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Navy destroyer steals Hermosa's heart
by Robb Fulcher
The
massive destroyer USS Elliot steamed away from Hermosa's shores Monday morning,
after it was swarmed by thousands of area residents who boated, paddled and
even swam to its decks, celebrating the Navy's first port-of-call visit in 72
years.
Throughout the weekend about 1,800 people rode the official shuttle vessel, King Harbor's Colleen, to tour the 563-foot destroyer as it sat anchored about a half-mile off the beach.
Others made it aboard the ship as guests of the sailors, riding out on the crewmembers' liberty launch, and an uncounted number used everything from kayaks to paddleboards and their own bare hands to reach the vessel.
Many of those who swam or paddled to Elliot were allowed to board if they had shoes on.
In addition, more than 2,000 people took to King Harbor's Ocean Racer touring boat and the Voyager fishing boat to take up-close tours that did not actually board Elliot.
"This was a wonderful event for the city," said Mayor JR Reviczky, a Navy veteran who, along with councilmen John Bowler and Sam Edgerton, rode the Elliot to Hermosa from San Diego, its homeport.
"This is something people will talk about for years to come. This is what community is all about," Reviczky said.
As a measure of the ship's popularity, residents began lining up as early as 3:30 a.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday to get tickets to tour the vessel. The tickets were available at 6 a.m. both days and were snapped up right away.
"The lines stretched from the Pier Plaza around the Bijou building. I don't know the number we had to turn away, but obviously we were not one quarter of the way through the line when all the tickets were gone," said Mary Rooney, Hermosa's assistant city manager and community resources director.
"Everyone took their chance, and if they missed out they were good sports about it," she said.
Throughout the weekend Hermosans met crewmembers of the all-male ship, who came ashore by launch to enjoy their liberty. A number of the sailors stayed with Hermosa families, after arrangements were made by the Navy League.
"A lot of the sailors just liked being part of a family, watching a football game or whatever, just taking a break from their usual environment," City Manager Steve Burrell said.
The weekend marked the first formal visit by a Navy vessel to Hermosa since 1928, when the city was visited by the battleship Arizona, which was sunk during World War II and whose wreckage is preserved as a monument at Pearl Harbor.
The 23-year-old Elliot, one of the most heavily armed warships afloat, is scheduled for decommissioning within three years, its commander told city officials.
The weekend featured a free show at the Comedy & Magic Club for the ship's enlisted men and a Pier Plaza reception Friday night for the top officers, who were serenaded by a brass band and entertained by a fireworks show overhead.
"For many of us this will be a once-in-a-lifetime event," said a beaming Reviczky, as he stood at a podium flanked by the U.S. and California flags and looked down a Pier Plaza that was decked with U.S. Navy flags along its full length.
"I had the most wonderful day today," he said. "For a while I was 19 years old again."
Reviczky presented the vessel's commanding officer, Commander Steven Des Jardins, with a framed proclamation declaring Sept. 8 "USS Elliot Day."
"We are totally overwhelmed by this welcome," Des Jardins said.
Elliot arrived in Hermosa shortly after a six-month tour of duty in the Persian Gulf, "chasing Iranian oil smugglers and generally keeping the peace," Des Jardins said.
"It's great to have this brass band. Our last port of call was New Caledonia, and the band had on grass skirts and they were beating wooden drums," he commented. "We look forward to meeting as many of you as we can, and enjoying the cultural benefits of the United States for a change."
Rep. Steve Kuykendall, a Marine Corps veteran who worked behind the scenes to bring Elliot to Hermosa, said it was "wonderful to see a Navy vessel offshore."
Kuykendall said he helped secure financing for ship's construction of the ship when he worked in banking.
On Sunday night enlisted personnel crowded into the Comedy & Magic club to enjoy the work of comedians Ron Pearson, Jeremy Hotz, Carlos Oscar, Charles Cozart and Joel Lindley. The comedians brought down the house, especially when they poked fun at the ship's commander and at Navy life.
The Elliot's visit came to an end shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, when she fired up her 80,000 horsepower gas turbine engines and steamed off to San Clemente for gun practice before returning to her San Diego home.
Reviczky was wistful after the destroyer left, but he had a ready answer when asked why he didn't just stow away aboard Elliot.
"When I left the ship after the trip up from San Diego, they were chipping paint and painting," he said. "I remembered why I'm no longer in the Navy." ER