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US Navy - Aircraft Carrier LPH 12 / MCS 12 - USS Inchon |
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| 10/23 | ||
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Type, class: Amphibious Assault Ship, Landing
Platform Helicopter - LPH / Iwo Jima class Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA STATUS: Ordered: June 16, 1966 Laid down: April 8, 1968 Launched: May 24, 1969 Commissioned: June 20, 1970 reclassified MCS: March 1, 1995 Decommissioned: June 20, 2002 Fate: sunk as a target, off Virginia, on December 5, 2004 Namesake: Battle of Inchon (1950) Ships Motto: NEVER MORE BRIGHTLY Technical Data: see: INFO > Iwo Jima class Amphibious Assault Ship - LPH |
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Deployments: 1972-1973 circumnavigated the globe and returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia April 1974 - October 1974 with 34th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-162(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea September 1975 - March 1976 with 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-261(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea April 1977 - October 1977 with 34th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-261(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea June 1978 - August 1978 with 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-362(C) embarked - South Atlantic Ocean September 1982 - March 1983 with 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-263(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea August 1983 - October 1983 with HM-16 embarked - Northern Atlantic Ocean July 1984 - February 1985 with 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-264(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea Novevmber 1986 - May 1987 with 26th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-261(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea August 1990 - March 1991 with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-162(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea December 1991 - June 1992 with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-266(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea March 1993 - May 1993 with HM-14 embarked - Northern Atlantic Ocean January 1994 - June 1994 with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-266(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean July 1994 - August 1994 with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-266(C) embarked - Operation Support Democracy, Haiti March 1, 1995: reclassified to Mine Countermeasures Support Ship - MCS 12 USS Inchon March 1995 - June 1996: converted to MCS at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi |
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MCS 12 USS Inchon (1995-2002)  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Gulf of Mexico - April 2001  Panama Canal - April 2001  A Mk.105 Minesweeping Sled is lowered into the water during a mine countermeasures exercise in the Adriatic in support of Operation Shining Hope, 27 May 1999  March 1999 March 1, 1995: reclassified to Mine Countermeasures Support Ship - MCS 12 USS Inchon LPH 12 USS Inchon (1970-1995)  with HMM-266(C) embarked - during exercise Dragon Hammer - Mediterranean Sea - May 1992  moored at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia - March 1991  returning to Norfolk, Virginia after Operation Sharp Edge and Desert Shield/Storm - March 1991  returning to Norfolk, Virginia after Operation Sharp Edge and Desert Shield/Storm - March 1991  March 1988  March 1988  March 1988  March 1988  cutout: Mk.25 box launcher for RIM-7 Sea Sparrow SAM (Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS)) / twin 3"/50 DP gun  March 1988  March 1988  March 1988  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86 - Northern Atlantic Ocean - 1986  with HMM-162(C) embarked - Alexandria, Egypt - 1974  Vietnam War - June 1973  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  trials - Gulf of Mexico - May 1970  cutout - twin 3-inches (76 mm) 50-caliber DP gun |
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USS Inchon (LPH 12): Inchon (LPH-12) was laid down on 8 April 1968 at at Pascagoula, Miss., by Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding; launched on 24 May 1969; sponsored by Mrs. Charlotte Brooks, wife of Representative Jack Brooks, Texas; and commissioned on 20 June 1970 at Pensacola, Fla., Capt. Arthur H. Cummings Jr. in command. In 1972-1973 Inchon circumnavigated the globe and returned to Norfolk, Va. In February 1973 Inchon was attached to Task Force 78 for Operation End Sweep, the U.S. Navy’s effort to clear U.S. mines from North Vietnamese waters after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. Those operations were suspended from 17 April through 17 June. They resumed 18 June and End Sweep was completed on 18 July. On 9 July 1975, more than 100 sailors and marines from Inchon and amphibious transport dock Shreveport (LPD-12) fought a fire on board a Spanish merchant vessel at Palma de Mallorca, Spain. On 16 December, Inchon and oiler Caloosahatchee (AO-98) were in a minor collision during refueling in rough seas west of Italy. On 5 February 1980 Inchon collided with dock landing ship Spiegel Grove (LSD-32) while refueling in the Atlantic en route to the Mediterranean Sea, with reportedly no injuries and only minor damage. On 7 October 1981 Inchon suffered a boiler explosion while preparing to get underway from Norfolk, Va. From 29 October 1982 to 15 February 1983 Inchon earned the Navy Unit Commendation and the Navy Expeditionary Medal serving as the flagship of Amphibious Squadron 6, on station at Beirut, Lebanon. On 13 August 1986, Inchon suffered a casualty to the ship's evaporators while underway to Morehead City, NC, causing the ship to return to Norfolk, Va., for two days of repairs. On November 1989 a fire in the hangar deck of Inchon injured 31 people while the ship is docked for maintenance in Norfolk, Va. Inchon played a key role in Operation Sharp Edge in 1990, performing evacuation operations during Liberia’s civil war. Shortly afterwards, Inchon patrolled the southern Mediterranean in preparation for emergency evacuations in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. In 1994 Inchon deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean to conduct Operation Continue Hope off the coast of Somalia and Operation Deny Flight off the coast of Bosnia. Following a six-month deployment, Inchon remained in home port for only two weeks, before she was called upon to assist in Operation Support Democracy off the coast of Haiti. On 1 March 1995 Inchon was re-classed as a mine countermeasures ship (MCS-12) and commenced a 15-month conversion/overhaul by Ingalls Shipbuilding. In July 1996 Inchon changed homeports to Ingleside, Texas, home of the Navy’s Mine Warfare Center of Excellence. Sustaining extended mine countermeasures operations at forward deployed locations required extensive command and control and logistics capabilities. Inchon provided both a landing platform for MH-53E Sea Dragon mine-sweeping helicopters and repair and re-supply facility for Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships and Osprey-class coastal minehunters. From March-July 1997, Inchon made her first deployment in her new capacity, successfully demonstrating her capabilities. Inchon once again deployed in 1999, from April through August, and the crew provided critical heavy lift support to Operation Shining Hope, the humanitarian relief effort for Kosovar refugees in the Balkans. Inchon’s final deployment began in April 2001. On 19 October 2001 a fire was discovered in the ship's Boiler Room at approximately 1742. Firefighting crews from Inchon and Naval Station Ingleside Fire Department responded to the scene, assisted by rescue and assistance teams from several other ships based at the station. Crews extinguished the fire at approximately 1826, but not before Machinist's Mate Third Class Ronnie Joe Palm Jr., had been killed and seven other sailors injured. Six of those were treated for minor burns or smoke inhalation and released; one remained hospitalized in a local facility. At the time of the incident, Inchon had completed tests of her engineering and operational systems after a scheduled planned maintenance availability at Naval Station Ingleside. Decommissioned on 20 June 2002, Inchon was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 24 May 2004. She was later sunk as a target on 5 December 2004. Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons Navy Unit Commendation (2) Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (3) Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (5) Navy Expeditionary Medal (3) National Defense Service Medal (2) Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Operation Restore Hope, Somalia) Vietnam Service Medal (3) Armed Forces Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal Sea Service Overseas Ribbon (3) source: NHHC - - - - - another history: Inchon was laid down on 8 April 1968 by Ingalls Shipbuilding, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, US with the hull classification number LPH-12. She was named for the Battle of Inchon, a turning point of the Korean War. The ship was launched on 24 May 1969 and commissioned on 20 June 1970. In 1972-1973, Inchon circumnavigated the globe and returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. In February 1973, Inchon was attached to Task Force 78 for Operation End Sweep, the U.S. Navy's effort to clear U.S. mines from North Vietnamese waters after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. Those operations were suspended from 17 April through 17 June. They resumed 18 June and End Sweep was completed on 18 July. On 9 July 1975, more than 100 sailors and marines from Inchon and amphibious transport dock USS Shreveport fought a fire on board a Spanish merchant vessel at Palma de Mallorca, Spain. On 16 December, Inchon and oiler USS Caloosahatchee were in a minor collision during refueling in rough seas west of Italy. On 5 February 1980, while involved in an underway refueling with USS Spiegel Grove in the Atlantic, the two vessels collided, with Inchon's helicopter elevator ripping through a Marine berthing space on Spiegel Grove and destroying one of that ship's 50-ton cranes. There were no injuries, however. On 29 September 1981 LCDR Kenneth Wessel, Inchon's Aircraft Handling Officer, was killed when the UH-1 Huey he was flying crashed off the coast of Virginia Beach. Three other crew members on the helicopter were rescued. On 7 October 1981, Inchon suffered a boiler explosion while preparing to get underway from Naval Station Norfolk. Multinational Force . Beirut, Lebanon: From 29 October 1982 to 15 February 1983 Inchon earned the Navy Unit Commendation and the Navy Expeditionary Medal serving as the flagship of Amphibious Squadron 6, on station at Beirut, Lebanon. The Citation for the Navy Unit Commendation reads: For exceptionally meritorious service from 29 October 1982 to 15 February 1983 in a mission of great national and international importance while serving as the United States Forces Ashore Lebanon and supporting forces of the Multinational Force peace initiatives in Lebanon. on 29 October 1982, Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 3-82 and Marine Amphibious Unit 24 conducted a combined surface and helo landing across Black Beach and the International Airport of Beirut, Lebanon and immediately commenced coordinated motorized and foot patrols with other Multinational Force contingents throughout the City of Beirut. Simultaneously with operations ashore, Amphibious Task Force helicopters provided special support to the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon and special Presidential envoys, and provided major logistics lifts from Air Support Head at Larnaca, Cyprus, to Beirut. Their superior performance and tireless devotion contributed significantly to the national objectives of world peace and Middle East stability. By their resolute determination, unrelenting perseverance, and steadfast dedication to duty, the officers and enlisted personnel of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 3-82 and Marine Amphibious Unit 24 reflected great credit upon themselves and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. On 13 August 1986, Inchon suffered a casualty to the ship's evaporators while underway to Morehead City, North Carolina, causing the ship to return to Norfolk for two days of repairs. In November 1989 a fire in the hangar deck of Inchon injured 31 people while the ship was docked for maintenance in Norfolk. Inchon played a key role in Operation Sharp Edge in 1990, performing evacuation operations during Liberia's civil war. Shortly afterwards, Inchon patrolled the southern Mediterranean in preparation for emergency evacuations in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. In 1994, Inchon deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean to conduct Operation Continue Hope off the coast of Somalia and Operation Deny Flight off the coast of Bosnia. Following a six-month deployment, Inchon remained in home port for only two weeks, before she was called upon to assist in Operation Uphold Democracy off the coast of Haiti. Mine countermeasures ship: On 1 March 1995, Inchon was re-classed as a mine countermeasures ship MCS-12 and commenced a 15-month conversion/overhaul by Ingalls Shipbuilding. In July 1996, Inchon changed homeports to Ingleside, Texas, home of the U.S. Navy's Mine Warfare Center of Excellence. Sustaining extended mine countermeasures operations at forward deployed locations required extensive command and control and logistics capabilities. Inchon provided both a landing platform for Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon mine-sweeping helicopters and repair and re-supply facility for Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships and Osprey-class coastal minehunters. Inchon was assigned to the Active Naval Reserve Force, 30 September 1996. From March to July 1997, Inchon made her first deployment in her new capacity. Inchon once again deployed in 1999, from April through August, and the crew provided critical heavy lift support to Operation Shining Hope, the humanitarian relief effort for Kosovar refugees in the Balkans. Inchon's final deployment began in April 2001. On 19 October 2001, Inchon suffered an oil fire in the main boiler room while conducting inport steaming for engineering trials and assessments. A fuel oil leak had sprung from a faulty gasket on one of the main fuel pumps. This resulted in fuel oil leaking into the bilge. At some unknown point the bilge caught fire. The actual cause of the ignition to the fuel oil remains unknown. The entire bilge caught fire, and the space immediately filled with smoke. Of the nine enlisted men operating in the space, eight made it out. Petty Officer Third Class Ronnie Joe Palm Jr. of Houston, succumbed to smoke inhalation just after helping one of his fellow sailors escape. He was posthumously awarded for his heroism with the highest peacetime honor the Navy could bestow, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. Decommissioning and fate: Since severe damage occurred to her boiler plant the Navy made the decision at that time to decommission rather than repair the ship. Inchon was decommissioned, 20 June 2002, at NS Ingleside, Texas. Inchon was towed by USNS Mohawk from Ingleside to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she was laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 24 May 2004 and sunk on 5 December 2004 at 36°42′30″N 71°40′0″W, in 2,150 fathoms (3.9 km) of water, 207 nautical miles (383 km) east of Virginia Beach, Virginia. source: wikipedia |
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The Battle of Inchon ... was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital of Seoul two weeks later. The code name for the Inchon operation was Operation Chromite. The battle began on 15 September 1950 and ended on 19 September. Through a surprise amphibious assault far from the Pusan Perimeter that UN and Republic of Korea Army (ROK) forces were desperately defending, the largely undefended city of Incheon was secured after being bombed by UN forces. The battle ended a string of victories by the North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA). The subsequent UN recapture of Seoul partially severed the KPA's supply lines in South Korea. The UN and ROK forces were commanded by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of the United States Army. MacArthur was the driving force behind the operation, overcoming the strong misgivings of more cautious generals to a risky assault over extremely unfavorable terrain. The battle was followed by a rapid collapse of the KPA; within a month of the Incheon landing, the Americans had taken 135,000 KPA troops prisoner. |
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