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Iwo
Jima Battle Assault Ship LPH-2
Operations
Also
see:
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima -
American Landing
Battle of Iwo Jima -
Japanese Defense
Iwo Jima Battle Ships
Iwo Jima Battle Assault
Ship LPH-2
Iwo Jima Battle Assault
Ship LHD-7
Iwo Jima Battle
Assault Ship LPH-2 operated out of her home port during
the first half of 1963, carrying out amphibious exercises
and training. She departed 30 August on her long-delayed
Western Pacific cruise. Joining the 7th Fleet, she ranged
from Hawaii to the Philippines and Taiwan.
On 31 October 1963 Iwo Jima
departed Philippine waters for special operations along
the coast of South Vietnam, standing by to protect
American nationals during a period of increased strife.
She returned to Subic Bay 12 November. The following
months she sailed with Special Landing Forces of Marines
for rigorous amphibious assault and landing raids
practice off the coasts of Taiwan and Okinawa. After
unloading ammunition at Sasebo, Japan, she departed 13
April 1964 for return to San Diego, arriving 28 April.
Following amphibious training with Marines along the
California seaboard, she overhauled in the Long Beach
Naval Shipyard. This work was completed by 7 December
1964 when Iwo Jima began amphibious refresher training
ranging to the Hawaiian Islands. On 13 March 1965 she
departed Pearl Harbor for San Diego, arriving 6 days
later.
Vietnam War Operations
Iwo Jima Battle Assault Ship LPH-2 received tons of
supplies and scores of Army helicopters, tanker trucks,
and vehicles in her hangar and flight deck spaces. Nearly
a thousand troops were embarked for her western transit
that began 12 April. She touched Pearl Harbor a few hours
the 17th to off-load 50 Marines and their equipment, then
steamed off St. Jacques, Republic of Vietnam, 1 May to 2
May, flying off 77 Army helicopters, loaded with troops
and combat cargo. From there she proceeded to Subic Bay
in the Philippines, where troops and equipment were
received for amphibious landing at Chu Lai, Vietnam, 11
May 1965.
Iwo Jima Battle Assault Ship LPH-2 remained off Chu Lai
for a month, protecting Marines and Seabees establishing
an air field on the sandy shore. Besides helicopter
support ashore, including defense perimeter patrol, she
was a support center for laundry, showers, fresh
provisions, store and mail service. She also supervised
the continual off-load of ships over the beach for the
entire month, then on 7 June 1965, landed squadron
personnel and helicopters ashore at Hue-Phu Bai, some 30
miles north of Da Nang. After a few days rest in Subic
Bay she was routed to Sasebo, thence to Buckner Bay,
Okinawa, where she embarked Marines and equipment. This
was completed 26 June 1965 when she sailed for Quinohn,
Republic of Vietnam, in company with Talladega (APA-208)
and Point Defiance (LSD-31). These ships were designated
Task Group 76.5, that part of the 7th Fleet that carries
the Marine Special Landing Force. On the 30th she arrived
at Quinohn, about 100 miles south of Chu Lai. The
following day Marines landed ashore to take up defensive
positions for the protection of Army engineers and
communications units.
Iwo Jima Battle Assault Ship LPH-2 remained off Quinohn
for defensive support until 20 July 1965, then steamed
for Pratas Reef about 240 miles southwest of Taiwan.
Arriving the morning of the 22d her helicopters were
immediately pressed into service to aid the salvage of
destroyer Frank Knox (DD-742). The close approach of
typhoon "Gilda" pounded the grounded destroyer
so badly that it was impossible for small boats to get
alongside her. Extra men were heli-lifted off the
destroyer while surf rose 12 feet high to break
completely over the stern of Frank Knox. Support given by
Iwo Jima included such items as hot food, clothes, water,
pumps, hose, gasoline, air compressors, welding machines,
damage control equipment and technicians. Feed water was
heli-lifted in special tanks constructed by destroyer
tender Prairie (AD-15) who had faint hope of keeping the
destroyer's boiler alive. Detached from this duty 1
August 1965, Iwo Jima made a brief call at Hong Kong,
then proceeded to the Philippines.
Subic Bay Operations
On 17 August 1965 Iwo Jima steamed out of Subic Bay for
Vung Tau, Republic of Vietnam, to join in Operation
Starlight, a 5-day search-and-destroy operation that
eradicated some 600 Viet Cong. The successful Navy-Marine
Corps amphibious operation backed by gunfire support from
cruiser Galveston (CLG-3) and two destroyers, came to a
close late on 24 August. Iwo Jima's evacuation and
surgical teams kept the American casualties down to a
very low percentage. During transit back to Subic Bay she
learned Frank Knox had been refloated, good news for the
crew who had put in so many hard and long hours at Pratas
Reef. She landed her Marine Special Landing Force at Chu
Lai 1 September to 2 September, embarked 800 Marines of a
rotation draft, and sailed for Buckner Bay.
Iwo Jima landed the rotation troops at Okinawa, then came
off Quinohn, 10 September 1965, to cover the landing of
the Army's 1st Air Cavalry Division. She had supported
three amphibious assault search-and-destroy raids along
the coast by 1 October when she steamed to southern
waters, remaining in stand-by status for possible
evacuation of U.S. nationals in revolt-torn Indonesia.
Eight days later she sailed for Danang for a helicopter
squadron exchange, thence to Subic Bay where she was
relieved by Valley Forge (LPH-8). Following a visit to
Yokosuka, she departed 1 November for return to San
Diego, arriving 17 November 1965. Several months later
she again joined the 7th Fleet Amphibious Ready Group, a
fast moving assault force which had completed more than
20 search-and-destroy operations along the South
Vietnamese coast between March 1965 and September 1966.
One of these missions hit only 3 miles south of the
demilitarized zone to search out and decimate a regiment
of the North Vietnam Army's 342B Division which had
infiltrated South Vietnam through the neutral zone.
During the first 3 months of 1966, Iwo Jima was at San
Diego for upkeep and improvement changes. From April
through June extensive refresher training occupied all
hands as Iwo Jima, prepared for her forthcoming Western
Pacific deployment. On 24 July, steaming with a task
group, she passed the volcanic island whose costly
conquest by stouthearted sailors and marines had inspired
her name. On board was one of the marine groups that had
landed on Iwo Jima over two decades earlier. After
operations in the Vietnam area, she sailed for Japan.
December 30 once again found Iwo Jima, on the line and
underway for special operations in the Mekong Delta
region of South Vietnam in a Navy-ready group with a two
pronged punch. Early in January 1967 the Commanding
Officer, Captain Nils W. Boe, was relieved by Captain F.
X. Timmes. Upon his departure Captain Boe said of his
crew in a family-gram to mothers and wives, "I want
to thank each of you for letting me borrow these
magnificent young men for a little while. They have made
me feel ten feet tall." On 1 July 1967 Iwo Jima was
reassigned to Amphibious Squadron 3 from Amphibious
Squadron 1, with which she continued to sail with the
Pacific Fleet.
Pacific Recovery Forces (Task Force 130)
On 17 April 1970, Iwo Jima Battle Assault Ship LPH-2 was
the flagship of Task Force 130 that waited for the Apollo
13 spaceship's astronauts after their memorable
"successful failure" mission. In the 1995 film
Apollo 13, Iwo Jima was played by her sister ship, New
Orleans (LPH-11).
Iwo Jima was decommissioned 14 July 1993, and struck from
the Naval Vessel Register 24 September. She was sold for
scrap 18 December 1995. The ship's island was preserved,
and was on display at the Texas Air Museum, Rio Hondo,
Texas.
Text is available
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
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