Whidbey Island (LSD 41) - Naval Cruise Book

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SCHEDULE DF EVENTS NIARG 2-87 20 JAN DEPARTED LITTLE CREEK 21 JAN ONLOAO, MOREHEAO CITY, N C O2 FEB' Arrlved Rotal Spam O3 FEB Enroote Eaat Med O9 MAR Arrrvecl Naples, Italy 24 MARi Depart Naples, Enroute Sardunra 25 MAR' Commence SARDINIA '87 ADV FORE OPS 03 APR: Enroute TUNISIA '87 PHIBLEX 06 APRt Commence TUNISIA '87 ADV FORE OPS 10 APR: FINNEX TUNISIA '87 Enroute Barcelona, Spam 13 APR. Arrrved Barcelona, Spajn 22 APR: Depart Barcelonafnroute St Raphael, France 24 APR: Arrlved St Raphael 29 APR1 Depart St Rap u DRAGON HAMMER '87 O2 MAY: Arrrved DRAGO ER '87 Srte O9 MAYi FINNEX DRAGO ER Enroute Corsrca 12 MAY: Arr A I6 MA A5PHwI.EX,'Enyute St Raphael, France If Frank? QL, I Enroute Naples Italy Italy Enroute Augusta Bay ta Bay, DepaEugustQgBa' Italy Naples, Italy Naples!Enroute Rota. Spam. ' 19 JUN: Aryived Rota!Depart !Enroute Lrsbon, Portugal 21 JUN: Amvodlnsbon, ' ' - 87 Ops '87 OPS 'Enroute Rota, Spain O3 JUL' Depart Rota Enroute USA 15 JUL: ArnvedDeparted Morehead Cnty, NC 16 JUL: Arrrved NAB LITTLE CREEK. VA. USAF

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UNITED STATES SHIP WHIDBEY ISLAND DOCK LANDING SHIP 41 HISTORY SHlP'S HISTORY In February of 1981, the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Shipbuilding Company-of Seattle, Washington, a contract to construct LSD 41, first of a new class of Doclr Landing ShIp to replace the aging Thomaston class LSD's. At the August 4, 1981 keel laylflg Cefemmly the Honorable John F. Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, affixed hlS signature tothe LSD 41 keel, the first keel of an amphibious ship to be laid in more than five years. Dunng the ceremony Secretary Lehman announced that LSD 41 would be named Whidbey Island and the shIp's sponsor was to be Mrs. Sally Gorton, wife of Senator Slade Gorton from the state of Washington. Although this ship is the first to carry the name WHIDBEY ISLAND, there was at one time a ship on the Navy's rolls called USS WHIDBEY CAG 141jI. This was a small transport purchased from the U.S. Army and saw service in the U.S. Trust Territories in the late l940's. On June 10, 1983, LSD 41 was launched and subsequent waterborne construction continued until September 18, 1984, when the ship went to sea for the first time to conduct Builders Sea Trials. Following Acceptance Trials in early December, LSD 41 was delivered to the Navy on January 8, 1985. The commissioning ceremony on February 9, 1985, culminated the fleet introduction of USS WHIDBEY lSLAND which began with the Navy's design solicitation nearly seven years earlier. Upon commissioning WHIDBEY ISLAND travelled through the Panama Canal enroute to her first arrival in homeport on May 1, 1985. USS WHIDBEY ISLAND is the first ship in a class designed specifically to interface with the Navy's newest landing craft the Landing Craft, Air Cushion CLCACJ. In the capacity LSD 41 developed over-the-horizon tactics for the employment of this quantum improvement in amphibious warfare. WHIDBEY ISLAND further assisted in the operational and devel- opmsggal testing of the LCAC from July through September 1985 and again in May and July o 1 . As the lead ship of the class, WHIDBEY ISLAND has set the pace with her successful and professional participation in Class Standardization Trials, Shock Test and numerous other special evaluation tasks. ln August, 1986, WHIDBEY ISLAND participated in the major NATO Exercises Northern WeddingfBold Guard 86 proving her capabilities as a modern amvpgilzggigwarship. Recent port visits include Copenhagen, Denmark and Kiel, Germany. 'S'-AND 5 f Sl malvf deployment was to the MedIterranean Sea beginning on 20 Januvaw 1987 and ending 16 July. 1987. Operations included: East Med Presence Ops, gardima Exercise,'TunIsia Exercise, Dragon Hammer 87, Galera 87 and Presidential Boat P0flfl0 lS H1 Venice. Italy for the Economic Summit. -lllI I 'ii 71. '- ,-,,,,, . . V

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