USS Fort McHenry
_makes_a_wide_turn_prior_to_conducting_helicopter_operations_off_the_coast_of_the_island_of_Sumatra,_Indonesia.jpg) USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43) conducting helicopter operations off the coast of Sumatra in 2005
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Fort McHenry |
| Namesake | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Ordered | 11 December 1985 |
| Builder | Lockheed Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | 10 June 1983 |
| Launched | 1 February 1986 |
| Commissioned | 8 August 1987 |
| Decommissioned | 27 March 2021 |
| Homeport | Mayport, Florida |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | Domus Fortium |
| Status | Decommissioned, awaiting transfer to reserve fleet |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 610 ft (185.9 m) |
| Beam | 84 ft (25.6 m) |
| Draft | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Propulsion | 4 Colt Industries, 16-cylinder diesel engines, 2 shafts, 33,000 shp (25 MW) |
| Speed | 20+ knots (37+ km/h) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 5 LCM-6s |
| Troops | Marine detachment: 402 + 102 surge |
| Complement | 22 officers, 391 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43) is a
Fort McHenry was
Fort McHenry was decommissioned on 27 March 2021 and as of April 2021[update] is undergoing transfer to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she will be placed in reserve status.[1][2]
History
1988 – 1995
Fort McHenry's maiden deployment was from June 1988 to December 1988 to the Western Pacific. Following her return, Fort McHenry participated in the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill from 28 April – 22 June 1989. In recognition of the crew's effectiveness during the cleanup operation, Fort McHenry was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon.
On 20 June 1990, Fort McHenry began her second deployment and spent 10 months in the
Following an extensive overhaul period, Fort McHenry began the training cycle to prepare for her next deployment. While in the training cycle, Fort McHenry transited to the East Coast through the
1995 – 2000
On 1 September 1995, Fort McHenry departed San Diego to become one of the units forward-deployed to
Following her arrival to Japan, Fort McHenry participated in training exercises and multi-national exercises such as exercise Tandem Thrust and Crocodile in
During May 1998, Fort McHenry participated on Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT 98), which includes visits and exercises with countries in the Western Pacific such as Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. In addition to her involvement in CARAT 98, Fort McHenry received the Commander, Naval Surface Pacific Fleet Wellness Unit Award for 1997 and the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award for 1997 on 1 June 1998.
After spending January 1999 in Hong Kong, Fort McHenry entered the competitive phase of her training cycle. In April 1999, Fort McHenry participated in exercise Tandem Thrust 99 in Guam. Fort McHenry was also named a repeat winner of the Commander, Naval Surface Pacific Fleet Wellness Unit Award. Finally, during June 1999, Fort McHenry underwent two Total Ship Training Assessments (TSTA), which confirmed the ship's training progress during the 1999 competitive cycle.[citation needed]
,_during_a_live_fire_demonstration.jpg)
In 2000, Fort McHenry participated in exercise Balikatan 2000 with the
2001 – 2006
Fort McHenry spent the first half of 2001 in a lengthy Ship Required Availability period. During this period the ship acquired two new weapon systems, Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Launcher and Ship's Self Defense System (SSDS), both would greatly increased the ship's defensive capabilities.[citation needed]
After returning to sea in June 2001, Fort McHenry entered the middle of her training cycle. The ship completed a port visit to
In 2004, Fort McHenry forward deployed at
In 2005 Fort McHenry participated in
On 31 March 2006,
2007
The
The
The ship sailed to Spain to take on officers for the internal APS staff from several European partners; Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany, among them, before heading to the Gulf of Guinea.
Her full complement included
High Speed Vessel
2009
On 13 May 2009 Fort McHenry left her homeport at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base for a regularly scheduled deployment as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (BATARG) and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22 MEU), including more than 4,000 sailors and marines. The BATARG/22 MEU supported maritime security operations, provided crisis response capability and increased theater security cooperation and forward naval presence in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation.
BATARG was composed of Fort McHenry, the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship
2010
On 13 January 2010, Fort McHenry was sent to assist in the relief efforts following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[3]
2012
The ship was scheduled to dock in Dublin port, Ireland on 31 August for the American football game "The Emerald Classic" between Notre Dame University's "Fighting Irish" and the US Naval Academy. On board was a crew of 350 sailors and 180 marines.[citation needed]
2015
In January 2015, Fort McHenry and USS Iwo Jima were positioned off the coast of Yemen on standby to evacuate the staff of the U.S. embassy should the need arise due to the collapse of the Yemeni government.[4]
2016
In mid-February, Fort McHenry participated in amphibious exercise,
2018
On 22 December, Fort McHenry personnel, joined with elements of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit experienced an outbreak of parotitis. A ship-wide quarantine was initiated and affected personnel were segregated. The outbreak was not reported until 9 March 2019.[6]
2019
In January 2019, the ship transited from the
_tows_ex-USS_Fort_McHenry_(LSD_43)_to_the_Naval_Inactive_Ship_Maintenance_Facility_in_Philadelphia._(51143656457)_(cropped).jpg)
2021
Fort McHenry was decommissioned on 27 March 2021 and as of April 2021[update] is undergoing transfer to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she will be placed in reserve status.[1][2]
References
- ^ a b Burgess, Richard R.; Editor, Senior (17 February 2021). "Navy Details Revised 2021 Ship Decommissioning Schedule". Seapower. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has generic name (help) - ^ a b "USS Fort McHenry Decommissions After 33 Years of Service | Mirage News". www.miragenews.com. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Bacon, Lance M. (13 January 2010). "Carl Vinson, 6 Other Ships Headed to Haiti". Navy Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ "Pentagon in position to evacuate U.S. Embassy in Yemen"
- ^ No bridge too far for Marines during amphibious task Dutch
- ^ Correspondent, Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon (13 March 2019). "US warship quarantined at sea due to virus outbreak". CNN. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ The US Navy is back in the Black Sea, sending a message to Moscow, Mark D. Faram, Defense News, 2019-01-08
- ^ Pickrell, Ryan (14 March 2019). "A rare virus outbreak at sea has left a US Navy warship quarantined for over 2 months". Business Insider. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- [1] Archived 19 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.