USS Germantown (LSD-42)

USS "Germantown" (LSD-42) is the second "Whidbey Island"-class dock landing ship in the United States Navy. She is the second Navy ship named after the Revolutionary War Battle 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 with Landing 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, on 8 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 the United 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 to San Diego, California, where she underwent a US$25 million overhaul. One year later, the ship deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Expeditionary Strike Group One. "Germantown" supported Operation Iraqi Freedom by landing Marines and equipment from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

In February 2006 "Germantown" deployed to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, carrying the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Kuwait. She assisted Iraq in the North 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 the Arabian Gulf before returning to San Diego, California in August 2006.

"Germantown" departed for the Arabian Gulf on 5 November, 2007 to support Operation Enduring Freedom by transporting members of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Kuwait for field exercises. She then proceeded to conduct Maritime Security Operations throughout the Gulf and was later tasked with conducting oil platform defense in the narrow Shatt-Al-Arab waterway on the Iran-Iraq border. She returned home to San Diego, California, on 3 June, 2008 and began preparations for an extended mid-life overhaul to commence in the winter of 2008.

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]