ACT 1

The film opens in Early November, 1923, at the San Diego U. S. Naval Headquarters for the General Court Martial of the 12 senior officers involved in the disaster at Devil’s Jaw, a few months prior. The courtroom is filled with the family and loved ones of the 23 fallen sailors, as well as some of the survivors from that fateful day. The presiding council calls the head of the USS Percival, Commander Walter G. Roper, to the stand. As Commander Roper begins to retell his story, we cut to the Puget Sound in late August 1923 where the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Battle Fleet complete their summer maneuvers before starting Fleet Week in San Francisco.

We then meet the men of Destroyer Squadron 11 (DESRON 11) as they take  part in the maneuvers.  First we’ll go aboard the speedy USS Young, a new Clemson class Destroyer equipped with radio direction finding (RDF), the latest of the U.S. Navy’s “Greyhounds of  the Sea”. This is where we’ll meet our main characters: Captain Edward Watson, Lt.  Commander Donald Hunter, Seaman 2nd Class James Conway, Engineman Max Taylor, Coxswain Charles Saltzer, Radioman Clitus Reddock, Cooks Edward Jones & Sofronio Dalida,  Chief Pharmacist Ralph Buchan, and Steward Enrique Torres.

We’ll use the opening scenes to provide some visual excitement for the audience, while also establishing the grand scope and action orientation of the movie. That night, over twenty sailors on the USS Henderson, see the “Flying Dutchman” ghost ship. The next morning, word of the Dutchman sighting spreads throughout the squadron, as some of the old timers start saying the voyage is ill fated. After some intense training runs and a hard fought speed competition down the coast, DESRON 11 arrives in San Francisco for Fleet Week. One week to dock and enjoy before the fateful event that will alter their lives forever.

ACT 3

As the weather worsens, the squadron decides to form a column. The ships fall in behind each  other, led by the USS Delphy. That evening, around 8:00 pm PT, two of the senior officers broadcast an erroneous report – based on improperly interpreted radio  compass data – that showed the fleet 9 miles off Point Arguello. 

At 9:00 pm PT, they make the fateful decision to turn east, thinking they were in the Santa  Barbara Channel. VERY THICK FOG shrouded the water and made visibility next to nothing. The  night is eerie, haunting. The older sailors will be recalling the earlier sighting of the Flying  Dutchman and one of the characters recalls how there’s an upcoming solar eclipse in two days and they’ve  entered the shadow period, a time of potential doom.

Right before the disaster, we’ll see two fishermen (Italian brothers) casting a net from their boat into the water, preparing for their midnight catch. As soon as the net is cast, we see the Destroyers start to poke through the fog and the first ship, the USS Delphy, slam into the  shallow reef at Devil’s Jaw going 20 knots at 11:05 pm. 

The Lee hits broadside against the bluffs next while the Young piles up against the Delphy and  capsizes, trapping many of our characters in the fire and engine rooms below. Like pins in a bowling alley, the Woodbury, Nicholas, Fuller & Chauncey strike the shoals or each other and  sink within five minutes, the volcanic pinnacles in the reef acting like a razor sharp can opener,  slicing the hulls off of the ships. 

We’ll go first to the Boiler Room of the Young, where four men die instantly, incinerated by the boiling steam & searing hot flames and/or crushed by the giant turbines  dislodged from the exploding engine.

As the emergency sirens sound, we’ll see  the fate of all seven destroyers as well as the other six that manage to steer to safety, led by  the USS Percival and Commander Roper. We’ll also see the Italian brothers saving multiple men after being knocked out of their own boat, as well as the many heroic deeds of our main characters and others from the surrounding Lompoc community.

Our movie will bookend with the conclusion of the court martial. We’ll hear the court reporter reading the court’s pronouncements: Two of the senior officers  are found guilty, negligent of a “bad error of judgement and faulty navigation”, while Commander Roper is awarded a Letter of Commendation for leading his men and the remaining  destroyers to safety. Other captains and survivors of the disaster go on to become leaders at Pearl Harbor and in World War II.

CHARACTERS

CAPTAIN EDWARD HOWE WATSON

Captain of the lead destroyer, The Delphy. Our story’s  main antagonist. Veteran of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and WWI.  Was made a captain in 1917. In 1922, he became the fleet commander of Destroyer Squadron  Eleven (DESRON 11). 

COMMANDER WALTER G. ROPER

Of the USS Percival, the 8th ship in the column and the first to  completely avert the disaster and remain at sea. Won a Letter of Commendation for turning his  division away from danger. One of the movie’s protagonists. 

JAMES CONWAY

Seaman 2nd Class. Fallen sailor on the Delphy. Our hunky, movie star role.  From Fort Omaha, Nebraska. Street smart. Wise beyond his years. He’ll lead the charge to help  the men in the engine room. The brave face of the Seamen. 

ROSE GABRIEL - 22. Shy. Wise. Classically beautiful.  Star violinist at the San Francisco  Conservatory of Music. In her fourth year. From a farm town outside of Bakersfield. Being a  young savant has made her feel like an outsider her entire life. Always taking lessons or  performing and not allowing time for anything other than the violin. Never been in love. Has a  tight group of friends who are always trying to get her to come out of her shell. Big dreams.  James’ love interest in the movie.  

MAX “PREACH” TAYLOR

The sole ENGINE MAN to lose his life. From Spokane, Wa. Very smart, great with his hands. Very religious. The other sailors call him “Preach” because he’s always quoting Scripture. His older brother, who was his idol, was killed in WW 1. Married his high school sweetheart, Mary Lou, who’s pregnant with their first child. Wants to go back to Spokane to be with his young family and take over his father’s church.

KATE PRESCOTT

Kate (30’s) is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle with a bit of a drinking problem. She’s a widow, who’s husband died in World War 1. Her writing is the device through which we recall the story.