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U.S.S. BELLEAU WOOD

(LHA-3)

FOLLOW ME DEVIL DOG

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The USS BELLEAU WOOD (LHA-3), a Tarawa class amphibious assault ship, was commissioned on 23 SEP 1978. Built in Pascagoula, Mississippi, BELLAEU WOOD sailed for homeport of San Diego, CA. She began her career of carrying Marines where needed. She routinely deployed for "watch" in the Western Pacific and an assortment of exercise and operations as needed, such as cold weather training in the Aleutian Islands, RIMPAC multi-national fleet exercises and was forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan in 1992. From Japan BELLEAU WOOD steamed as needed to contingency operations off East Timor and Somalia. BELLEAU WOOD returned to the US for overhaul in 2000. she sailed on a "West Pac" in 2002 and then a West Pac - Indian Ocean deployment in 2004. USS BELLEAU WOOD served her country for 27 years, 1 month and 5 days, until decommissioned on 28 OCT 2005. The hulk of the BELLEAU WOOD was disposed of by SINKEX during the RIMPAC 2006 multinational fleet exercise in July 2006.

The USS BELLEAU WOOD (LHA-3) deployment history and significant events of her service career follow:

LHA-3 Deployments - Major Events

Add a LHA-3 Shellback Initiation Add a LHA-3 Deployment - Major Event
Month Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
MAY1961- Shellback Initiation - 7 MAY 1961 - Indian Ocean
MAR1973-Keel Date: 5 MAR 1973
at Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula MS
APR1977-Launch Date: 11 APR 1977
SEP1978-Commissioned: 23 SEP 1978
APR1979-OCT1979West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf
JAN1981-AUG1981West Pac
JAN1981-AUG1981West Pac-Indian Ocean
FEB1981-JUL1981West Pac
MAY1981- Shellback Initiation - 7 MAY 1981 - Indian Ocean
JUN1981- Shellback Initiation - 6 JUN 1981 - Indian Ocean
JUN1981- Shellback Initiation - 6 JUN 1981 - Indian Ocean
JUN1981-Shellback Initiation - 6 JUN 1981 - Indian Ocean
AUG1981-Shellback Initiation - 1 AUG 1981 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1982-NOV1982Grenada
JUN1982-JAN1983West Pac-Indian Ocean
JUL1982-APR1983West Pac-Indian Ocean
OCT1982-Shellback Initiation - 16 OCT 1982 - Indian Ocean
OCT1982- Shellback Initiation - 16 OCT 1982 - Indian Ocean
OCT1982-Shellback Initiation - 16 OCT 1982 - Pacific Ocean
JUL1983-JUL1984Dry Dock
JAN1984-JUL1984West Pac
MAR1984-SEP1984West Pac-Indian Ocean
MAY1984-Shellback Initiation - 3 MAY 1984 - Indian Ocean
MAY1984- Shellback Initiation - 5 MAY 1984 - Pacific Ocean
MAY1984-Shellback Initiation - 1 MAY 1984 - Pacific Ocean
MAY1984-Shellback Initiation - 1 MAY 1984 - Indian Ocean
MAY1984- Shellback Initiation - 5 MAY 1984 - Pacific Ocean
MAY1984- Shellback Initiation - 1 MAY 1984 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1987-AUG1987West Pac
JAN1987-JUN1987West Pac
JAN1987-JUL1987West Pac
JAN1987-JUL1987West Pac
JAN1987-JUL1987West Pac
JUN1987- Shellback Initiation - 16 JUN 1987 - Pacific Ocean
JUN1987-Shellback Initiation - 23 JUN 1987 - Indian Ocean
JUN1987-Shellback Initiation - 15 JUN 1987 - Pacific Ocean
JUN1987- Shellback Initiation - 16 JUN 1987 - Pacific Ocean
JUN1987-Shellback Initiation - 23 JUN 1987 - Pacific Ocean
DEC1988-Shellback Initiation - 11 DEC 1988 - Indian Ocean
JAN1989-JUN1989West Pac
JAN1989-JUN1989West Pac-Indian Ocean
MAR1989-MAR1989CH-46 Helo Crash Team Spirit Korea 4 Marines lost
MAR1989-MAR1989CH-53D Helo Crash Team Spirit Korea 19 Marines lost
APR1989- Shellback Initiation - 27 APR 1989 - Pacific Ocean
AUG1989-JUN1990Desert Storm
DEC1989- Shellback Initiation - 11 DEC 1989 - Indian Ocean
AUG1992-SEP1992Home Port Change Sasebo Japan
OCT1992-NOV1992Final withdrawal US Forces Subic Bay Phillipines
JAN1993-JAN1996Somalia
JAN1993-JAN1996Somalia
SEP1993-Shellback Initiation - 20 SEP 1993 - Pacific Ocean
SEP1993-Shellback Initiation - 15 SEP 1993 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1995-JAN1995Shellback Ceremony
JAN1995-MAR1995Somalia
JAN1995-MAR1995Operation United Shield
JAN1996-APR1996West Pac
JAN1998-JAN1998West Pac
JAN1998-JAN1998West Pac
JAN1998-AUG1998North Atlantic
JAN1998-JAN1998West Pac
JAN1998-AUG1998North Atlantic
FEB1998-Shellback Initiation - 19 FEB 1998 - Pacific Ocean
SEP1999-NOV1999UN intervention East Timor
JUN2002-DEC2002West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf
JUN2002-DEC2002West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf
JUN2002-DEC2002West Pac
AUG2002-OCT2002West Pac-Indian Ocean
AUG2002-Shellback Initiation - 1 AUG 2002 - Indian Ocean
MAR2004-SEP2004West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf
OCT2005-Decommissioned: 28 OCT 2005
JUL2006-JUL2006Sunk as Target During Training Exercise

LHA-3 General Specifications

Class: Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship

Named for: Battle of Belleau Wood

Complement: 930 Officers and Enlisted

Displacement: 40000 tons

Length: 820 feet

Beam: 106 feet

Flank Speed: 24 knots

Final Disposition: Expended as a target 13 July 2006