” By Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Jr. USN (Ret.) and Colonel Hans Christian Adamson, USAF (Ret.). Foreword by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN. September 1923, a squadron of American destroyer’s steamed south, down the coast of California. The 14, four-stacker’s were making 20 knots toward their home port of San Diego when a dense fog closed around them. Operating in the days before radar, the skipper of the lead tin can made a course change at 2100 hours, quickly followed by the rest of the squadron. Moments later seven of the destroyers slammed into the jagged rocks of the California coast and 800 sailors were in jeopardy of their lives. The authors recreate the dramatic hour-by-hour detail of this naval tragedy and tell of heroism of their crews. Following the incident the U.S. Navy held court martial hearings. 1960 first edition Hardback with dust jacket, jacket wrapped in clear protective plastic. 243 pages, 22 black and white photos, large maps inside front and rear covers. A former library book, stamped ‘salvaged’ with the library pocket cleanly removed.
Good Cond. $29.00
The Authors:
Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Jr. USN (Ret.): Born in 1890, Lockwood graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1912. In 1914, he entered the submarine service and spent most of 39 years in submersibles. As a Three-Star Vice Admiral, Lockwood was Commander Submarines, Pacific (ComSubPac) in World War II. He has written the story of our Pacific submarine operations in his widely read “Sink ‘Em All.” He coauthors several other books with Col Hans Christian Adamson, USAF (Ret.), including “Hellcats of the Sea” and “Zoomies, Subs and Zeros.”
Colonel Hans Christian Adamson, USAF, (Ret.): Like his coauthor, Charles Lockwood, Col Hans Adamson was also born in 1890. In 1942, Adamson was on a flight over the Pacific in a B-17 Flying Fortress. Off course and running low on fuel the 4-engine bomber was forced to ditch in the sea. Among the crew was famed World War I fighter ace, 52 year old Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and six others. The men drifted on rubber rafts for 23 days before being rescued. As Chief of the USAF Personnel Narrative Office, Colonel Adamson directed the collection and writing of all the human interest history of the Army Air Force in all theatres of war––frequently under most hazardous conditions. He coauthors several other books with Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood, USN (Ret.), including “Through Hell And Deep Water” and “Hell At 50 Fathoms.”
Other books of interest:
Destroyer Escorts of World War Two
The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors
Other books by Charles A. Lockwood, Jr:
Down To The Sea In Subs
Hell At 50 Fathoms
