View source for USS Tarawa (LHA-1)

{{Short description|US Navy amphibious assault ship}}
{{Other ships|USS Tarawa}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:US Navy 020628-N-3228G-002 USS Tarawa (LHA 1).jpg
| Ship caption = ''Tarawa'' at [[Pearl Harbor]] on 28 June 2002
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag}}
| Ship name = ''Tarawa''
| Ship namesake = [[Battle of Tarawa]]
| Ship ordered = 1 May 1969
| Ship awarded = 
| Ship builder = [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 15 November 1971
| Ship launched = 1 December 1973
| Ship sponsor = Audrey B. Cushman<ref name= "DANFS" />
| Ship christened = 
| Ship completed = 
| Ship acquired = 14 May 1976
| Ship commissioned = 29 May 1976
| Ship recommissioned = 
| Ship decommissioned = 31 March 2009
| Ship maiden voyage = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship renamed = 
| Ship reclassified = 
| Ship refit = 
| Ship struck = 30 April 2024
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship homeport = [[Naval Base San Diego|San Diego]]
| Ship motto = ''Eagle of the Sea''
| Ship nickname = 
| Ship honours = 
| Ship honors = 
| Ship identification = *[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NLHA
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Alpha}}
*[[Hull number]]: LHA-1
| Ship fate = Sunk as target, 19 July 2024
| Ship notes = 
| Ship badge = [[File:USS Tarawa COA.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{Sclass|Tarawa|amphibious assault ship}}
| Ship displacement = 38,900&nbsp;tons
| Ship length = {{convert|820|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|106|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship height = 
| Ship draught = 
| Ship draft = {{convert|26|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = 
| Ship speed = {{convert|24|kn}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship boats = 
| Ship troops = 2,000+ Marines
| Ship complement = 960+ officers and enlisted
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = *4 × Mk 38 Mod 1 25 mm [[M242#Naval|Bushmaster cannons]]
*5 × [[M2 Browning machine gun|M2HB]] .50-caliber machine guns
*2 × [[Phalanx CIWS|Mk 15 Phalanx]] (CIWS)
*2 × [[RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile|Mk 49 RAM]] launchers
| Ship armour = 
| Ship armor = 
| Ship aircraft = Up to 35 Helicopters and 8 [[AV-8B Harrier II]] VSTOL aircraft
| Ship aircraft facilities = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Tarawa'' (LHA-1)''', the [[lead ship]] of [[Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship|her class]], was an [[amphibious assault ship]] that served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1976 to 2009. She was the second ship to be named for the [[Battle of Tarawa]], fought during [[World War II]]. ''Tarawa'' was decommissioned on 31 March 2009, at San Diego Naval Base.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=39654 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131017193653/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=39654 |archive-date= 17 October 2013 |title= Navy to Decommission Tarawa After 32 Years of Honorable Service |newspaper= US Navy News |first= David A. |last= Brandenburg |date= 2008-09-11 |access-date=2014-09-06}}</ref>

==History==
The ship was laid down in November 1971 at [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]], by [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]], launched 1 December 1973, sponsored by Audrey B. Cushman, the wife of [[Robert E. Cushman, Jr.]], former [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|Commandant of the Marine Corps]], and commissioned on 29 May 1976.<ref name="DANFS">{{cite DANFS |url= http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/tarawa-ii.html |title= Tarawa II |access-date=2014-09-06}}</ref>

''Tarawa'' was the first of five ships in a new class of general-purpose amphibious assault ships, and combined in one ship type the functions previously performed by four different types: the amphibious assault ship (LPH), the [[amphibious transport dock]] (LPD), the [[amphibious cargo ship]] (LKA), and the [[Dock Landing Ship|dock landing ship]] (LSD). She was capable of landing elements of a Marine Corps battalion landing team and their supporting equipment by landing craft, [[helicopter]]s, or a combination of both.<ref name="DANFS" />

The ship departed Pascagoula on 7 July 1976 and set a course for the [[Panama Canal]]. She transited the canal on 16 July and, after a stop at [[Acapulco, Mexico]], arrived at [[San Diego]], California on 6 August. During the remainder of 1976, the ship conducted sea trials, tests, and a shakedown cruise in the southern California operating area. During the first half of 1977, ''Tarawa'' was engaged in training exercises off the California coast. On 13 August, she entered [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard]] for post shakedown availability, which was completed on 15&nbsp;July 1978. Following four and one half months of intensive individual ship and amphibious refresher training with embarked marines, ''Tarawa'' ended 1978 in her home port of San Diego on Christmas stand down.<ref name="DANFS" />

[[File:US Navy 040706-N-6811L-254 The amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa LHA 1 sits pierside Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.jpg|thumb|left|''Tarawa'' portside in Hawaii, 2004]]

==Missions==
Her first Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment came in 1979, where, among other memorable actions including port visits to Pearl Harbor, Enewetok Marshall Islands, Manila and Subic Bay Republic of the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Pattaya, and Okinawa, as well as Hong Kong while it was still under British control. She successfully engaged in experimental launch and recovery operations with Marine close air support [[Hawker Siddeley Harrier#United States Marine Corps|AV-8A Harrier]] jets and later rescued over 400 [[South Vietnam]]ese refugees adrift in the [[South China Sea]]; her corpsmen delivering a baby, Grace Tarawa Tran during the rescue effort, who returned to a decommissioned ''Tarawa'' at Pearl Harbor in 2010 to meet the man who delivered her.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=57441 |title= Vietnamese-American Returns to Birthplace - USS Tarawa |newspaper= US Navy News |first= Mark |last= Logico |date= 2010-11-30 |access-date= 2014-09-06 |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231952/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=57441 }}</ref>

After a second deployment WESTPAC, beginning in 1980 and spanning into 1981, ''Tarawa'' was in the Indian Ocean.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/t/lha-1/1981.pdf|title=LHA-1 Deployment History 1981 (Declassified)|publisher=History.navy.mil|access-date=2013-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522185747/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/t/lha-1/1981.pdf|archive-date=22 May 2013}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2017}}

In 1983, during her third deployment, ''Tarawa'' went to the [[Mediterranean]] to support the [[United Nations]] (UN) peacekeepers in [[Beirut, Lebanon]]. Several additional cruises followed.

In 1985 as part of the US 7th Fleet, ''Tarawa'' participated in Operation Valiant Blitz with the US Marines 3rd Marine Division. The 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment conducted amphibious landing and helicopter operations off the coast of Okinawa, including visits to Hong Kong and Subic Bay for liberty call.

In June 1989, ''Tarawa'' deployed for a six-month WESTPAC tour as the [[11th Marine Expeditionary Unit]] (MEU), composed of the Marines from Camp Horno, Camp Pendleton, California, 1st Battalion 9th Marines (redesignated as 2nd Battalion 1st Marines on 9 September 1994).

In December 1990, ''Tarawa'' was the [[flagship]] of a 13-ship amphibious task force in support of [[Operation Desert Shield]].{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} She participated in the ''Sea Soldier IV'' landing exercise in January, which was a deception maneuver suggesting an amphibious assault in [[Kuwait]], and then on 24 February landed Marines in [[Saudi Arabia]] just south of the Kuwaiti border.

In May 1991, ''Tarawa'' went to [[Bangladesh]] in support of [[Operation Sea Angel]], providing humanitarian assistance to victims of a [[cyclone]], delivering rice and water purification equipment.

In May 1992, ''Tarawa'' deployed for the eighth time to the Western Pacific, participating in Eager Mace 1992–93, a joint U.S./Kuwait exercise. The ship also supported the insertion of Pakistani troops into Somalia in support of UN humanitarian relief, and returned to San Diego in November 1992. ''Tarawa'' was awarded her fourth Admiral Flatley Award and her first Commander, Seventh Fleet, Amphibious Warfare Excellence Award for they deployment. Her 1992 deployment included visits to Hong Kong, Singapore, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, and Australia.

In April 1996, following another complex overhaul at [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard]], ''Tarawa'' left from [[San Diego]] on her ninth Western Pacific deployment. She took part in US/[[Thailand]] amphibious training exercise in the [[Gulf of Thailand]], exercise ''Indigo Serpent'', with the [[Royal Saudi Navy]], and exercise ''Infinite Moonlight'', the first-ever exercise between US and [[Royal Jordanian Navy]], in the [[Red Sea]]. The last preceded ''Tarawa''{{'s}} visit to the [[Persian Gulf]] in support of [[Operation Southern Watch]], enforcing the [[no-fly zone]] over southern [[Iraq]]. ''Tarawa'' was also part of [[Operation Desert Strike]]. Returning to San Diego in October 1996, ''Tarawa'' earned both the Federal Energy Conservation Award and the [[Secretary of the Navy]] Energy Conservation Award.

On 7 February 1998, ''Tarawa'', along with {{USS|Mount Vernon|LSD-39}}, {{USS|Denver|LPD-9}} and more than 4,000 sailors and marines, departed San Diego for a six-month deployment. They departed five days ahead of schedule as part of a buildup of US forces in the Persian Gulf. The ''Tarawa'' Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), consisting of more than 2,100 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), operated in the western Pacific, Indian Ocean and the [[Persian Gulf]]. ''Tarawa'' conducted special operations certification exercises before leaving on a 10th deployment to the Western Pacific. As the possibility of renewed conflict with Iraq loomed on the horizon, the ''Tarawa'' ARG made a dash straight to the Persian Gulf within 31 days, at a speed averaging 17 knots. Just as the ARG neared the Persian Gulf, the threat passed but, according to Commander, Amphibious Group 3, the 12,500-mile, high-speed transit set a record and won the respect of senior Navy officials.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} The ''Tarawa'' ARG and the 11th MEU arrived in the Persian Gulf 11 March 1998. ''Tarawa'', ''Denver'', and ''Mount Vernon'' relieved {{USS|Guam|LPH-9}} and her ARG to continue the commitment to security and stability in the region. In the early summer of 1998 the Amphibious Ready Group conducted an evacuation operation that rescued 250 people from Eritrea's capital, Asmara. The three ships returned home 7 August after having spent six months deployed to the western Pacific, Indian Ocean and [[Persian Gulf]].

[[File:USS Tarawa operations.jpg|thumb|right|Activity hums around ''Tarawa'', as US Marines go ashore in Kuwait.]]
In mid October 2000, ''Tarawa'' was passing through the [[Strait of Hormuz]] on her way into the [[Persian Gulf]] when the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Cole|DDG-67|6}} was attacked. On hearing news of the attack, ''Tarawa'' came about and steamed full ahead to the [[Aden|Port of Aden]] in [[Yemen]], where she joined {{USS|Donald Cook|DDG-75|6}}, {{USS|Hawes|FFG-53|6}}, and the [[Royal Navy]] ship {{HMS|Marlborough|F233|6}}, already providing logistical support and harbor security, as the command ship in charge of force protection in what became "Operation Determined Response". Other US Naval ships involved were {{USS|Catawba|ATF-168|2}}, {{USS|Camden|AOE-2|2}}, {{USS|Anchorage|LSD-36|2}}, and {{USS|Duluth|LPD-6|2}}. ''Tarawa'' remained with the damaged ''Cole'' until she was secure aboard the [[Norway|Norwegian]] heavy-lift semi-submersible salvage ship {{MV|Blue Marlin}} for passage to the US before returning to duty in the Persian Gulf.

[[File:US Navy 030325-N-7128D-002 A Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier attack jet begins its takeoff roll on the flight deck of the USS Tarawa (LHA 1).jpg|thumb|left|[[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] [[McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II|AV-8B Harrier]] launching from ''Tarawa'' in 2003]]

On 17 January 2001 during her WESTPAC deployment the Tarawa lost her port anchor and chain while visiting Hong Kong. The anchor loss was due to a brake failure during a routine procedure to anchor the ship in Victoria Harbor. EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) personnel attached to the ship, who were scuba certified, were tasked with locating the anchor and did find it. A local barge-crane company was then hired to pull up the anchor but was ultimately unsuccessful in relocating the anchor. The Navy used a video of this loss as a training tool to prevent similar incidents.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/b7pRfix_sNg Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120814104804/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7pRfix_sNg&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite news |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7pRfix_sNg |title= YouTube Video, Loss of Port Anchor & Chain }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On 6 January 2003, the ''Tarawa'' (ARG), carrying the [[15th Marine Expeditionary Unit]] (MEU/SOC), departed for deployment. In mid-February, elements of the MEU off-loaded and established a training camp in Northern Kuwait while other members of the MAGTF, primarily the helicopter squadron, remained on board the ARG in the Persian Gulf.

''Tarawa'' deployed from mid-2005 to early 2006 to the Middle East in support of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]] and a multinational training exercise ([[Operation Bright Star]]) in Egypt. She transported the [[13th Marine Expeditionary Unit]]. During this deployment, she visited [[Australia Darwin|Darwin, Australia]], [[Dubai|Dubai, UAE]], [[Bahrain]], [[Singapore]], and [[Hong Kong]].

She was redeployed to Bangladesh, this time as part of the [[Cyclone Sidr]] relief efforts with {{USS|Kearsarge|LHD-3}}. The code name for the mission was "Operations Sea Angel II" in recognition of ''Tarawa''{{'s}} previous support to Bangladesh in 1991. These humanitarian assistance efforts were instrumental in the ship being awarded the 2007 Battle Efficiency Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=35608|access-date=19 February 2020|title=USS Tarawa Awarded Battle "E"|archive-date=4 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170604202646/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=35608}}</ref>

Her last deployment was from 7 November 2007 to 8 June 2008, with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, composed of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines Charlie and Weapons company, in the Middle East in Support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. She returned to her home port of San Diego, finishing a seven-month deployment. She visited Bangladesh for a third time to offer aid for tsunami victims, Singapore, Bahrain, UAE, Djibouti, Perth and Hobart, Australia and Hawaii.

==Fate==
[[File:USS Tarawa (LHA-1) Crommelin (FFG-37) and Curts (FFG-38) laid up at Pearl Harbor 2013.JPG|thumb|''Tarawa'' laid up at Pearl Harbor, 2013.]]
''Tarawa'' was decommissioned on March 31, 2009<ref name="NVR">{{cite web |title=''Tarawa'' (LHA 1) |url={{Naval Vessel Register URL|LHA-1}} |website=Naval Vessel Register |access-date=June 14, 2024}}</ref> and was transferred by the {{USNS|Salvor|T-ARS-52|6}} to the [[Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility#Pearl Harbor, HI|Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility]] at Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor. According to FY2011 plans, two ''Tarawa''-class ships were in Category B Reserve to satisfy Marine Sealift Requirements.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.militarytimes.com/static/projects/pages/2011shipbuilding.pdf |title= Report to Congress on Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for FY 2011 |newspaper= Military Times |access-date= 2012-01-06 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120913181750/http://www.militarytimes.com/static/projects/pages/2011shipbuilding.pdf |archive-date= 2012-09-13 }}</ref>

In July 2014 the "US Naval Amphibious Ship Historical Society" was formed by members of ''Tarawa''{{'s}} original commissioning crew, also known as [[plankowners]], with plans to make her the first Navy amphibious ship museum. The organization was planning to acquire the ship and give her a permanent home on the West Coast as a museum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lha1museum.org/index.html|title=The U.S.S. Tarawa (LHA-1) Amphibious Assault Ship Museum Organization|publisher=lha1museum.com|access-date=2014-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827120654/http://www.lha1museum.org/index.html|archive-date=27 August 2014}}</ref>

''Tarawa'' was stricken from the naval registry on April 30, 2024 and, on 19 July 2024, was sunk off the coast of Hawaii during [[RIMPAC]] 2024. A number of ships and aircraft from several countries participated in the sinking.<ref>{{cite web | title=US and Partner Nations Conduct Multiple SINKEXs as Part of RIMPAC 2024 | website=DVIDS | date=11 July 2024 | url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/476788/us-and-partner-nations-conduct-multiple-sinkexs-part-rimpac-2024 | access-date=24 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stassis |first=Cristina |date=2024-07-25 |title=USS Tarawa sent to ocean floor in Rim of the Pacific exercise |url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/07/25/uss-tarawa-sent-to-ocean-floor-in-rim-of-the-pacific-exercise/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Navy Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Chris |date=2024-07-23 |title=B-2 Test Launches New Low-Cost Anti-Ship Weapon at Warship in the Pacific |url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/b-2-low-cost-anti-ship-weapon-quicksink/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Air & Space Forces Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahadzir |first=Dzirhan |date=2024-07-22 |title=Royal Australian Navy Destroyer Fires Naval Strike Missile on Former U.S. Amphib During RIMPAC 2024 |url=https://news.usni.org/2024/07/22/royal-australian-navy-destroyer-sinks-former-u-s-amphib-with-naval-strike-missile-during-rimpac-2024 |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=USNI News |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Tarawa'' was the largest ship of her class to be sunk during a live fire naval exercise involving US forces since {{USS|Belleau Wood|LHA-3|6}} in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schogol |first=Jeff |date=2024-07-23 |title=Navy sinks USS Tarawa in latest Pacific SINKEX |url=https://taskandpurpose.com/news/uss-tarawa-sunk/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Task & Purpose |language=en-US}}</ref>

''Tarawa'' specially was hit by an [[AGM-158C LRASM]] from an [[F/A-18F Super Hornet]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=((U.S. 3rd Fleet)) |first=Commander |date=23 July 2024 |title=US and Partner Nations Conduct Multiple SINKEXs as Part of RIMPAC 2024 |url=https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3846516/us-and-partner-nations-conduct-multiple-sinkexs-as-part-of-rimpac-2024/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=United States Navy |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/tarawa-ii.html}}
*{{Naval Vessel Register|hull=LHA-1}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|USS Tarawa (LHA-1)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030330083111/http://www.tarawa.navy.mil/ USS ''Tarawa'' (LHA-1) homepage]
* [http://www.tarawareunion.com USS ''Tarawa'' (LHA-1) reunion homepage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131102163934/http://www.usstarawalha1.com/ USS ''Tarawa'' (LHA-1) forum homepage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010520192709/http://www.usstarawavets.org/ USS ''Tarawa'' Veterans' Association homepage]
* [http://www.uscarriers.net/lha1history.htm USS Tarawa history at U.S. Carriers]
* USS ''Tarawa'' (LHA-1) command histories – [[Naval History & Heritage Command]]

{{Tarawa class amphibious assault ship}}{{2024 shipwrecks}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarawa (LHA-1)}}
[[Category:Battle of Tarawa]]
[[Category:Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships]]
[[Category:Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi]]
[[Category:1973 ships]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]