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Page 145 text:
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THE COAT OF ARMS FOR USS ESSEX (LHD-2) The bald eagle with the shield on his breast is representative of the eagle utilized on the Coat of Arms of the fourth ship to bear the name USS ESSEX. The Marine Officer ' s sword grasped in the eagle ' s talons is showing that the main battery of USS ESSEX is the Marine Corps. The Banner is red and stands for the sacrifice and valor required to win the thirteen battle stars on the top half of the banner for World War II and the four battle stars on the bottom half for the Korean War. The Motto TAKE NOTICE is in black letters on the upper part of the banner, so that it stands out for all to read and heed. It also refers to the notice that went out to the people of ESSEX, Massachusetts, to raise funds for the building of the first ESSEX. The border around the banner and stars is white and symbolizes the purity of cause for which the ship serves and the stars were won. The Shield in the middle is dark blue and scarlet representing the harmony of the two services. A gold diagonal stripe is drawn between the two that shows the unity required for Amphibious Operations. The 2 stands for LHD2. The globe of the world with the Amphibious Assault Insignia superimposed over the Pacific Ocean symbolizes Amphibious Operations from the oceans of the world. The chain surrounding the crest denotes the five naval ships to bear the name ESSEX, represented by the five sides of the Coat of Arms.
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Page 144 text:
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The Lineage of USS ESSEX In naming LHD 2 ESSEX , the Navy honors four previous ships, dating to the American Revolution, which borne this illustrious name. Previous U.S. Navy ships named ESSEX include a frigate launched in 1 799, subscribed by the people of ESSEX County and Salem, Massachusetts. The ship saw action against the French in 1 800, before serving gallantly in action against the British Navy during the War of 1 8 1 2. The second ESSEX was a steam ferry built in 1 856, and converted into an ironclad gunboat when bought by the War Department in 1 86 1 . During the Civil War, ESSEX participated in action against Confederate forces along the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers, as well as the assault on Vicksburg, before being decommissioned in 1 865. The third ESSEX was a wooden-screw steamer commissioned in 1 876. Regarded as one of the finest ships in the Fleet, ESSEX saw action with the North Atlantic Squadron, on the Pacific Station and the Asiatic Station, before being designated as a training ship. Her last assignment in the quarter-century of training missions was with the Naval Reserve of the state of Minnesota. She was stricken from the record in 1930. An aircraft carrier ( C V C V A C VS-9 ) carried the name ESSEX into Fleet duty as lead ship in a class of World War II aircraft carriers. Commissioned in December 1 942, she reported to the Pacific Fleet following shakedown cruises, and embarked on a series of victories that would take her to Tokyo Bay . As flagship of Task Force 1 4, C V-9 struck Wake Lsland in October 1943, launched an attack on the Gilbert Islands and participated in her first amphibious assault, against Tarawa in November, then moved on to the Marshall Islands, Truk, the Marianas, Saipan, Tinian, and Guam in early 1944. After her first overhaul, she returned to the Pacific, and in the closing days of the war, ESSEX took part in the final telling raids against the Japanese home island. She was decommissioned in 1 947, then modernized and recommissioned in 1 95 1 , with a new flight deck and a streamlined superstructure. As flagship for Carrier Division One, she was the first carrier to launch twin-engine Banshee jet fighters in support of U.N. troops in Korea. Following her Korean action, she was again modernized, this time with an angled flight deck, and saw duty in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets in the late 1 950 ' s. In 1 960, ESSEX was converted to an ASW support carrier, and participated in various NATO exercises. The aircraft carrier ESSEX received the Presidential Unit Citation, 1 3 battle stars for World War II service, and four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for action in Korea. LHD 2 was commissioned on October 17, ' 1992. The new ESSEX, although classified as an amphibious assault ship, is as large, at 40,500 tons, as her namesake, the World War II aircraft carrier. The LHD 2 departed on her , first overseas deployment on October 25, 1994 and returned to her homeport in San Diego on April 25, 1995. During the Western Pacific Indian Ocean Arabian Gulf deployment, ESSEX participated in a number of exercises with allies in the Gulf region and served as the primary control ship during Operation United Shield — the withdrawal of the final United Nations peacekeepers from Somalia. The frigate ESSEX 1799-1 H14
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