- USS Germantown (LSD-42)
USS "Germantown" (LSD-42) is the second "Whidbey Island"-class
dock landing ship in theUnited States Navy . She is the second Navy ship named after the Revolutionary WarBattle of Germantown ."Germantown" was the first ship in the class to serve in the Pacific. The
amphibious assault ship 's mission is to project power ashore by transporting and launching amphibious craft and vehicles loaded with embarked Marines in support of an amphibious assault. The ship was designed specifically to operate withLanding Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vessels. It has the largest capacity for these landing craft (four) of any US Navy amphibious platform.The Navy ordered USS "Germantown"
26 March 1982 . Four years later, on8 February 1986 , the ship was commissioned. In 1990–1991, she played a significant role during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The ship participated in mock amphibious assaults in theUnited Arab Emirates after the start of the air war in preparation for a possible amphibious assault.On
16 August 2002 , "Harpers Ferry" relieved "Germantown" as a forward-deployed naval unit in Sasebo,Japan . "Germantown" returned toSan Diego, California , where she underwent aUS$ 25 million overhaul. One year later, the ship deployed to thePersian Gulf as part of Expeditionary Strike Group One. "Germantown" supported Operation Iraqi Freedom by landing Marines and equipment from the13th Marine Expeditionary Unit .In
February 2006 "Germantown" deployed to theArabian Gulf in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom , carrying the11th Marine Expeditionary Unit toKuwait . She assistedIraq in theNorth Arabian Gulf by responding to an oil fire on the Khwar Al Amaya Oil Terminal and by querying vessels before they entered Iraqi waters. "Germantown" conducted "Presence Operations" throughout theArabian Gulf before returning toSan Diego, California inAugust 2006 ."Germantown" departed for the
Arabian Gulf on5 November ,2007 to supportOperation Enduring Freedom by transporting members of the11th Marine Expeditionary Unit toKuwait for field exercises. She then proceeded to conductMaritime Security Operations throughout the Gulf and was later tasked with conducting oil platform defense in the narrow Shatt-Al-Arab waterway on theIran-Iraq border . She returned home toSan Diego, California , on3 June ,2008 and began preparations for an extended mid-life overhaul to commence in the winter of2008 .References
:"The above content is based on the [http://www.germantown.navy.mil/about.htm description at the official website] , which is in the
public domain ."External links
* [http://www.germantown.navy.mil/Default.htm USS "Germantown" official website]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/LSD-42 LSD-42 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]
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