Iwo Jima (LPH 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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The UniTed STaTes Ship fwo Jima is The firsT ship of her class and The firsT ship To be de- signed from The keel up as an amphibious assaulf ship. She was launched on SepTem- per 47, 4960 aT BremerTon, Washingfon, and commissioned on Augusf 26, 4964. lwo Jfma's original homeporT was San Diego, California. l-ler firsT of six VVesTern Pa- cific cruises pegan in SepTemper of 4963. ln each deploymenT she could pe found play- ing an acTive role in SouTheasT Asian devel- opmenTs. One highlighT of fwo JiTna's WesT Coasf career was her assignemenf as The primary recovery ship for The ill-faTed Apollo 43 lvloon Mission and The successful recovery of asTronauTs Lovell, SigarT and Haise. ln lviay 4972, Iwo Jima deparTed San Diego for The lasf Time, pound for her new homeporT of Norfolk, Virginia. Six weeks afTer arriving on The EasT Coasf she deparT- ed for her firsf Mediferranean deploymenf. Also ThaT firsf year, Iwo Jima received The Arleigh Burke Trophy for The The mosT im- proved ship in The Aflanfic Fleef.

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OTher EasT CoasT high- lighTs include her parTicipa- Tion as hosT To 4,200 official guesTs aT The 4976 Bicen- Tennial Mardi C-Bras celebra- Tionsg her parTicipaTion in The evacuafion of civilians from war-Torn BeiruT, Leba- non in June 49765 she con- ducTed The firsT shipboard cerTificaTion Trials for The CH-53E Super Sed STallion helicopTer, The largesT air- crafT of iTs kind in service To- day: and in May 4979 she was hosT To such guesTs as Don KnoTTs, Diane Carroll, Charo, Henry Kissinger and Mrs. Happy Rockefeller in New York CiTy for The Tap- ing of The Bob Hope BirTh- day Special ThaT aired na- Tionwide. wr The Mission . . . Iwo Jima's main baTTeries are The 4200 embarked Marines and Their helicopTers. Her mission is To deliver These combaT ready Troops and Their supplies inland, bypassing enemy beach defenses To engage The enemy in a Two pronged assualT by air and by sea. The auesTion for The nead of This Type of delivery was answered early in The 4950's when helicopTer operaTions in amphibious warfare came in To Their own. The value and effecTiviness of helicopTers was proven conclusively in The Korean conflicT and heloborne assaulTs soon became an inTegral parT of amphibious operaTions. ,, ri.,