USS Iwo Jima off the United States East Coast in April 1979
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Iwo Jima |
Namesake | Battle of Iwo Jima |
Builder | Puget Sound Naval Shipyard |
Laid down | 2 April 1959 |
Launched | 17 September 1960 |
Commissioned | 26 August 1961 |
Decommissioned | 14 July 1993 |
Stricken | 24 September 1993 |
Identification |
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Fate | Scrapped, 18 December 1995 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship |
Displacement | |
Length | 592 ft (180 m) |
Beam | 84 ft (26 m) |
Draught | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h) |
Range | 11,118km (6,000nm) at 18 knots |
Troops | 2,000 |
Complement | 667 |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 25 helicopters |
USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) was the lead ship of her class and type and the first amphibious assault ship to be designed and built from the keel up as a dedicated helicopter carrier. She carried helicopters and typically embarked USMC elements of a Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU)/later Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) principally the Aviation Combat Element (ACE) to conduct heliborne operations in support of an amphibious operation. There was no well deck to support landing craft movement of personnel or equipment to/from shore. Iwo Jima was the second of three ships of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of Iwo Jima, although the first to be completed and see service (the first was cancelled during construction).