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US Navy - Aircraft Carrier LPH 9 - USS Guam |
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| 11/21 | ||
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Type, class: Amphibious Assault Ship, Landing
Platform Helicopter - LPH / Iwo Jima class Builder: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania, USA STATUS: Ordered: December 21, 1959 Laid down: November 15, 1962 Launched: August 22, 1964 Commissioned: January 16, 1965 Decommissioned: August 25, 1998 Fate: sunk as a target on October 16, 2001 Namesake: Guam island (US territory, Micronesia) Ships Motto: ? Technical Data: see: INFO > Iwo Jima class Amphibious Assault Ship - LPH |
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Deployments: April 1971 - October 1971 with 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-162(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea September 1974 - March 1975 with 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-263(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea November 1976 - May 1977 with 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-264(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean May 1979 - November 1979 with 34th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-264(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea February 1981 - April 1981 with HML-167(C) embarked - North Atlantic Ocean July 1981 - October 1981 with 38th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-365(C) embarked - Caribbean Sea May 1982 - November 1982 with 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-261(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean February 1983 - April 1983 with HMM-365(C) embarked - North Atlantic Ocean October 1983 - May 1984 with 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-261(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean April 1986 - October 1986 with 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) and HMM-264(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf August 1988 - February 1989 with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-261(C) embarked - Mediterranean Sea August 1990 - April 1991 with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines and 4th MEB (Det.) embarked - Persian Gulf October 1992 - April 1993 with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-261(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic May 1994 - November 1994 with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-365(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic, Indian Ocean January 1996 - July 1996 with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-162(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic October 1997 - April 1998 with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - SOC (MEU/SOC) and HMM-263(REIN) embarked - Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf |
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 Atlantic Ocean - October 1997  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1996  during Operation Assured Response - off Liberia - April 1996  during Operation Assured Response - off Liberia - April 1996  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - December 1994  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - December 1994  Adriatic Sea - February 1993  Adriatic Sea - February 1993  departing Norfolk, Virginia - 1992  returning to Naval Station Norfolk after Operation Desert Storm - April 1991  during Operation Desert Shield/Storm - 1991  Marine Corps embarking - Morehead City, North Carolina - 1990  Marine Corps embarking - Morehead City, North Carolina - 1990  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1990  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1990  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1990  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1990  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1990  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 1990  February 1988  during Exercise Solid Shield 87 - Caribbean Sea - May 1987  armament onload - during Exercise Solid Shield 87 - May 1987  combat information center (CIC) - October 1985  combat information center (CIC) - October 1985  with HMM-261(C) embarked - off Beirut, Lebanon - 1983-84  off Beirut, Lebanon - 1983-84  off Beirut, Lebanon - 1983-84  off Beirut, Lebanon - 1983-84  off Beirut, Lebanon - 1983-84  during Operation Urgent Fury - Grenada - October 1983  Mediterranean Sea - December 1976  off Kenya - December 1976  Indian Ocean - December 1976  1974  underway in her role as an interim Sea Control Ship with Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier and Sikorsky SH-3H Sea Kings on deck - 1973-74  undated  Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier (VMA-513) hovering over the flight deck - 1972  Caribbean Sea - 1967  NASA Gemini 11 capsule recovery - September 15, 1966  during NASA Gemini XI recovery operations - September 1966  June 1966  February 1965 |
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USS Guam (LPH 9): Guam (LPH-9) was laid down by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 15 November 1962; launched 22 August 1964; sponsored by Mrs. Vaughn H. Emory Green; and commissioned 16 January 1965, Captain N. E. Thurmon in command. After fitting out and builder's trials, the new amphibious assault ship joined the Atlantic Fleet 21 April 1965 and sailed for Norfolk, her homeport. Arriving Hampton Roads the next day for training off the Virginia Capes, she departed Hampton Roads for underway training out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Guam returned to Norfolk 5 July for intensive amphibious training. She sailed from Hampton Roads 29 November to participate in amphibious and ASW exercises en route to the Caribbean. On 10 December Guam joined the Amphibious Ready Squadron in the Caribbean as flagship for Amphibious Squadron 12. There she operated at peak readiness to protect the peace and security of the Caribbean and Central America constantly threatened by Communist aggression and subversion. From 16 to 28 February 1966, Guam patrolled south of the Dominican Republic ready to land forces on the volatile island of Hispanola if necessary. She conducted amphibious exercises until entering Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1 June for post shakedown availability. She departed Philadelphia 2 August and prepared for service as the primary recovery ship for the Gemini 11 space flight. On 18 September at 0959 EDT Guam recovered Astronauts Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon 710 miles east of Cape Kennedy. From 28 November to 12 December Guam participated in Exercise "Lantflex 66", and on the latter date became flagship of Amphibious Squadron 8 and Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group. She continued this duty into 1967 prepared to land troops at any point in the Caribbean where she might be needed to protect the freedom and integrity of the Americas. source: US NHHC - - - - - another history: 1960's: After fitting out and builder's trials, the new amphibious assault ship joined the U.S. Atlantic Fleet on 21 April 1965 and sailed for Norfolk, her homeport. Arriving Hampton Roads the next day for training off the Virginia Capes, she departed Hampton Roads for underway training out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Guam returned to Norfolk on 5 July 1965 for intensive amphibious training. She sailed from Hampton Roads on 29 November 1965 to participate in amphibious and anti-submarine warfare exercises en route to the Caribbean. On 10 December 1965, Guam joined the Amphibious Ready Squadron in the Caribbean as flagship for Amphibious Squadron 12. There she operated at peak readiness to protect the peace and security of the Caribbean and Central America. From 16 February to 28 February 1966, Guam patrolled south of the Dominican Republic ready to land forces on the volatile island of Hispanola if necessary. She conducted amphibious exercises until entering Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 1 June 1966 for post shakedown availability. She departed Philadelphia on 2 August 1966 and prepared for service as the primary recovery ship for the Gemini 11 space flight. On 18 September, at 0959 EDT, Guam recovered Astronauts Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon 710 miles east of Cape Kennedy. From 28 November to 12 December, Guam participated in Exercise "Lantflex 66", and on the latter date became flagship of Amphibious Squadron 8 and Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group. 1970's: In the summer of 1971, Guam was chosen as a test vessel for Admiral Elmo Zumwalt's Sea Control Ship concept. This ship was to operate a few VSTOL fighters and some ASW helicopters in order to free up supercarriers from convoy duty during a conflict with the Soviet Union. On 18 January 1972, she began extensive testing and in 1974 deployed in the Atlantic as a sea control ship with Marine Corps AV-8A Harrier VSTOL fighters and Sea King ASW helicopters. Guam completed the SCS tests and reassumed her role as an Amphibious Assault Ship on 1 July 1974. In October 1974 her aircraft complement, operated by the US Marine Corps, comprised six AV-8A, eight CH-46F Sea Knights, five CH-53D Sea Stallions and two Bell UH-1N Iroquis utility helicopters. On 17 January 1977, in Barcelona, Spain, a landing craft being used as a liberty boat by USS Trenton and USS Guam, was run over by a freighter. The LCM-8 boat capsized and came to rest against the fleet landing pier. Crewmembers from both vessels were on hand to assist with rescue operations. There were over one hundred sailors and marines on board the landing craft. 49 sailors and marines were killed. A memorial is erected at the landing pier in memory. 1980's: While operating 50 km southeast of Morehead City, North Carolina (USA), on 19 July 1981, a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter crashed into another CH-53 and a Bell UH-1N Twin Huey on landing. 4 crewmen died and 10 were injured. Guam deployed to Beirut in 1982 for the Lebanese civil war as part of a multi-national peacekeeping force. In October 1983, bound for another stint off the coast of Lebanon, she was redirected to the Caribbean to serve as the flagship for Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada. Vice Adm. Joseph P. Metcalf III and his command team of 50 directed the week-long invasion from the flag plot of the Guam, a control center designed to accommodate one quarter that number. After operations in Grenada, she continued onto Lebanon with Amphibious Squadron Four/22nd Marine Amphibious Unit embarked, finally returning to CONUS on 1 May 1984. In early 1985, the ship was drydocked at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and given a massive overhaul lasting several months. Two Phalanx CIWS were added to the ship at this time. On January 28, 1986, the USS Guam was steaming south from Norfolk, VA en route to Operational Trials, "Oppies", in the Caribbean sea when, while many crewmen were watching it on TV, the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up just 750 miles South of their location off the coast of FL. USS Guam recovered many floating pieces of debris from the disaster, including a nose-cone from one of the booster rockets. For her around-the-clock efforts in the recovery mission her crew earned a Joint Navy/Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Citation. May through November 1986 she was deployed on MARG 2-86 in the Mediterranean. During this deployment, the ship was damaged while sailing through a tropical storm off the East Coast of the United States while en route to Rota, Spain. Gross command error had decided to sail directly through the storm, rather than go around it. A sailor on an escort ship was killed in a fall). Waves stripped the decking from the fantail, normally 50 ft above the water. All personnel were confined to racks for three days due to immense rocking. At least two helicopters were washed overboard and the ship stayed at port in Toulon, France for almost three weeks for repairs. 1990's and fate: She departed from Norfolk in August 1990, under the command of Captain Chuck Saffell, to deploy to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. On 2 January 1991, the Guam along with the USS Trenton were dispatched from anchorage off Oman to Somalia to airlift the US embassy in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, which had been suddenly enveloped by violence when rebels entered the city and the central government collapsed. On 5-6 January, 281 US and foreign nationals were airlifted from the embassy, including all of the embassy's staff along with diplomats from several nations (notably, the Soviet ambassador to Somalia and 38 Soviet diplomats). The vessels returned to Oman and the evacuees disembarked on 11 January, ending Operation Eastern Exit. In 1993, she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet. In 1996, the USS Guam supported the 22nd MEU in Operation Assured Response off the coast of Liberia. In addition to the MEU's Aviation Combat Element's helicopter load out, the MEU had a CONUS standby package of 4 AV-8Bs (Harriers) that Guam was capable of adding to the flight deck in support of contingency operations. She also conducted Harrier ops as part of the deployment work-up on a regular basis with the exception of the final voyage from September 1997 through April 1998. The last operation conducted was in May 1998 before the final ammunition offload at Naval Weapon Station Yorktown. The USS Guam was decommissioned on 25 August 1998 and spent several months at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard while the Navy decided what to do with the ship. Guam was disposed of as a target off the US east coast on 16 October 2001. The SINKEX was conducted by the John F. Kennedy Battle Group. USNS Mohawk towed her out to sea and a carrier air wing operating from Kennedy conducted SINKEX. She took over 12 hours to sink most likely due to all watertight compartments sealed by the decommissioning crew. The exact location was 031° 14' 22.0" North, 071° 16' 35.0" West. source: wikipedia |
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Guam ... is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic center of the U.S.); in Oceania, it is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, and the most populous village is Dededo. People born in Guam are American citizens but have no vote in the United States presidential elections while residing in Guam and Guam delegates to the United States House of Representatives have no vote on the floor. Indigenous Guamanians are the Chamoru, historically known as the Chamorro, who are related to the Austronesian peoples of Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Micronesia, and Polynesia. As of 2021, Guam's population is 168,801. Chamorus are the largest ethnic group, but a minority on the multi-ethnic island. The territory spans 210 square miles (540 km2; 130,000 acres) and has a population density of 775 per square mile (299/km2). The Chamoru people settled the island approximately 3,500 years ago. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, while in the service of Spain, was the first European to visit the island on March 6, 1521. Guam was colonized by Spain in 1668. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Guam was an important stopover for the Spanish Manila Galleons. During the Spanish-American War, the United States captured Guam on June 21, 1898. Under the Treaty of Paris, signed December 10, 1898, Spain ceded Guam to the U.S. effective April 11, 1899. Before World War II, Guam was one of five American jurisdictions in the Pacific Ocean, along with Wake Island in Micronesia, American Samoa and Hawaii in Polynesia, and the Philippines. On December 8, 1941, hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Guam was captured by the Japanese, who occupied the island for two and a half years. During the occupation, Guamanians were subjected to forced labor, incarceration, torture and execution. American forces recaptured the island on July 21, 1944, which is commemorated as Liberation Day. Since the 1960s, Guam's economy has been supported primarily by tourism and the U.S. military, for which Guam is a major strategic asset. An unofficial but frequently used territorial motto is "Where America's Day Begins", which refers to the island's proximity to the International Date Line. Guam is among the 17 non-self-governing territories listed by the United Nations, and has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1983. |
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