USS Tarawa (LHA 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDI CA TI ON ............ COMMANDING OFFICER . EXECUTIVE OFFICER . . . FLA GSHIP ............,. THE IST CRUISE ...,. THE CREW .............. EMBARKED UNITS ....., HOMECOMING ......,... NOTES FROM THE STAFF

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C it Vi ,, ,fa fwfr- FJ' lOlTlCl ,Q . Lift V Qxw..-f ...Ln I TR019 CTIO A , if, f ci,f'fa C ff- f ,i OL L L 1:9 ,lf 5. Cgtjmjfj .5 Q HUNDERWAY, SHIFT COLORS! Those often heard words echoed over a rainy pier and WESTPAC 79 had begun. It was a long, hard road, but we'd finally made it. No more inspections, special ops, assist visits or help from others-we were on our own, and did we show them! We steamed, we loaded, we assualted, we launched helos and boats, we did it all and the fleet knew NUMBER 1 was there. A ship is many things, pier side she is bells and honors, sideboys and decorations, imposing but restrained. But she comes to life at sea. She is alive to her surroundings and becomes the dream she was in a designer's eye. TARAWA, the Eagle of the Sea, has spread her wings and made her presence known in the largest of the oceans. She adds a new dimension to our nation's defense and is a valuable friend to our allies when they are in need. TARAWA is our ship, and through these pages you'll meet her crew and sail with us on her FIRST WESTPAC. We hope you enjoy these pages and memories. WELCOME ABOARD.

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DEDIC TI O They endured it all and enjoyed little of it. They worked unbelievable hours on equipment never seen before. They were inspected, timed, measured, visited, assisted, drilled, exercised and evaluated by everybody, but they never quit, they never stopped trying-they were the first crew the PLANKOWNERS and it is to them and their captains that this book is dedicated. ' It started on Nov. 15, 1971 when the keel was layed at a new shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. In the following years she grew and became the largest man-made object ever moved on land when she went down the ways. USS TARAWACLHA-11 came to life on 29 May, 1976, at commissioning ceremonies under a hot Gulf Coast sun with RADM MORRIS commanding. Commissioning May 29, 1976 Shortly after commissioning, RADM MORRIS was relieved by CAPT G.A. CHURCH. Two months later NUMBER 1 anchored at Colon, Panama and spent two days preparing for her transit as the First LHA through the Panama Canal, fit was a very tight fitb. As was to become common, many eyes were on her as she moved through the locks, conducting her transit in less than eight hours, and she slipped into her ocean for the first time. After a short taste of liberty in Acapulco, TARAWA steamed up the coast of Baja, California and entered her new home port of San Diego in August 1976. Panama Canal Transit