Belleau Wood (LHA 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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BELLEAUWOOD COMMANDING OFFICERS CAPT. T.C. STEELE CAPT J.C.HAYES CAPT H.B. CHASE III CAPT F.R. DONOVAN CAPT CM. BARKER CAPT L.F. SCHRIEFER CAPT H.F. TAHANEY, JR. CAPT G.P. LOVE CAPT D.J. BRADT CAPT H.M. HIGHFILL CAPT J.W.TOWNES III CAPT F.R. RUEHE CAPT W.L. HARRIS, JR. 23 SEP 1978 - 8 JUL 1980 8 JUL 1980 - 24 APR 1982 24 APR 1982-1 AUG 1983 1 AUG 1983 - 31 JUL 1984 31 JUL 1984 -10 JUL 1986 19 JUL 1986 -11 DEC 1987 11 DEC 1987 - 19 JAN 1990 19 JAN 1990 -2 JUL 1991 2 JUL 1991 -6 JUL 1993 6 JUL 1993 - 27 JAN 1995 27 JAN 1995- 4 JUN 1996 4 JUN 1996 -9 JAN 1998 9 JAN 1998- Introduction

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COMMAND HISTORY USS BELLEAU WOOD was commissioned on September 23, 1978 in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Honieported in San Diego in October 1978, BELLEAU WOOD participated in her first full-scale operation in 1979 off the coast of Hawaii. BELLEAU WOOD began her first major deployment and participated in four major amphibious exercises and eight port visits. In August 1982, the ship began its second deployment and participated in four major amphibious exercises. BELLEAU WOOD ' S Third success- ful SEVENTH Fleet deployment ran from January to July 1984. The ship then completed an 11-month complex overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. In January 1987, BELLEAU WOOD began a deployment which in- cluded the first winter amphibious exercises off Alaska since WWII, and introduced the ship to the AV-8B Harrier jump jet. The ship also received the Admiral Flatley Memorial Award for Aviation Safety. On October 4, 1989, the ship hosted the Minister of Defense of the So- viet Union, during his historic visit to the United States. BELLEAU WOOD entered her second complex overhaul in Long Beach, California in 1990. Major work included an upgrade to CIWS and installation of the Rolling Airframe Missile Svstem. On August 31, 1992, BELLEAU WOOD sailed from San Diego, bound for her new homeport in Sasebo, Japan. During this transit, the ship provided disaster relief to the people of Kauai, Hawaii after Hurricane Iniki ravaged the island. For this, she was awarded a second Humani- tarian Service Medal. On November 24, 1992, BELLEAU WOOD was the last U.S. Navy ship to sail out of the Philippines while conducting the final withdrawal of U.S. Forces from Naval Station Subic Bav and Naval .■ ir Station Cubi Point. Since her move to Japan, BELLEAU WOOD has become a familiar sight at joint-militarv exercises such as VALIANT USHER in Korea, COBRA GOLD in Thailand and TANDEM THRUST in Australia. BELLEAU WOOD participated in World War II 50th Anniversary com- memoration ceremonies in Guam and the Philippines and served off the coast of Somalia as the command ship for Operat ion UNITED SHIELD. In August 1996, BELLEAU WOOD participated in COOPER.ATION FROM THE SEA ' 96 in Vladivostok, Russia. Finally, in December 1996, the ship went into the floating drydock SAGAMI, marking the first time in the Pacific that a ship of her size was towed while docked in a floating drydock. BELLEAU WOOD has won eight consecutive Battle Efficiency awards with numerous related command excellence awards including eight Maritime Warfare awards, five Engineering Survivability awards, eight Command and Control awards, six Logistics Management awards, the 1996 Surface Ship Safety award, the 1996 Top Financial Performer award, and won the 1998 Captain Edward F. Ney Food Service Excel- lence Award. Introduction

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COMMAND AT SEA Only a seaman realizes to what extent an entire ship reflects the personality and ability of one individual, her Commanding Officer. To a landsman this is not understandable and at times it is even difficult for us to comprehend, but it is so! A ship at sea is a different world in herself and in consideration of the protracted and distant operations of the fleet units, the Navy must place great power, responsibility, and trust in the hands of those leaders chosen for command. In each ship there is one man who, in the hour of emergency or peril at sea, can turn to no other man. There is one alone who is ultimately responsible for the safe navigation, engi- neering performance, accurate gunfire and morale of his ship. He is the Commanding Of- ficer. He is the ship. This is the most difficult and demanding assignment in the Navy. There is not an instance during his tour as Commanding Officer that he can escape the grasp of command responsi- bility. His privileges in view of his obligations are almost ludicrously small; nevertheless, command is the spur which has given the Navy its great leaders. It is a duty which most richly deserves the highest, time honored title of the seagoing world ...CAPTAIN. Introduction