Yeah, I see what you mean. After thirty years in the industry,
do I know...
I don't know,

do you know?
The discussion I am trying to address here is not about grand ideologies, honor, courage, and commitment, and all that, but a root cause analysis of what could of happened.
ELT performance was on the front burner when I was in (96-05) and in my last year, on my last deployment, I spent every Sunday with the CO doing ORSE review because the audit before I came on board showed gross negligence and integrity issues.
I came on board at 12:00 PM during an ONREP, checked in, met everyone, and then by 6:00 PM went down before the mid-watch. I was in a critique that night because ELTs were falsifying TLD reader paperwork.
Also, found out that the other crew had two months worth of routine survey maps that were created in a day!! I mean, the underway ELT did nothing for about two months and then he and his CRA had a survey fest in the lab. How you can go two months and no one asks where the survey maps are? Systematic failure.
So basically I spent a entire patrol figuring out what was bs and what was real. I had no clue, but it all had to be made ready for ORSE.
I told my CRA that the other crew's records were a fantasy and what he did with that, I have no idea. I re-injured my back and had to leave the boat and eventually the Navy.
It was the worst two months of my Navy career, but the best learning experience of it all.
I don't think the USS Hartford is an isolated example of bad ELTs. 5-6 ELTs just don't decide to conspire against the machine.
I don't think there is an overall problem with the quality of students.
I do think that being an ELT is the hardest administratively controlled job in the nuclear navy on par with RC-div.
I do think an overhaul change needs to be made and all the little notes and palaver out there needs to be incorporated into the books or dumped out the Aft Drain Pump.
To quote Chris Rock:
"I don't agree with OJ killing his wife, but I understand it"