- USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3)
USS|Belleau Wood|LHA-3, nicknamed "Devil Dog", was the second ship named after the
battle of Belleau Wood inWorld War I . The latter of the two ships serves as the backdrop for a military tribunal inJames W. Huston's novelSecret Justice .Her keel was laid down on
5 March 1973 atPascagoula, Mississippi , byIngalls Shipbuilding . She was launched on11 April 1977 , and commissioned on23 September 1978 , Captain T.C. Steele in command."Belleau Wood" was the third of five ships in a new class ("Tarawa"-class of general-purpose amphibious assault ships and combined into one ship type the functions previously performed by four different types: the amphibious assault ship (LPH), the
amphibious transport dock (LPD), theamphibious cargo ship (LKA), and the dock landing ship (LSD). She was capable of landing elements of aUnited States Marine Corps battalion landing team and their supporting equipment bylanding craft , byhelicopter s, or by a combination of both.hip history
Homeported in NS San Diego, California in October 1978, "Belleau Wood" participated in her first full-scale operation in 1979 off the coast of
Hawaii . In early 1979 she reported toLong Beach Naval Shipyard inLong Beach, California for a one-year engine overhaul."Belleau Wood" began her first major deployment in January 1981. The ship rescued 150
Vietnam eserefugees , earning the crew theHumanitarian Service Medal . The deployment included three major exercises and eight port visits. "Belleau Wood" returned to San Diego in August 1981.In August 1982, the ship began her second deployment, and participated in four major amphibious exercises including
Jade Tiger 83. Her third successful deployment ran from January to July 1984. The ship then completed an 11-month complex overhaul atPuget Sound Naval Shipyard ,Bremerton, Washington .In January 1987, "Belleau Wood" got underway for her fourth deployment. The crew participated in four major exercises, including the first winter amphibious exercises conducted in the
Aleutian Islands sinceWorld War II , and introduced the ship to the AV-8B Harrier "jump jet". The ship also received the Admiral Flatley Memorial Award for Aviation Safety in 1987.In January 1989, "Belleau Wood" departed for the Western Pacific. Over the next five months, the ship participated in Exercise
Team Spirit 89 inKorea and ExerciseValiant Usher in thePhilippines and Korea.On
4 October 1989 , the ship hosted theMinister of Defense of theSoviet Union during his historic visit to the United States."Belleau Wood" entered her second complex overhaul at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1990. Major work included an upgrade to
CIWS and installation of theRolling Airframe Missile (RAM) System.On
31 August 1992 , "Belleau Wood" sailed out of San Diego for the last time, bound for her new homeport in Sasebo,Japan . During this transit, the ship provided disaster relief to the people of Kauai, Hawaii afterHurricane Iniki ravaged the island. For this, the crew was awarded its secondHumanitarian Service Medal . Upon arrival in Japan, "Belleau Wood" joinedAmphibious Group 1 andAmphibious Squadron 11 , and became the world's only forward deployed large deck amphibious ship.On
27 October 1992 ,Petty Officer Third Class Allen R. Schindler, Jr, who was rumored among the crew to be homosexual, was brutally murdered in a park in Sasebo by two shipmates, a case that emerged into the public eye months later as newly-elected PresidentBill Clinton unveiled his "Don't Ask Don't Tell " policy.On
24 November 1992 , "Belleau Wood" became the last ship to sail out of the Philippines while conducting the final withdrawal of U.S. forces from Subic Bay Naval Base andNaval Air Station Cubi Point .Following her move to Japan, "Belleau Wood" became a familiar sight at joint military exercises such as Valiant Usher in
Australia , Team Spirit in Korea,Cobra Gold inThailand andTandem Thrust nearGuam (originally in Australia). "Belleau Wood" also became the first large-deck Navy ship to undergo pierside maintenance by COMLOGWESTPAC,Singapore . "Belleau Wood" participated in theWorld War II 50th anniversary commemoration ceremonies inGuam and thePhilippines and served off the coast ofSomalia in 1995 as the command platform forOperation United Shield .In July 2000, "Belleau Wood" took part in the largest crew swap to date when she was relieved as forward deployed amphibious assault ship. The procedure started when USS|Essex|LHD-2 arrived in Sasebo on
13 July 2000 . The swap was part of a planned rotation of forward deployed naval forces in Japan, and was the third crew-swap exchange. The ships’ crews simply switched ships, minimizing the impact of moving families from homeport to homeport. Sailors in Sasebo assigned to "Belleau Wood", moved on to "Essex", while sailors from San Diego assigned to "Essex" moved aboard "Belleau Wood". "Belleau Wood" and the San Diego-based crew then returned to San Diego in mid-August to begin overhaul and maintenance cycles.During 2002, "Belleau Wood" was the backdrop for the making of the movie
Antwone Fisher staringDerek Luke ,Joy Bryant , andDenzel Washington .In November 2003, "Belleau Wood" was the site of another first when
Brigadier General Joseph V. Medina took command of Expeditionary Strike Group "Three", of which "Belleau Wood" was the flagship. This event marked the first time in history that aUnited States Marine Corps officer took command of a naval flotilla.The ship was decommissioned on
28 October 2005 . she was sunk as part ofRIMPAC '06 exercises on13 July 2006 .ignificance of the name
The ship was named in memory of the
World War I Battle of Belleau Wood . United States Marines of the Fourth Brigade,American Expeditionary Forces , stopped the last major German offensive of the war. The Marines reportedly fought so ferociously that the Germans respectfully referred to them as "Teufelhunden"—Devil Dogs—and it was this moniker that became the ship's mascot, and one of the nicknames for US Marines (Devil Dog).Coat of arms
to this day.
Twelve gold battle stars in a field of blue line the top of the coat of arms. They stand for the World War II record of the first USS|Belleau Wood|CVL-24. The gap between the sixth and seventh stars represents the ship's only break in her war record. On
30 October 1944 , while offLeyte Gulf , "Belleau Wood" was struck by akamikaze . Thelight aircraft carrier had to undergo repairs and an overhaul, hence the gap.Blue and gold, prevailing hues of the coat of arms, are the traditional colors of the United States Navy. The tricolor (red over white over blue) is a reminder that the Battle of Belleau Wood occurred in France, and that Marines who gave their lives at Belleau Wood did so in the defense of another nation's freedom. The segments also bring to mind the colors of the United States.
References
* Much of the information for this article came from the USS "Belleau Wood" Public Affairs Office.
External links
* [http://www.greenmarines.com/PhotoGalleries/tabid/61/Default.aspx United Shield Pictures Aboard USS "Belleau Wood" at greenmarines.com]
* [http://history.navy.mil/danfs/b4/belleau_wood.htm USS "Belleau Wood" at history.navy.mil]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/0703.htm USS "Belleau Wood" at Navsource.org]
* [http://navysite.de/ships/lha3.htm USS "Belleau Wood" at Navysite.de]
* [http://www.ussbelleauwood.com/ USS "Belleau Wood" Veterans' Association homepage]
* [http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060220/NEWS08/602200323/1001/NEWS/ Honolulu Advertiser article about ship in mothballs]
* [http://www.strategypage.com/gallery/articles/military_photos_200672004030.asp Pictures of the sinking of USS "Belleau Wood" at StrategyPage.com]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/LHA-3 LHA-3 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]
* [http://www.uscarriers.net/lha3history.htm USS Belleau Wood history at U.S. Carriers]
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