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U.S.S. BELLEAU WOOD
(LHA-3)FOLLOW ME DEVIL DOG
Click to view crew list
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MAY | 1961 | - | Shellback Initiation - 7 MAY 1961 - Indian Ocean | ||
MAR | 1973 | - | Keel Date: 5 MAR 1973 at Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula MS | ||
APR | 1977 | - | Launch Date: 11 APR 1977 | ||
SEP | 1978 | - | Commissioned: 23 SEP 1978 | ||
APR | 1979 | - | OCT | 1979 | West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf |
JAN | 1981 | - | AUG | 1981 | West Pac |
JAN | 1981 | - | AUG | 1981 | West Pac-Indian Ocean |
FEB | 1981 | - | JUL | 1981 | West Pac |
MAY | 1981 | - | Shellback Initiation - 7 MAY 1981 - Indian Ocean | ||
JUN | 1981 | - | Shellback Initiation - 6 JUN 1981 - Indian Ocean | ||
JUN | 1981 | - | Shellback Initiation - 6 JUN 1981 - Indian Ocean | ||
JUN | 1981 | - | Shellback Initiation - 6 JUN 1981 - Indian Ocean | ||
AUG | 1981 | - | Shellback Initiation - 1 AUG 1981 - Pacific Ocean | ||
JAN | 1982 | - | NOV | 1982 | Grenada |
JUN | 1982 | - | JAN | 1983 | West Pac-Indian Ocean |
JUL | 1982 | - | APR | 1983 | West Pac-Indian Ocean |
OCT | 1982 | - | Shellback Initiation - 16 OCT 1982 - Indian Ocean | ||
OCT | 1982 | - | Shellback Initiation - 16 OCT 1982 - Indian Ocean | ||
OCT | 1982 | - | Shellback Initiation - 16 OCT 1982 - Pacific Ocean | ||
JUL | 1983 | - | JUL | 1984 | Dry Dock |
JAN | 1984 | - | JUL | 1984 | West Pac |
MAR | 1984 | - | SEP | 1984 | West Pac-Indian Ocean |
MAY | 1984 | - | Shellback Initiation - 3 MAY 1984 - Indian Ocean | ||
MAY | 1984 | - | Shellback Initiation - 5 MAY 1984 - Pacific Ocean | ||
MAY | 1984 | - | Shellback Initiation - 1 MAY 1984 - Pacific Ocean | ||
MAY | 1984 | - | Shellback Initiation - 1 MAY 1984 - Indian Ocean | ||
MAY | 1984 | - | Shellback Initiation - 5 MAY 1984 - Pacific Ocean | ||
MAY | 1984 | - | Shellback Initiation - 1 MAY 1984 - Pacific Ocean | ||
JAN | 1987 | - | AUG | 1987 | West Pac |
JAN | 1987 | - | JUN | 1987 | West Pac |
JAN | 1987 | - | JUL | 1987 | West Pac |
JAN | 1987 | - | JUL | 1987 | West Pac |
JAN | 1987 | - | JUL | 1987 | West Pac |
JUN | 1987 | - | Shellback Initiation - 16 JUN 1987 - Pacific Ocean | ||
JUN | 1987 | - | Shellback Initiation - 23 JUN 1987 - Indian Ocean | ||
JUN | 1987 | - | Shellback Initiation - 15 JUN 1987 - Pacific Ocean | ||
JUN | 1987 | - | Shellback Initiation - 16 JUN 1987 - Pacific Ocean | ||
JUN | 1987 | - | Shellback Initiation - 23 JUN 1987 - Pacific Ocean | ||
DEC | 1988 | - | Shellback Initiation - 11 DEC 1988 - Indian Ocean | ||
JAN | 1989 | - | JUN | 1989 | West Pac |
JAN | 1989 | - | JUN | 1989 | West Pac-Indian Ocean |
MAR | 1989 | - | MAR | 1989 | CH-46 Helo Crash Team Spirit Korea 4 Marines lost |
MAR | 1989 | - | MAR | 1989 | CH-53D Helo Crash Team Spirit Korea 19 Marines lost |
APR | 1989 | - | Shellback Initiation - 27 APR 1989 - Pacific Ocean | ||
AUG | 1989 | - | JUN | 1990 | Desert Storm |
DEC | 1989 | - | Shellback Initiation - 11 DEC 1989 - Indian Ocean | ||
AUG | 1992 | - | SEP | 1992 | Home Port Change Sasebo Japan |
OCT | 1992 | - | NOV | 1992 | Final withdrawal US Forces Subic Bay Phillipines |
JAN | 1993 | - | JAN | 1996 | Somalia |
JAN | 1993 | - | JAN | 1996 | Somalia |
SEP | 1993 | - | Shellback Initiation - 20 SEP 1993 - Pacific Ocean | ||
SEP | 1993 | - | Shellback Initiation - 15 SEP 1993 - Pacific Ocean | ||
JAN | 1995 | - | JAN | 1995 | Shellback Ceremony |
JAN | 1995 | - | MAR | 1995 | Somalia |
JAN | 1995 | - | MAR | 1995 | Operation United Shield |
JAN | 1996 | - | APR | 1996 | West Pac |
JAN | 1998 | - | JAN | 1998 | West Pac |
JAN | 1998 | - | JAN | 1998 | West Pac |
JAN | 1998 | - | AUG | 1998 | North Atlantic |
JAN | 1998 | - | JAN | 1998 | West Pac |
JAN | 1998 | - | AUG | 1998 | North Atlantic |
FEB | 1998 | - | Shellback Initiation - 19 FEB 1998 - Pacific Ocean | ||
SEP | 1999 | - | NOV | 1999 | UN intervention East Timor |
JUN | 2002 | - | DEC | 2002 | West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf |
JUN | 2002 | - | DEC | 2002 | West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf |
JUN | 2002 | - | DEC | 2002 | West Pac |
AUG | 2002 | - | OCT | 2002 | West Pac-Indian Ocean |
AUG | 2002 | - | Shellback Initiation - 1 AUG 2002 - Indian Ocean | ||
MAR | 2004 | - | SEP | 2004 | West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf |
OCT | 2005 | - | Decommissioned: 28 OCT 2005 | ||
JUL | 2006 | - | JUL | 2006 | Sunk 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