_1979.jpg) USSIwo Jima off theUnited States East Coast in April 1979 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Iwo Jima |
| Namesake | Battle of Iwo Jima |
| Builder | Puget Sound Naval Shipyard |
| Laid down | 2 April 1959 |
| Launched | 17 September 1960 |
| Commissioned | 26 August 1961 |
| Decommissioned | 14 July 1993 |
| Stricken | 24 September 1993 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped, 18 December 1995 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Iwo Jima-classamphibious assault ship |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 592 ft (180 m) |
| Beam | 84 ft (26 m) |
| Draught | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 22knots (41 km/h) |
| Range | 11,118km (6,000nm) at 18 knots |
| Troops | 2,000 |
| Complement | 667 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 25 helicopters |
USSIwo Jima (LPH-2) was thelead ship ofher class and type and the firstamphibious assault ship to be designed and built from the keel up as a dedicatedhelicopter carrier. She carriedhelicopters and typically embarked the Aviation Combat Element (ACE) of aUSMC Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) (previously the Marine Amphibious Unit, or MAU) to conduct heliborne operations in support of amphibious operations. There was no well deck to dock landing craft to enable transport of personnel or equipment to/from shore.Iwo Jima was the second of three ships of theUnited States Navy to be named for theBattle of Iwo Jima, although it was the first to be completed and see service (the first was cancelled during construction).
Iwo Jima waslaid down on 2 April 1959 byPuget Sound Naval Shipyard,launched on 17 September 1960, sponsored by Mrs.Harry Schmidt, andcommissioned on 26 August 1961.
Following shakedown training, she spent the rest of 1961 off theCalifornia coast in amphibious exercises. In April 1962, the ship joined Joint Task Force 8 in theJohnston Island-Hawaii area forOperation Dominic, a series ofnuclear tests.Iwo Jima evacuated several islands and took part in the test evaluation. On 26 July, she sailed from the test area toPearl Harbor, and continued on toSan Diego, where she arrived on 10 August 1962.
In September, the ship took part in full-scale amphibious exercises in California, departing from San Diego on 17 October for her first deployment to the western Pacific. However, with the introduction of offensive missiles intoCuba resulting in theCuban Missile Crisis on 19 October 1962,Iwo Jima returned to San Diego, embarked Marines from 22 to 27 October, and departed for the Caribbean. As part of America's powerful naval presence in the area, she cruised in a "ready" status until December brought an easing of the Cuban situation. She returned in San Diego on 13 December.
Iwo Jima operated out of her home port during the first half of 1963, carrying out amphibious exercises and training. She departed on 30 August on her long-delayedWestern Pacific cruise. Joining the7th Fleet, she ranged from Hawaii to thePhilippines andTaiwan.
On 31 October 1963,Iwo Jima departed Philippine waters for special operations along the coast ofSouth Vietnam, standing by to protect American nationals during a period of increased tension. She returned toSubic Bay Naval Base on 12 November. The following months, she sailed with Special Landing Forces of Marines for rigorous amphibious assault and landing raids practice off the coasts of Taiwan andOkinawa. After unloading ammunition atSasebo,Japan, she departed on 13 April 1964 to return to San Diego, arriving on 28 April. Following amphibious training with Marines along the California seaboard, she overhauled in theLong Beach Naval Shipyard. This work was completed by 7 December 1964, whenIwo Jima began amphibious refresher training ranging to the Hawaiian Islands. On 13 March 1965, she departed Pearl Harbor for San Diego, arriving six days later.
Iwo Jima received tons of supplies and scores of Army helicopters, tanker trucks, and vehicles in her hangar and flight deck spaces. Nearly 1,000 troops were embarked for her western transit, which began on 12 April 1965. She stopped at Pearl Harbor for a few hours on the 17th to off-load 50 Marines and their equipment. On 1/2 May, she steamed offVũng Tàu, South Vietnam, flying off 77 Army helicopters loaded with troops and combat cargo. From there, she proceeded to Subic Bay in the Philippines, where troops and equipment were received for both amphibious and helicopter landings atChu Lai, Vietnam, on 12 May 1965.
Iwo Jima remained off Chu Lai for a month, protecting Marines and Seabees establishing an air field on the sandy shore. Besides provides helicopter support for the forces ashore, including defense perimeter patrol, she was a support center for laundry, showers, fresh provisions, store, and mail service. She also supervised the continual off-load of ships over the beach for the entire month, then on 7 June 1965 landed squadron personnel and helicopters ashore atPhu Bai Combat Base, some 30 miles north ofDa Nang. After a few days rest in Subic Bay, she was routed to Sasebo, thence toBuckner Bay, Okinawa, where she embarked Marines and equipment. This was completed on 26 June 1965, when she sailed forQui Nhon, Republic of Vietnam, in company withUSS Talladega andUSS Point Defiance. These ships were designated Task Group 76.5, the part of the 7th Fleet that carried the Marine Special Landing Force. On the 30th, she arrived at Qui Nhon, about 100 miles south of Chu Lai. The following day, Marines landed ashore to take up defensive positions for the protection of Army engineers and communications units.
Iwo Jima remained off Qui Nhon for defensive support until 20 July 1965, then steamed forPratas Reef about 240 miles southwest of Taiwan. Arriving the morning of the 22nd, her helicopters were immediately pressed into service to aid the salvage of destroyerUSS Frank Knox. The close approach oftyphoon"Gilda" pounded the grounded destroyer so badly that it was impossible for small boats to get alongside her. Extra men were heli-lifted off the destroyer while surf rose 12 feet high to break completely over the stern ofFrank Knox. Support given byIwo Jima included such items as hot food, clothes, water, pumps, hose, gasoline, air compressors, welding machines, damage control equipment, and technicians. Feed water was heli-lifted in special tanks constructed by the destroyer tenderUSS Prairie, which had faint hope of keeping the destroyer's boiler alive. Detached from this duty on 1 August 1965,Iwo Jima made a brief call atHong Kong, then proceeded to the Philippines.
On 17 August 1965,Iwo Jima steamed out of Subic Bay for Vung Tau, Republic of Vietnam, to join inOperation Starlite, a five-day search-and-destroy operation that killed some 600Viet Cong. The successful combined Navy and Marine Corps amphibious operation, backed by gunfire support from the cruiserUSS Galveston and two destroyers, came to a close late on 24 August.Iwo Jima's evacuation and surgical teams kept the American casualties down to a very low percentage. During transit back to Subic Bay, the news came thatFrank Knox had been refloated.Iwo Jima landed her Marine Special Landing Force at Chu Lai on 1/2 September, embarked 800 Marines of a rotation draft, and sailed forBuckner Bay.
Iwo Jima landed the rotation troops at Okinawa, then came off Qui Nhon, 10 September 1965, to cover the landing of theArmy's1st Air Cavalry Division. She had supported three amphibious assault search-and-destroy raids along the coast by 1 October, when she steamed to southern waters, remaining in stand-by status for possible evacuation of U.S. nationals in revolt-tornIndonesia. Eight days later, she sailed for Da Nang for a helicopter squadron exchange, thence to Subic Bay where she was relieved byUSS Valley Forge. Following a visit to Yokosuka, she departed 1 November for return to San Diego, arriving 17 November 1965. Several months later, she again joined the 7th Fleet Amphibious Ready Group, a fast-moving assault force that had completed more than 20 search-and-destroy operations along the South Vietnamese coast between March 1965 and September 1966. One of these missions,Operation Deckhouse IV hit only 3 miles south of theVietnamese Demilitarized Zone to search for and decimate a regiment of thePeople's Army of Vietnam342B Division which had infiltrated into South Vietnam.
During the first three months of 1966,Iwo Jima was at San Diego for upkeep and upgrades. From April through June, extensive refresher training occupied all hands asIwo Jima prepared for her forthcoming Western Pacific deployment. On 24 July, steaming with a task group, she passed the island of Iwo Jima with one of the Marine groups that had landed on Iwo Jima over two decades earlier on board. After operations in the Vietnam area, she sailed for Japan.Iwo Jima was on the line and underway for special operations in theMekong Delta region of South Vietnam by 30 December once again, in a Navy-ready group with a two-pronged punch. Early in January 1967, the commanding officer, Captain Nils W. Boe, was relieved by Captain F. X. Timmes. On his departure, Captain Boe said of his crew in a family-gram to mothers and wives, "I want to thank each of you for letting me borrow these magnificent young men for a little while. They have made me feel ten feet tall." On 1 July 1967,Iwo Jima was reassigned toAmphibious Squadron 3 fromAmphibious Squadron 1, with which she continued to sail with the Pacific Fleet.
On 17 April 1970,Iwo Jima was theflagship ofTask Force 130 that waited for theApollo 13 spaceship's astronauts after their memorable "successful failure" mission and splashdown nearAmerican Samoa.
In the 1995 filmApollo 13,Iwo Jima was played by her sister ship,New Orleans (LPH-11).Iwo Jima's skipper, CaptainLeland Kirkemo, is portrayed by the film's central protagonist, CaptainJim Lovell.[1]
From 10 May 1983 to 8 December 1983,Iwo Jima operated off the Lebanese coast as part of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 2-83 (Marg 2-83). The ships hosted the24th Marine Amphibious Unit (24th MAU), the main body of which disembarked on 29 May to take position in and around Beirut International Airport, relieving the22nd MAU as the principal US component of theMultinational Force in Lebanon.[2] On 23 October 1983, anattack on the Marine's barracks caused the death of 241 US servicemen and wounded a further 60.The ship's commanding officer at the time was Arden W. Jones, CAPT USN. During the deployment, it served as the flagship for Amphibious Squadron Eight (PHIBRON-8), with Morgan France, CAPT USN serving as squadron commander (AKA Commodore").
On 11 October 1989,El Paso (LKA-117) was conducting a live fire exercise off the east coast of the United States using the Phalanx against a target drone. The drone was successfully engaged, but as the drone fell to the sea, the CIWS re-engaged it as a continued threat toEl Paso. Rounds from the Phalanx struck the bridge ofIwo Jima, killing one officer and injuring a petty officer.[3][4][5]
In October 1990,Iwo Jima was in the Persian Gulf, as part of the buildup forOperation Desert Shield. After two months of operation in the region she had developed a leak in a steam valve which supplied steam to a stand-by electrical generator. She docked inManama,Bahrain, where the valve was repaired by a local contractor under US government inspection.
Repairs were completed towards the end of October. On 30 October, as she raised steam to get underway and rejoin the fleet, the valve began to leak once more. Thebonnet blew off the valve, flooding the boiler room with steam from two boilers. Ten of the eleven crewmen in the room were killed during or immediately after the incident, with the last surviving until 23:30 that evening.
The cause of the accident was determined to be the use of fasteners of the wrong material (namely black oxide coated brass) on the valve, combined with a lack of proper inspection.[6][7]
Iwo Jima was decommissioned on 14 July 1993, and struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 24 September. She was sold for scrap on 18 December 1995. The ship's island was at theMuseum of the American GI inCollege Station, Texas, for several years but due to no funding for maintenance it was scrapped.
A July 2012 article by USNI News of theUnited States Naval Institute revealed that theReagan Administration offered the use ofIwo Jima as a replacement in case either of the two British carriers,Hermes andInvincible, had been damaged or destroyed during the 1982Falklands War. This top-secret contingency plan was revealed to the staff of the Naval Institute byJohn Lehman, theU.S. Secretary of the Navy at the time of the Falklands War, from a speech provided to the Naval Institute that Lehman made inPortsmouth, UK on 26 June 2012. Lehman stated that the loan ofIwo Jima was made in response to a request from theRoyal Navy, and it had the endorsement ofU.S. PresidentRonald Reagan andU.S. Secretary of DefenseCaspar Weinberger. The actual planning forIwo Jima loan-out was done by the staff of theU.S. Second Fleet under the direction ofVice Admiral James Lyons, who confirmed Lehman's revelations with the Naval Institute staff. Contingency planning envisioned Americanmilitary contractors, likely retired sailors with knowledge ofIwo Jima's systems, assisting the British in manning the U.S. helicopter carrier during the loan-out. Naval analystEric Wertheim compared this arrangement to theFlying Tigers. Significantly, except forU.S. Secretary of StateAlexander Haig, theU.S. Department of State was not included in the loan-out negotiations.[8][9]
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This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
