The Largest Loss Of US Navy Ships During Peacetime

Following the disaster, a court of inquiry took several weeks to sort through what had happened and who was ultimately at fault. The court eventually recommended 11 officers undergo a court martial, which occurred soon after. This list included Captain Edward H. Watson, Lieutenant Commander Hunter, and Lieutenant (junior grade) Lawrence Blodgett from USS Delphy, two commanders whose sections lost men, and all of the captains from the crashed ships (via National Stereoscopic Association and Naval History Magazine). Several officers, including Watson, were found guilty, according to the Naval History Magazine. Watson and Hunter lost any chance of further promotion, though the verdict of another officer who was also found guilty, Lieutenant Commander H. O. Roesch of USS Nicholas, was set aside. Hunter accepted full responsibility for the navigational errors. Many small discrepancies in the ship's logs were not recorded nor discussed at the court marital. 

Watson and Hunter both retired six years later. Several other officers did eventually progress into holding command positions. However, nothing fundamentally changed how the U.S. Navy reacted to incidents due to the Honda Point disaster. During the inquiry, 23 men, including officers, were singled out for their efforts in rescuing others. Of the incident, one Navy officer wrote (via Naval History Magazine): "The price of good navigation is constant vigilance."

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