On the morning of 8 September 1923, the United States Navy s Destroyer Squadron 11 departed San Francisco and headed for San Diego. It was a typical summer day, and thirteen destroyers followed the squadron flagship, USS Delphy, southward. Though experienced officers commanded and navigated every ship, by the end of the day, the greatest peacetime disaster in U.S. Navy history would take place. Seven destroyers would strand on the rocky coast just north of the Pt. Arguello lighthouse. Despite the heroic rescue efforts of naval personnel and civilians, precious lives and millions of dollars would be lost. In the aftermath, a court of inquiry and a court martial would add shattered careers to the tally of ruin. This is the true story of tragic events that could have been prevented, and of the ambition, overweening pride, and inattention that made them inevitable.