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US Navy - Amphibious Assault Ship LHA 1 - USS Tarawa |
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| 06/21 | ||
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Type,
class: Amphibious Assault Ship (General Purpose) -
LHA; Tarawa - class Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA STATUS: Awarded: May 1, 1969 Laid down: November 15, 1971 Launched: December 1, 1973 Commissioned: May 29, 1976 Decommissioned: March 31, 2009 Fate: in reserve / awaiting disposal Namesake: Battle of Tarawa (Gilbert Islands - Pacific Ocean) - 1943 Ships Motto: EAGLE OF THE SEA Technical Data: see: INFO > Tarawa class Amphibious Assault Ship - LHA |
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Deployments: March 1979 - September 1979 with 31st Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-262(C) embarked - Pacific Ocean October 1980 - April 1981 with 31st Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-265(C) embarked - Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean April 1983 - November 1983 with 31st Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-165(C) embarked - Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea October 1984 - April 1985 with 31st Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-262(C) embarked - Pacific Ocean June 1986 - December 1986 with 13th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-161(C) embarked - Pacific Ocean July 1989 - December 1989 with 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-163(C) embarked - Pacific Ocean December 1990 - June 1991 with 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) embarked - Persian Gulf May 1992 - November 1992 with 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Pacific + Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf September 1993 - December 1994 - Complex Overhaul (COH) at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, California April 1996 - October 1996 with 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean, Persian Gulf February 1998 - August 1998 with 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-268(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean, Persian Gulf August 2000 - February 2001 with 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean, Persian Gulf June 2002 - July 2002 with 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Exercise RIMPAC 02 January 2003 - July 2003 with 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean, Persian Gulf July 2005 - February 2006 with 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea November 2007 - June 2008 with 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean, Persian Gulf |
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 laid up at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - September 2013  final homecoming to San Diego, California - June 2008  final homecoming to San Diego, California - June 2008  Mk.36 Super Rapid Bloom Offboard Countermeasures Chaff and Decoy Launching System (SRBOC) exercise - Pacific Ocean - May 2008  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Persian Gulf - March 2008  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Persian Gulf - March 2008  LCAC operations - with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Gulf of Aden - March 2008  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Persian Gulf - January 2008  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Persian Gulf - January 2008  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Indian Ocean - December 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Indian Ocean - December 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Indian Ocean - December 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Indian Ocean - December 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Indian Ocean - December 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean - November 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean - November 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean - November 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean - November 2007  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-166(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean - November 2007  Pacific Ocean - September 2007  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - February 2006  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Persian Gulf - November 2005  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Suez Canal - September 2005  departing San Diego, California with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - July 2005  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pacific Ocean - July 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pacific Ocean - July 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pacific Ocean - July 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pacific Ocean - July 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pacific Ocean - July 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pacific Ocean - June 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pacific Ocean - June 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pacific Ocean - June 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2004  during Exercise RIMPAC 04 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2004  well deck - August 2003  returning to San Diego, California - July 2003  with 15th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Persian Gulf - February 2003  with 15th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Exercise RIMPAC 02 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2002  with 15th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Exercise RIMPAC 02 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2002  with 15th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Exercise RIMPAC 02 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - June 2002  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Exercise Kernel Blitz 01 - April 2001  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Operation Determined Response - off Yemen - October 2000  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Operation Determined Response - off Yemen - October 2000  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Operation Determined Response - off Yemen - October 2000  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Operation Determined Response - off Yemen - October 2000  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Operation Determined Response - off Yemen - October 2000  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean - September 2000  with 13th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Pacific Ocean - September 2000  Bahrain - March 1998  Bahrain - March 1998  San Diego, California - August 1997  during Operation Deep Strike - August 1997  during Operation Deep Strike - August 1997  during Operation Deep Strike - August 1997  during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  well deck operations during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  during Exercise Kernel Blitz - June 1997  Complex Overhaul (COH) at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, California - October 1993  Complex Overhaul (COH) at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, California - October 1993  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Hong Kong - June 1992  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-161(REIN) embarked - Hong Kong - June 1992  returning to San Diego, California after Operation Desert Storm - June 1991  approaching Pearl Harbor, Hawaii after Operation Desert Storm - June 1991  approaching Pearl Harbor, Hawaii after Operation Desert Storm - June 1991  approaching Pearl Harbor, Hawaii after Operation Desert Storm - June 1991  approaching Pearl Harbor, Hawaii after Operation Desert Storm - June 1991  approaching Pearl Harbor, Hawaii after Operation Desert Storm - June 1991  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Exercise Thalay Thai 89 - off Thailand - September 1989  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Exercise Thalay Thai 89 - off Thailand - September 1989  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Exercise Thalay Thai 89 - off Thailand - September 1989  with 11th MEU(SOC) and HMM-163(REIN) embarked - Exercise Thalay Thai 89 - off Thailand - September 1989  returning to San Diego, California - December 1986  returning to San Diego, California - December 1986  cutout - Mk.45 guns on the bow  returning to San Diego, California - December 1986  with 13th MAU and HMM-161(C) embarked - Naval Station Subic Bay, Philippines - August 1986  with 13th MAU and HMM-161(C) embarked - Exercise Cobra Gold 86 - Gulf of Thailand - August 1986  with 13th MAU and HMM-161(C) embarked - Exercise Cobra Gold 86 - Gulf of Thailand - August 1986  with 13th MAU and HMM-161(C) embarked - Exercise Cobra Gold 86 - Gulf of Thailand - August 1986  with 13th MAU and HMM-161(C) embarked - Exercise Cobra Gold 86 - Gulf of Thailand - August 1986  Chinese delegation visit - San Diego, California - June 1980  Pacific Ocean - March 1979  Pacific Ocean - circa 1979  Pacific Ocean - circa 1979  Pacific Ocean - circa 1979  moored at Naval Air Station North Island, California - 1976  Panama Canal - September 1976  August 1976  trials - July 1976  trials - 1976  trials - 1975  cutout - note the Mk. 45 Mod.2 guns on the bow  trials - 1975  trials - 1975  under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi - circa 1973 |
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USS Tarawa (LHA 1): The second USS Tarawa (LHA 1) was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of the Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi, and commissioned May 29, 1976. Tarawa was the first in a new generation of multipurpose amphibious assault ships, a vital member of the Navy/Marine Corps team in the Pacific Fleet and a major factor in U.S. power projection overseas. Tarawa's first deployment to the Western Pacific began in March 1979. In addition to an embarked helicopter squadron, the ship operated with temporarily assigned AV-8A "Harrier" jets in a successful experiment to determine feasibility of operating vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft from an amphibious assault ship. During this deployment, Tarawa rescued 400 Vietnamese refugees who were adrift in the South China Sea. Upon returning, Tarawa won her first Admiral James H. Flatley Memorial Award for Naval Aviation Safety. The "Eagle of the Sea" began her second deployment in October, 1980, with a composite squadron of 29 helicopters and six AV-8As. The squadron was the first in Marine Corps aviation history to conduct integrated helicopter/fighter operations aboard an LHA for an extended deployment of more than five months. Tarawa completed her third deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean in November, 1983. During this deployment, Tarawa was diverted to the troubled waters of the Eastern Mediterranean by order of President Ronald Reagan to support the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force in Beirut, Lebanon. After returning, Tarawa won her second Admiral Flatley Award. Steaming out of San Diego in October, 1984, Tarawa began her fourth Western Pacific deployment during which the ship participated in joint military exercises with friends and allies in the region. In June of 1986, Tarawa deployed for the fifth time to the Western Pacific, followed in May 1987 by a complex, one-year overhaul. During this time, Tarawa won the Admiral Flatley Award for the third time and by July of 1989 had rejoined the Pacific Fleet for her sixth operational deployment. She subsequently participated in joint military exercises with Thailand and Pacific Fleet Exercise (PACEX) '89, before returning to San Diego in December of 1989. The following December brought the deployment to the Arabian Gulf as the flagship of a thirteen-ship amphibious task force in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation forces. It was the largest such deployment since the Vietnam conflict. Embarked were the Commander, Amphibious Group Three and the Fifth Marine Expeditionary Brigade.Tarawa participated in the amphibious assault exercise Sea Soldier IV in January, 1991, as a rehearsal for the proposed amphibious landing into Kuwait. The proposed operation was, in fact, a coalition force deception designed to keep the attention of the Iraqi military focused on potential assault from the sea instead of the real overland thrust. The deception was successful, playing a major role in keeping U.S. force casualties at an historic low for an engagement of that magnitude. On February 24th, Tarawa landed elements of the Fifth Marine Expeditionary Brigade into Saudi Arabia just south of the Kuwaiti border; these forces later joined with the First Marine Expeditionary Force which entered and liberated Kuwait. After the conclusion of Operation Desert Storm, Tarawa departed the Arabian Gulf in May of 1991 and was diverted to Bangladesh to render two weeks of humanitarian assistance to typhoon victims in Operation Sea Angel. Water purification equipment, medical aid and 2,000 tons of rice delivered by Tarawa's helicopters and landing craft helped more than 1.5 million inhabitants of Southeast Bangladesh survive the ravages of the storm's aftermath. Tarawa returned home to San Diego in July of 1991. In May, 1992, Tarawa deployed for the eighth time to the Western Pacific, participating in Eager Mace '92-'93, a joint U.S./Kuwait exercise. The ship also supported the insertion of Pakistani troops into Somalia in support of U.N. humanitarian relief, and returned to San Diego in November of 1992. Tarawa was awarded her fourth Admiral Flatley Award and her first Commander, Seventh Fleet, Amphibious Warfare Excellence Award for the '92 deployment. This deployment was followed by another complex overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Tarawa departed San Diego in April 1996 for her ninth deployment to the Western Pacific/Arabian Gulf. Enroute to the Arabian Gulf, Tarawa participated in a joint U.S./Thailand amphibious training exercise in the Gulf of Thailand. Tarawa then proceeded to the Red Sea to participate in exercise Indigo Serpent with the Royal Saudi Arabian Navy and exercise Infinite Moonlight with the Royal Jordanian Navy, the first such exercise with the nation of Jordan. Upon the conclusion of the Red Sea exercises, Tarawa entered the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch, the enforcement of the "no-fly" zone over southern Iraq. Tarawa also participated in Operation Desert Strike to curb Iraqi aggression. Returning to San Diego in October 1996, Tarawa was awarded both the Federal Energy Conservation Award and the Secretary of the Navy Energy Conservation Award. In January 1997, Tarawa entered an extensive overhaul. Four weeks after leaving the shipyard, Tarawa was the centerpiece for Kernel Blitz, the largest amphibious exercise in the Pacific Fleet in nearly 25 years and involving over 25 ships and 20,000 Sailors and Marines. Tarawa departed on her tenth deployment in February, 1998. While participating in joint exercises with Jordanian armed forces, Tarawa was diverted to the Red Sea African nation of Eritrea to evacuate American citizens from the U.S. embassy there. During the Eritrean-Ethiopian hostilities, more than 200 Americans were safely rescued. Tarawa returned to San Diego in August, 1998 and was awarded her second Secretary of the Navy Energy Conservation Award. Tarawa completed an extensive drydock overhaul period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington in June 1999. Tarawa returned to San Diego in August, 1998 and was awarded her second Secretary of the Navy Energy Conservation Award. Tarawa completed an extensive drydock overhaul period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington in June 1999. In August 2000, following an extensive dry dock overhaul period in Bremerton, Wash., Tarawa deployed for the eleventh time to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf. This deployment included wreath-laying ceremonies at the World War II battle sites of Tarawa Atoll, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima. While deployed, Tarawa provided humanitarian relief supplies to the war-ravaged country of East Timor, and in October 2000, participated in Operation Determined Response, steaming to the Gulf of Aden in Yemen to provide USS Cole and United States Government agencies on-site logistics, force protection, and evacuation support following the horrific terrorist attack on the Cole. After returning to San Diego in February 2001, Tarawa entered a planned maintenance period in early September that lasted until April the following year. In June, Tarawa participated in Rim of the Pacific 2002 exercises with a multinational force off the coast of Hawaii. Tarawa departed San Diego for her twelfth Western Pacific deployment on Jan. 6, 2003 and returned July 16. Tarawa's latest deployment from mid 2005 to early 2006 took her to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She transported the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. During this deployment, she visited Darwin, Australia, Dubai, UAE, Bahrain, Singapore, and Hong Kong. She was deployed in Bangladesh once again as part of the Cyclone Sidr relief efforts with the Kearsarge. Code name for the mission was "Operations Sea Angel II" in recognition of the Tarawa's previous support to Bangladesh in 1991. These humanitarian assistance efforts were instrumental in the ship being awarded the 2007 Battle Efficiency Award. Her latest deployment was from 7 November 2007 to 8 June 2008, with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, in the Middle East in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. She returned to her home port, San Diego, CA, finishing a seven month deployment. She visited Singapore, Bahrain,U.A.E., Perth and Hobart, Australia and Hawaii. Post Decommission Status: Tarawa was transferred by the USNS Salvor to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor. According to FY2011 plans, two Tarawa-class ships were in Category B Reserve to satisfy Marine Sealift Requirements. In July 2014 the "US Naval Amphibious Ship Historical Society" was formed by members of Tarawa's commissioning crew (plankowners) with plans to make her the first Navy amphibious ship museum. The organization is executing plans to acquire the ship and give her a permanent home on the West Coast as a museum. source: wikipedia |
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The Battle of Tarawa - Gilbert
Islands (November 19, 1943 - November 22, 1943): The Central Pacific's Gilbert Islands were strategically important to the Allies in World War II. Tarawa, and atoll in those islands,was the scene of a major amphibious assault and on of the proudest testaments to valor in U.S. Marine Corps history. Japan's Rear Admiral Shibasaki Meichi was quoted as saying before the assault that it would take the American forces "a million men and a hundred years" to capture the atoll. The Japanese had backed up this boast with an elite force of almost 5,000 men and heavily fortified the island of Betio in the southwestern corner of the atoll. Since capturing the islands three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had spent two years positioning coastal defense guns, antiaircraft guns, anti-boat guns, light and heavy machine guns, and an airstrip they could use to strike at allied troops stationed in the area. The atoll was strategically vital to both sides, and the stage was set for one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific. The Allies were faced with serious problems in capturing Tarawa. The big coastal guns would keep the Navy guns either under constant fire or at bay, and the Japanese had used sunken ships and other pieces of metal to create obstacles which blocked the avenues of approach from the sea. The approaching craft would have to slow down to maneuver, putting them in prearranged ambush sites where they would be subject to deadly, concentrated fire from fortified positions. The next line of obstacles included a double apron of barbed wire, log barriers, and concrete obstacles which surrounded the island. After breaching these defenses, the Marines would still be faced with the beach itself, where the Japanese had fortified heavy machine guns which created a series of interlocking fields of fire in addition to antipersonnel mines and anti-vehicle mines in the fringing reefs where the boats would have to land. With the added benefit of antiaircraft guns and planes of their own, the defenders were well prepared for any assault. The Allies had to take Tarawa, however, and on November 19, 1943 the assault began. Faced with the near-impossible odds and hounded from all sides, the Marines made it to the beach; by the last day of battle the Japanese had been forced into the east end of the the three-mile long island. They had prepared a series of fortified positions to fall back on in their retreat, and had defended each one almost to the last man. Those three miles may be some of the longest in Marine Corps history, as they slowly advanced at a terrible price. Organized resistance on Tarawa ceased by 1:30 PM on the third day. The Battle of Tarawa took 76 hours and cost the lives of 1,020 Marines. The list of Americans wounded was listed as high as 2,296. The cost was much higher for the Japanese defenders - of the 4,386 elite troops on Betio, only 146 were left alive. Four Marines received the Medal of Honor for their heroism, three of them posthumously. The fourth, Colonel David M. Shoup, Commanding Officer of the 2nd Marines and Betio Island Assault forces, later became the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Tarawa today: Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa. The island is known by outsiders as being the site of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II. Tarawa consists of around 24 larger islets, of which at least 8 are inhabited. The largest islet (South Tarawa) extends from Bonriki (southeast corner of the atoll) along the entire south side but Betio of the lagoon to Bairiki. A causeway now connects Bairiki to Betio (Japanese causeway). The largest town, Bikenibeu, and the only airport on Tarawa, Bonriki International Airport, are on South Tarawa. Islets: Abanuea (submerged since 1999 due to changing ocean currents and sea level rise), Abaokoro, Abatao, Bairiki, Betio, Bikeman Island (now submerged due to changing ocean currents), Biketawa, Bonriki, Buariki, Buota, Kainaba, Marenanuka, Na'a, Nabeina, Notoue (Eretibou), Nuatabu, Tabiang, Tabiteuea, Tabonibara, Taratai, Tearinibai Tebua Tarawa (submerged since 1999 due to changing ocean currents and sea level rise), Temaiku. Towns and villages: Abatao - Bairiki - Bikenibeu - Bonriki - Buariki - Buota - Eita - Marenanuka - Taborio - Teaoraereke Demographics: The population (as of 1990) was 28,802. The population is mostly Gilbertese (Micronesian). This probably exceeds the carrying capacity of the islands and is maintained at its current level without starvation principly due to foreign aid, largely from New Zealand. Government administration: Tarawa atoll has three administrative subdivisions: Teinainano Urban Council (or TUC), from Bairiki to Bonriki, known in English as South Tarawa, the capital of the Republic of Kiribati; Betio Town Council (or BTC), on Betio Islet; North Tarawa or Tarawa Ieta (all the islets on the east side north of Bonriki). The main administrative centre for the Republic of Kiribati is located at Bairiki on South Tarawa. The Parliament meets on Ambo islet and some administration offices are on Betio Islet and in Bikenibeu; and one is located on Kiritimati. Economy: Betio Islet includes the main port through which copra and pearl shell are exported. The currency of Kiribati is the Australian dollar. source: wikipedia |
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