Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

(See "Seven Clemson Class Destroyers all wrecked at Honda Point on the 8th. of September 1923")

Was interested in your writings concerning the disaster at Point Honda. Since accuracy appears to be on your agenda, I take note that your comments concerning the General Courts Martial of those responsible needs to be corrected. The best discussion of this is available on the Court Martial
page under Navy Department at www.pointhondamemorial.org/research. Please note that the officers who were convicted by the board were only slapped with loss of numbers on the promotion lists - a very lenient outcome after the loss of seven destroyers and 23 lives.

If you are sincerely interested in the final outcome of this disaster, especially the review process by the Sec. of the Navy after the court martials, read all in www.pointhondamemorial.org and
www.pointhondamemorial.org/research.

You have my permission to link your site to the ones mentioned here. Keep up the good work.

Best Regards,
Stanley Golowski
Captain USMC (Ret.)

Stanley,

My sincere thanks for all your trouble, we do try to be accurate, but do not always achieve that aim. So, whenever I am able to correct a problem that is great. I will indeed study your material and adjust my writing accordingly, and we will link to the sites mentioned.

Thank you.

May I enquire as to your own interest in an event so long ago?

Kindest regards and thanks.

Mackenzie Gregory.

Mackenzie should be a surname and Gregory your first name. Who needs to be untwisted? Hello Australia, how's the weather down under? Never been there but came close a time or two.

There is a remote possibility that one of the sailors, Fireman Second Class August Zakrzewski who perished at Point Honda, is a distant cousin. I also promised the Overshiner family that the Point Honda Watch would strive to obtain a plaque listing the deceased sailors for the 75th memorial service, which took place in 1998 at the site of the disaster. This we accomplished. You can see a photo of the plaque on the home page at
www.pointhondamemorial.org.

No trouble for me to peruse your web site. I found it very thorough and interesting. Just stumbled on your comment about the courts martial and thought I'd mention it to you. I could provide the details but I think
you'll have more of a challenge doing the search yourself.

Take care Sailor and watch out for the fallin' koalas and kickin' kangaroos.

From up yonder,
Stanley

Stanley,

You are right about my name, have had trouble all my life. Tell people, and they wind up saying OK, Mr Mackenzie!! Named after an Uncle, Arthur Mackenzie Greening, my Mother's brother, then, a Miss Mackenzie was the midwife at my birth, no chance after all that.

Thank you for your kind comments about AHOY, it keeps me out of mischief, and is a composite work, Terry Kearns in Atlanta Georgia, is my webmaster.

Although we have never met, via the web we have become great friends, I do all the research and writing, and Terry whips it into the format that is out there for anyone who chances to find it and log on. Without his expertise and dedication the site would not exist let alone prosper.

You have conducted an amazing amount of research on putting together your site about the Honda Disaster, I know how tough it can be to find documents etc, and trying to get it right, can be both time consuming and frustrating, congratulations on your fine job!!

Would it be possible for you to please, just line up the 14 destroyers involved in Honda with their Captains, I have the Delphi's 3 officers sorted out, Watson, Hunter and the Navigator, but am struggling with the other 13.

I want to list them all with their respective destroyers when I rework the article.

In OZ, we are in the midst of our winter, and in Melbourne where we live, at the southern end of the continent, it can get cool, its about 14 degrees C today, but nice sunshine is currently streaming in our apartment windows, as we face the east. However we do not ever have snow here.

We have been invited by the USS Missouri Memorial Association to be on board her in Honolulu for the 60th. anniversary of the signing of the Japanese Surrender on the 2nd of September next, that will be an historic occasion, in 1945, I was in Tokyo Bay as a Lieutenant RAN in the 8 inch cruiser HMAS Shropshire.

We look forward to that event.

Stanley, I have rattled on for far too long, apologies.

Best regards to you and yours.
Mac.

Mac,

Great email! Thanks for all of the inside info. Mac.  Happy to have made the acquaintance with a gentleman from Australia. You're my first!

I am proud of your WWII service with the Australian Navy. Our nations got together and kicked butt all over the place. I was a little too young for the big one; however I had a piece of Korea and Viet Nam. Wish we could have been as successful with our mission.

Stanley

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