A few weeks ago I unearthed a videotape I made while I was a sailor aboard the USS Elliot (DD-967). Taken one night in 1991 while the ship was in port in San Diego, the tape was meant to give my parents a virtual tour of the ship.
The quality isn’t the best as I had owned a videocamera for all of 6 hours, but I still found the video to be a fun look into the past. Careful viewers will see what I looked like when I had a full head of hair and big, dorky glasses. I’m also not sure what’s up with the Kermit the Frog-style narration, but it is what it is.
What really amazes me about the video is how much I knew about all the systems I was describing. One of my biggest regrets about my service is that I never completed my Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification, deeming me an expert of the ship. The video reminded me of how close I could’ve been to qualifying had I just put in a little more effort. That pin would’ve been nice to have.
The Elliot, of course, now lies beneath the Coral Sea, having been used for target practice in June of 2005. I still shake my head when I think about that colossal waste of a perfectly good ship.
You can watch the Elliot Tour video here on Vimeo.
Hey Mark, that was probably filmed right before I got out. Funny after 19 years it all comes flooding back to me when I watch this. I can almost smell the oil.
And yes, horrific waste of incredible ships to use them as target practice.
Dave