USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41)
 The Whidbey Iceland in 2006 in the Atlantic |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Order | February 9, 1981 |
| Keel laying | 4th August 1981 |
| Launch | June 10, 1983 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| Commissioning | February 9, 1985 |
| 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 phalanx, 2 launchers for anti-aircraft missiles |
The USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41) is a dock landing ship of the United States Navy and belongs to the Whidbey Island class . It was named after the island of Whidbey .
history
LSD-41 was commissioned in 1981 as the lead ship of her class. In the same year the keel of the ship was laid at the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company in Seattle , and the ship was launched in 1983. In 1985 Whidbey Island was put into service.
In 1986 Whidbey Island took part in the NATO exercise Northern Wedding / Bold Guard , the following year it relocated to the Mediterranean for the first time, also in 1988/1989. In October 1989 the ship went to Hurricane Hugo in the Caribbean to help repair the damage there, followed by the third Mediterranean voyage in 1990. Whidbey Island was diverted during the transatlantic transit and carried out the evacuation of civilians and diplomats off Liberia in Operation Sharp Edge . She then supported Operation Desert Storm from the Mediterranean.
In 1992/1993 a trip to the Black Sea followed, and later participation in the UNITAS exercise in the Atlantic. In 1995 Whidbey Island first took part in NATO cold-water exercises and later moved to the Mediterranean for the fifth time. In 1996 she was docked for maintenance work at Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock , and in 1997 she again participated in UNITAS . In 1999 Whidbey Island sailed in the Mediterranean and through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, followed by modernization in 2000. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 , Whidbey Island was sent through the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, where it took part in Operation Enduring Freedom . Also in 2004 the ship sailed alongside the USS Wasp (LHD-1) there.
In 2006 Whidbey Island sailed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, but was called into the Mediterranean after the outbreak of the Lebanon War and took part in the evacuation of civilians. The ship then returned to the Persian Gulf. In 2007/2008 she drove to Somalia to fight piracy there. In March 2011, the ship was part of the combat group around the USS Bataan (LHD-5) , which was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn .
According to Jane's Information Group , the ship is slated to be retired in fiscal 2013 or 2014 as part of savings.
Web links
- Entry in the Naval Vessel Register (Engl.)
- Official Homepage (Engl.)