Iwo Jima was the site of one of the most important and most bitterly fought amphibious operations of the Pacific War. USS Iwo Jima begins 2018 deployment. USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) was the lead ship of her class and type—the first ship to be designed and built from the keel up as an amphibious assault ship. Fabrication work for Iwo Jima began at Ingalls shipyard on 3 September 1996, and the ship's keel was laid on 12 December 1997. USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7) "Uncommon Valor" "Among those who fought at the battle of Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue." LPH-2 USS IWO JIMA, Commissioned August 26, 1961, the first ship of the United States Navy to have been designed built from the keel up as an amphibious assault ship. In the 1995 film Apollo 13, Iwo Jima was played by her sister ship, New Orleans (LPH-11). In Commission 2001 to Present Iwo Jima departed for her first Westpac deployment in 1963, rendering aid to American civilians living in Vietnam after the fall of the Vietnamese government in November 1963. James E. McGovern relieved Capt. MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) — The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) is underway for sea trials, Dec. 15, following a year-long Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) availability maintenance period at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. She carried helicopters and a detachment of embarked Marines for use in the Navy's "vertical envelopment" concept of amphibious operations. USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. In April 1970, IWO JIMA (LPH 2) made history while serving as the Primary Recovery Ship for Apollo 13, the crippled lunar landing mission. January 23, 2013 USS Iwo Jima entered the Titan Dry Dock at the BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair for a nine-month Drydocking Phased Maintenance Availability (DPMA). USS IWO JIMA, the first ship to be designed and built from the keel up as an amphibious assault ship, was the lead ship of the Navy's IWO JIMA - class of amphibious assault ships (helicopter) and also the first ship in the Navy to bear the name. Iwo Jima landed the rotation troops at Okinawa, then came off Qui Nhon, 10 September 1965, to cover the landing of the Army's 1st Air Cavalry Division. The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) conducts operations while deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater … Sailors and Marines man the rails on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) as it departs Naval Station Mayport for a deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in Europe and the Middle East. December 20, USS Iwo Jima returned to Norfolk after a nearly nine-month deployment. Registration and communicating with shipmates at Hullnumber.com is FREE FOREVER. The ship carried a squadron of 24 Marine helicopters plus a Battalion Landing Team of 1500 Marines. She was launched on 4 February 2000. 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-torn Indonesia . --- Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz On 17 April 1970, Iwo Jima was the flagship of Task Force 130 that waited for the Apollo 13 spaceship's astronauts after their memorable "successful failure" mission and splashdown near American Samoa. Uss Iwo Jima LHD-7 - History LHD-7 is the second ship to bear the name “Iwo Jima.” The first, LPH-2, designed from the keel up as an amphibious assault ship, was launched September 17, 1960 at Bremerton, Washington and commissioned August 26, 1961. USS Iwo Jima was christened by her sponsor, Mrs. Zandra Krulak, wife of General Charles C. Krulak, the former Commandant of the Marine Corps, in Pascagoula, Mississippi on 25 March 2000. Add Your Name to the LHD-7 Crew Roster . A small volcanic island in the Bonin Group. The commissioning crew moved aboard in April 2001, and made the ship's maiden voyage on 23 June 2001, accompanied by more than 2,000 World War II veterans — … MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- More than 2,500 Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) departed the ship's homeport of Naval Station Mayport, Florida, for a scheduled six-month deployment Feb. 7. She was launched on 4 February 2000. USS IWO JIMA (LPH-2), the first ship designed from the keel up as an amphibious assault ship was launched September 17, 1960 at Bremerton, Washington and commissioned on August 26, 1961. The ship carried a squadron of 24 Marine helicopters plus a Battalion Landing Team of 1500 Marines. IWO JIMA was the first of the purposefully designed class of "helicopter landing platform ships" that took advantage of the evolution of the helicopter during the Korean War into a dependable aircraft for transporting troops. In March 2003, USS Iwo Jima was ordered out in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed Marines beginning in April from the Mediterranean Sea into Northern Iraq.