Thank you for posting this. My father served on this beauty when we moved back home to Oahu, Hawaii in 94'. He retired in 2000 on Ford Island not long after they built the F.Island bridge. Over 20 years later and I can still remember the day that ship gracefully entered Pearl Harbor as my Father and his fellow sailors returned from a 6 month deployment overseas. Gone are the good ol days! Aloha from the Failauga Ohana DD-984 Leftwich🍍🌴🤙🏽
thanks Bob, i'm proud to say, this is my Home away from Home. I spent nearly 10 years of my Navy life onboard this Mighty Ship and it's sad to see it go down like this, but, Her Legacy will forever be imbedded in each and every one of the sailors that spent time onboard.
@@shortchange26 Unusual, but it does occasionally happen. When I served aboard USS England in the early to mid 80's, our XO had been the OPSO from 76 to 78. Came back and did his XO tour from 82 to 84. Came back in early 90's as the final CO who decommissioned her . Must have really loved that ship!
@@sasjme81 hell yea, you ever heard of OTEIP? I did it a few times when I couldn't find shore duty in Pearl Harbor. I was on Leftwich from '94 til decommissioning in March of '98. Best ship I had the pleasure of serving on in my 20 year career.
I served on her sister ship-USS JOHN ROGERS (DD-983)- in the late 80s. The Spruance class destroyers were highly feared above and below the sea. Like the 983, it appears the 984 was fitted with Tomahawk missiles -which are still used today- they were the BEAST in the 80s. Godspeed shipmates.
I also share your pain I was on the uss Oriskany cva 34 the one they sank 24 miles off the coast of Florida I was there for the deep sixing that day the Navy served 500 hundred of us dinner my ship was home for 3 years i was a gunners mate sorry for your loss
+PRR5406 Furthermore, the physics of watching her succumb, those huge bursting air pockets and strain on the keel, are amazing. Does the USN monitor air pressure and temperatures inside the vessel as it goes under? I'm wondering if compartmentalized air increases in temperature as compression begins, much as a Diesel cylinder.
Thanks for posting this, Bob! Hope you are doing well today. Served onboard '90 - '92. CIC Watch Sup. She was a good gal that took us out, and brought us safely home. Sad the Navy killed her off in her prime. She had a lot of good deployments left in her. I did attend her Decom and got to see some of the old crew.
Served on her 87'-90'. Had 3hundred and something brothers. Had some great memories Helped put that battle 'E' on her side. And hooked this New Mexican boy to the sea forever. On my 3rd boat now living in Seattle.
I served on the Wich from 1984 to 1986. Attended the great indian ocean cruise with many great men. Sad to see her sunk, she went through a lot. I salute the mighty mighty Leftwich.
You were homeported in Charleston, SC back then, right. I was on the USS Moosbrugger DD 980 back then and I think I can remember seeing your ship there.
I was a plank owner. Brought her out of Pascagoula to San Diego,REFTRA and then WestPac. It was a great ship and crew. Profound sadness at seeing her go down.
Breakes my heart to see this vid. I served on the wicked witch of the west from 1987 thru 1990 "aka" Shake N Bake Lots of memories with my fellow shipmates. Just too bad that I was young and stupid at the time to keep in touch with my shipmates. Take care and GOD bless each and every one of you!
I served with the crew that decomissioned her she was my first love and was never the same afterward it is a testament to the mighty leftwich that it took a massive amount of firepower to sink her but still a part of me will be missing now that the lady leftwich is gone.
This ship was named after my mother’s cousin, Lt Col William Groom Leftwich, USMC, killed in battle in Vietnam. My uncles, both Veterans, were very proud of the family legacy, and received “VIP” tours of “the family yacht.” Thank you for your service. 👊🏻
@@deweyfisher4828 hi I had the privilege of serving on her from 81 to 85 in the HT shop. Years later 30+ I did some research on who Lt col Leftwich was. What a man, what a officer and what a marine! Made me more proud to be on his ship.
I think the Navy should have turned them into Arsenal destroyers. Remove the guns, flight deck and just put in VLS cell farms. A single ship could have carried 300 missiles for the Burkes to fire. SM3/6's LRASM's, Harpoons, Tomahawks. The could have massivly increased the firepower of existing battlegroups with a minimal of investment.
Problem, signed "treaties" with our enemies. That and maybe even our own not wanting us Vets to get ahold of one of these should something like Martial Law take effect. Hey this Virus has me thinking, what next? Why the push to sink these and other mothballed ships so fast? their hull is the exact same as the Ticonderoga, if they aren't they're very close.
No. The hulls wear out. Metal fatigue with all the movement at sea causes long term problems. The shell plating is gradually eroded by salt water corrosion and eventually needs replacing. It's ultimately cheaper simply to build new ships.
@@yeoldesaltydog7415 under martial law what are the chances of the minimum crew needed to get one of these out of mothball storage getting anywhere near boarding the ship? Let alone fueled and supplied? Turbines haven’t been run in decade, lucky if there’s even a 3” gun still in its mount let alone serviceable…
These were decommissioned long before the SM-3/6 missiles came into service. They were large ships with minimal weapons; Navy really never wanted this class. You should read the Book about the fight between the Navy, President Carter, and Congress over this class. Carter hated the military, especially the Navy and this was a way to shaft them.
+Jennifer Winkler Hi Jennifer, I saw you post on the Leftwich sinking. I was a plank-owner on the USS Leftwich and Jeff was my best friend. We were stationed in Adak Alaska at the same time and went through Pre-com together in San Diego. We spent much time in Pasgagoula Mississippi. I have been looking for him in some of the forums without success. I'm saddened to hear of is passing. I would have like to have talked with him and find out his life after the Navy. May God rest his soul. - William (Pete) Peterson.
+William Peterson Thank you for remembering my brother! Jeff worked as an electrical draftsman after he left the Navy, but unfortunately, years of alcohol abuse took it's toll. He said his one regret was leaving the Navy (believe it or not) and at one point seriously looked into re-enlisting. He loved that ship, and the Navy... he just hated being told what to do!! I recently came across a bunch of his 35mm slides and negatives and the vast majority are of Adak and the Leftwich. They're in pretty rough shape and I'm in the process of cleaning them and digitally restoring them... speaking of forums, can you suggest a good one (or two) where I can post/share them. Thank you again... I think he's finally at peace. Jennifer
+Jennifer Winkler Thank you for responding to my post! I've been thinking of Jeff since I saw your original post. I just can't believe it. We were inseparable during those years. I remember meeting your dad at the commissioning ceremony and he met my parents. Did he have a wife and any children or did he remain single al those years? I would really like to see and/or get copies of his photo's. I remember him taking them and was there when he bought his camera. It's funny the things you remember. The best place to post them would be on the "USS Leftwich (DD984) Alumni Asoc" Facebook page. In fact I posted the entire commissioning book on there. You can even see Jeff's and my picture way back then on the same page. So I would post the Leftwich photos there. The leftwich and Adak photos could be posted on my Facebook page if you like. I know I would love to have them! The other forums are for sailors trying to find old shipmates and don't really have paces to post them. Please let me know what you want to do. I know everyone would like to see his pictures. Thanks again for the reply - William
Let's just hope that all Cold War relics meet the same glorious, horrifying fate. A few moments of drama, then life as an artificial reef. That's the way to go. RIP DD984.
These were pretty cool Spruance class ships. They were actually built for the Iranian Navy but delivery didn't take place because the Shah of Iran was overthrown. They had wide passageways to accommodate live animals :O
As did I. And I would agree; It's not a very enjoyable sight to see. (90-93 on the Ingersoll means that you too almost sank.) I hope you're doing well shipmate.
I was on the final crew to Push the Cush she was my first ship. Took her home to San Diego for decom in 05. Still remember sitting in 3 Boiler room spending all day trying to find and plug a leaking condenser tube.
@@scottworley1479 The market for scrap steel of this quality has been flooded since the early 00's. There was talk of selling some of them, but the Navy balked at that. Not counting the Burke class, these were the most advanced ships of their type at that time. The Navy wasn't too keen on giving the bad guys a chance at these.
I served on her from 1980-1982 when she was flagship. FTM on her Sparrows & Harpoons. Security Force. Did a WestPac, got my shellback. Good times (mostly). Hard to believe so much time has passed and yet seeing this brought a tear to my eye. RIP, Leftwich.
+Richard Harlos II I too served during that time frame as a GMM on the MK 29. This was a sad viewing and brought a tear to my eye as well. I also watched the Cushing go down. What a fight she put up. Mr. Harlos, I hope you are well.
Thanks for your comment and goodwill, Paladin Lives. I initially joined with the idea of doing 20 for early retirement but me and authoritarian structures didn't mesh well back then; some things never change :) I observe and contemplate the world as it is today and I realize that my 1980's self hadn't a clue that the future would emerge into the state of affairs evident today: perpetual military engagement, political theater, intelligence misbehavior, environmental devastation, pharmaceutical shenanigans, economic instability. The scope of dysfunction is incomprehensibly vast, and with no solution in sight -- much less, any large scale interest in finding, and implementing, such a solution. This... isn't the future that I imagined my service bringing about, Paladin. It's all rather disheartening at times. They say that those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I think that's a fair characterization of our culture today: so busy being busy, pretending to have hope, and ignoring the big problems. I read somewhere long ago that "we can ignore reality, but we can't ignore the consequences of ignoring reality." One need not be a genius to look around today and consider the consequences so far. And with those observations in mind, one need not be a genius to infer the outcome if we collectively continue to ignore reality. Well, that's probably more than you wanted to hear back from me but I think it needs to be said out loud every now and then. In any case, I wish you well, Paladin :)
+Richard Harlos II Richard, I can relate to your perspective and I appreciate it. Have you had any contact with the fella's from CM Div.? Best Wishes, Jeff Carter
I wish they would of kept one spruance as a museum ship. It was the work horse of the fleet for the last end of the cold war. We have enough carrier museum's
This is so depressing. I served on the USS Briscoe DD977 79-81. She was sunk in 2003 also. I have not seen a video of her being sunk (if there is one that is public), but I am sure is was similar to this. I still do not understand why when there are much older ships that are still active to this day. RIP
USS Spruance DD-963 from 83-87. She was sent to Davy Jones Locker in a live fire exercise. Great Ships and even greater Crews. Fair Winds and Following Seas
I was onboard USS Caron DD970 from 1990-94. IC3. I was heartbroken when I got the news that they had sunk the Caron. It was like getting the news that your first love had been murdered! Oddly though, there wasn’t any video shot of her actually sinking. Just the explosion that led to her demise and a few stills of the ship listing to starboard and that’s it.
To those commenting that it should be made into a museum ship, where do you think it can be docked for that and who's going to pay those fees? If we made every ship a museum ship, where would we dock the commissioned ships?
These ships were sunk way before their time. They all had plenty of sea time left. The current destroyers are built with the same design and power plants.
r dodge the current Arleigh Burke class has similar engineering plant, but is entirely different from the Spruance class hull and superstructure are all steel and have a different shape. Ticonderoga class cruisers use a similar hull form, but the DDGs are a completely new design.
That unit of the Spruance class (DD-984) missile destroyer can still be reliable and useful to the other Navies in the world. And I cannot see the reason of why that ship should be blown and sink it to the ocean, where on the other side of the world, there is some nation's that are willing to do anything and everything so that they could acquired a well updated combat ship, that is well sophisticated such as this one.
Those decommissioned ships serve to help design better future ships since they are equipped with sensors to measure all sort of parameters to measure the damage by various weapons to design future ships to better survive.
US Navy sank everyone of the Kidd and Spruance class quickly hulls had many years of life left but claimed to be to expensive to modernize. Beautiful ships
Facebook page and a reunion in Vegas July 26, 27, 2013 (Friday & Saturday) email ussleftwich@gmail.com if you or any prior shipmate would like to attend.
I know that the Navy needs to practice with their weapons, but why sink the ship instead scrapping? Perhaps this is a better way to go for a retired combat ship
Spruances were in a bad position in the late 90s. Too old to fit into the present fleet. Too new and too similar to the Ticos to go foreign navies that wanted them, like Turkey and Mexico.