USS Ashland (LSD-48)
_prepares_for_an_underway_replenishment_with_the_Military_Sealift_Command_dry_cargo_and_ammunition_ship_USNS_Robert_E._Peary_(T-AKE_5).jpg) The Ashland at sea in February 2010 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Order | December 11, 1985 |
| Keel laying | April 4, 1988 |
| Launch | November 11, 1989 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| Commissioning | May 9, 1992 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
fully loaded 15,939 ts |
| length |
185.6 meters |
| width |
25.6 meters |
| Draft |
6.4 meters |
| crew |
22 officers, 391 men, up to 500 Marines |
| drive |
2 propellers, four diesel engines; 33,000 wave horsepower |
| speed |
20+ knots |
| Armament |
2 phalanxes, 2 × 21 RAM starters for anti-aircraft missiles, 2 automatic cannons 25 mm |
The USS Ashland (LSD-48) is a dock landing ship of the United States Navy and belongs to the Whidbey Island class . It was named after Henry Clay's estate in Lexington , Kentucky .
history
LSD-48 was commissioned in 1985 and laid down at Avondale Shipyards in 1988 . The launch took place in 1989, the godmother was Kathleen Foley, wife of Admiral Sylvester R. Foley. In 1992 the Ashland was put into service.
In August 1993, the dock landing ship moved for the first time, the destination was the Mediterranean, where the Ashland took part in Operation Deny Flight and Operation Restore Hope . In 1994 she drove off Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy . In May 1996 the Ashland was selected as the test platform for the Ship Self Defense System (SSDS). The next mission followed in October 1997, crossing the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf, where it took part in Operation Desert Thunder and Operation Southern Watch .
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 , Ashland took part in several missions as part of the war on terror .
During a port stay in Aqaba , the Ashland and the accompanying USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) were shot at by terrorists with three Katyushas on August 19, 2005 . One missile narrowly missed the bow of the Ashland and killed a Jordanian soldier on the quay, the other two missed the ships by a greater distance.
In 2007 and 2008 the Ashland sailed off the Somali coast. In 2009 she was part of Fleet Week in Port Everglades . In early 2010, the ship was scheduled to move to the Persian Gulf as part of the combat group around the USS Nassau (LHA-4) . After the severe earthquake in Haiti , however, the group was briefly ordered off the coast of the affected region to provide help for the people affected. The Ashland was then dispatched to the Middle East as planned. On April 10, the ship was attacked by pirates during this voyage 330 nautical miles off the Horn of Africa . The Ashland returned fire with two rounds from a 25 mm automatic cannon and was able to set the pirates' boat on fire. Six men were then arrested on board and given medical care.
Web links
- Entry in the Naval Vessel Register (Engl.)
- Official Homepage (Engl.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Samantha L. Quigley: Rocket Attacks Miss US Navy Ships. In: navy.mil. US Navy, August 19, 2005, accessed May 18, 2014 .
- ↑ USS Ashland Captures Pirates . United States Navy . April 10, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.