USS Saipan (LHA-2)
_unreps_with_USS_Simpson_(FFG_56).jpg) Saipan with the frigate Simpson |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Order | 15th November 1969 |
| Keel laying | July 21, 1972 |
| Launch | 20th July 1974 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| Commissioning | October 15, 1977 |
| Decommissioning | April 20, 2007 |
| Whereabouts | Wrecked |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
39,925 tons |
| length |
249.9 meters |
| width |
32.3 meters |
| Draft |
8.2 meters |
| crew |
82 officers, 882 sailors, up to 1894 troops |
| drive |
2 propellers, driven by 2 steam turbines; 70,000 wave horsepower |
| speed |
20+ knots |
| Armament |
2 starter RAM , various guns |
The USS Saipan (LHA-2) was a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy .
history
The keel was laid on July 21, 1972 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Litton Industries, Pascagoula , Mississippi . Mrs. J. William Middendorf II, the wife of the Secretary of the Navy , Middendorf , named the ship when it was launched on July 21, 1974.
The Saipan's operational career began in July 1979 when she was eliminated from fleet training and underwent special training. There was a possibility of having to evacuate the Americans living there due to the civil war in Nicaragua .
In May 1980, Saipan assisted United States Coast Guard forces in helping Cuban refugees in the Florida Strait reach the United States. On August 25, 1980, the Saipan left Norfolk and took - as the first LHA - course for the Mediterranean. On September 3, 1981, the Saipan set out on her second voyage to the Mediterranean . During this mission, the Saipan visited seven countries on three continents. In January 1985 the Saipan set out on her third Mediterranean voyage. She covered over 32,000 nautical miles , recorded over 6,700 accident-free landings and visited ports in three countries.
From September 1991 to March 1992 the Saipan was in the Persian Gulf , from where it supported Operation Desert Storm . In March 1993, the Saipan ran again towards the Mediterranean to support the two military operations Operation Deny Flight and Operation Provide Promise . The ship returned to the United States in September 1993. The third scheduled overhaul phase finally began in April 1994. In June 1996 it led the Saipan again into the Mediterranean. There she took part in Operation Decisive Endeavor and various multinational exercises. She returned to Norfolk in December 1996. In July 1998 the Saipan sailed back to the Mediterranean. Due to the tumult in Albania , the ship cruised in the Adriatic for almost the entire mission .
In 1999, the Saipan became the experimental test platform for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey .
In July 2000, Saipan's eighth Mediterranean mission began . The ship made a presence there - during the autumn elections - off the Yugoslav coast.
On February 12, 2001, the Saipan ran as scheduled for the fourth phase of overhaul in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard . The ship then took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom . The Saipan was decommissioned on April 20, 2007. The Saipan was mothballed in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard until October 2009 , after which it was towed to Brownsville , Texas, where it was broken off by International Shipbreaking. The work was completed on February 23, 2011.
Web links
- Saipan in the Naval Vessel Register (English)
Footnotes
- ^ Ship Disposal Program: Dismantling Listing. (PDF) May 12, 2011, archived from the original on October 1, 2012 ; accessed on January 3, 2013 .