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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Patch contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Xray - Xray - Golf NXXG

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (2)
Second Row - Navy Unit Commendation (2) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (5) - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (2)
Third Row - Navy Expeditionary Medal (1-Lebanon) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba, 4-Vietnam, 3-Lebanon)
Fourth Row - Vietnam Service Medal (8) - Southwest Asia Service Medal - Armed Forces Service Medal (3)
Fifth Row - Humanitarian Service Medal (1-Beirut Evacuation) - Sea Service Deployment Ribbon - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Sixth Row - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Iwo Jima Class Amphibious Assault Ship (Helicopter):

Laid down, 2 April 1959, at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA.

Launched, 17 September 1960

Commissioned USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), 26 August 1961, CAPT. Thomas D. Harris USN in command

During the Vietnam War USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam Defense 17 to 23 August 1965 11 September to 10 October 1965	Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase IV 2 April to 19 May 1968
Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase II 13 to 20 August 1966 13 to 29 September 1966 6 October to 10 November 1966 31 December 1966 to 19 January 1967 13 February to 4 March 1967	Tet/69 Counteroffensive 26 to 28 May 1969 5 to 8 June 1969
Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase III 3 November 1967 14 November 1967 to 3 January 1968 17 to 29 January 1968	Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 9 June to 20 July 1969 7 August to 22 September 1969 3 to 7 October 1969
Tet Counteroffensive 30 January to 15 Mary 1968 26 March to 1 April 1968	Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase VII 17 to 20 December 1970 27 to 29 December 1970 8 to 26 January 1971 3 February to 7 March 1971 30 April to 4 May 1971 10 to 11 May 1971 19 to 20 May 1971

Decommissioned, 14 July 1993, at Norfolk, VA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 24 September 1993

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 18 December 1995, by the Defense Reutilization and Marking Service (DRMS), scrapped at Brownsville, TX.

Iwo Jima earned eight campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications:
Displacement 11,000 t.(lt) 18,474 t.(fl)
Length 592'
Beam 84'
Flight Deck 105'
Draft 27'
Speed 22 kts.
Complement 667
Troop Accommodations 2,157
Aircraft 25 helicopters
Armament

(as built) 4 3"/50 AA guns

(modifications) two 3"/50s removed and replaced with 8 cell Sea Sparrow BPDMS launchers, two Phalanx CIWS added
Propulsion two 600 psi boilers, one geared steam turbine, one shaft, 22,000 shaft horsepower

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
73k	*Iwo Jima Memorial*, Arlington, VA. Official US Marine Corps Photo, by CPL B. M. Richman.	Robert M. Cieri
84k	Precommissioning Detail Iwo Jima (LPH-2) fitting out at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. circa September 1960 to August 1961.	Brian Kroenung
77k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "NAVSEA Journal."	Bob Bush
104k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway in the Atlantic with an unidentified LPD, date unknown.	Robert Hurst
133k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** getting underway, date and location unknown.	© Ted Meyers
111k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** getting underway, date and location unknown.	© Ted Meyers
80k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** off the coast of South Vietnam, 1965.	Photo by LT. Richard Dawson USS Renville.
84k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** at San Diego, CA., 5 February 1966	© Richard Leonhardt
84k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** at San Diego, CA., 5 February 1966	© Richard Leonhardt
386k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** at anchor while assigned as flagship of Task Force 130, the Apollo 13 Recovery Mission, in April of 1970	Gerd Matthes
88k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway in the Mediterranean Sea, June 1976	© Richard Leonhardt
71k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** moored pierside at Marseille, France, date unknown.	Photo by Philippe Gonzales
70k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway in the Mediterranean Sea, June 1976	© Richard Leonhardt
91k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway, date and location unknown.	.
100k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)**, at Barcelona, Spain, 11 November 1976. Aerial view showing SPN-35 blind-landing radar (in the large radome abaft the island) and two Sea Sparrow BPDMS launchers substituted for twin 3"/50 gun mounts (forward of the island and on the port quarter).	Photo by Fabio Peña
75k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)**, at Barcelona, Spain, 11 November 1976. Broadside view with port elevator folded up.	Photo by Fabio Peña
52k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2), at Barcelona, Spain, 11 November 1976. Stern view of Iwo Jima**'s stern and port quarter. Note Sea Sparrow BPDMS launcher on port sponson, twin 3"/50 mount on starboard sponson.	Photo by Fabio Peña
51k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)**, at Naval Station Rota, Spain, date unknown.	Photo by Manolo Budiño
1051k	A port bow view of *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway, 30 April 1979. The "Iwo" and her crew recently completed field exercises at Puerto Rico. She is en route to New York City, where the ship will serve as the host for the Bob Hope Birthday special in May. DOD photo # DM-ST-82-09954 ATLANTIC OCEAN (30 April 1979), a US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. McGee, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri
1528k	A starboard bow view of *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway, 30 April 1979, fresh from field exercises at Puerto Rico. She is en route to New York City, where the ship will serve as the host for the Bob Hope Birthday special in May. DOD photo # DM-ST-82-09955 ATLANTIC OCEAN (30 April 1979), a US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. McGee, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri
1146k	Bow on view of *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway, 30 April 1979, en route to New York City, where the ship will serve as the host for the Bob Hope Birthday special in May. DOD photo # DM-ST-82-09953 ATLANTIC OCEAN (30 April 1979), a US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. McGee, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri
1348k	During the Bob Hope Show aboard *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)*, Bob Hope, Charo and Don Knotts do a skit about the Navy. DOD photo # DM-ST-82-09960 NEW YORK CITY (29 May 1979)*, a US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. McGee, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri
1376k	Following the Bob Hope Birthday Special show aboard *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)*, Bob Hope is honored with a cake for his 76th birthday. DOD photo # DM-ST-82-09951 NEW YORK CITY (29 May 1979)*, a US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. McGee, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri
89k	Overhead view of *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway in 1980. Note the Navy and Marine aviation squadrons on parade on the flight deck. US Navy photo	Robert M. Cieri
90k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway in 1980, location unknown. US Navy photo	Robert M. Cieri
85k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway during NATO Teamwork exercise in Norway, September 1980. US Navy photo	Robert M. Cieri
58k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo.	.
43k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon 1982.	Pete Harlem, Courtesy Mario Mederos, USMC
1464k	An aerial starboard bow view of Iwo Jima (LPH-2) underway , 24 April 1984, during Exercise Ocean Venture '84, which is a multi-service operational exercise simulating an amphibious landing on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico DOD photo # DF-ST-85-09853 CARIBBEAN SEA 20 April 1984), a US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ken Hammond., now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri
117k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway in 1990, location unknown. US Navy photo	Robert M. Cieri
86k	*USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** underway, date and location unknown. © Atlantic Fleet Sales, Norfolk, VA.	Robert M. Cieri
1189k	Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2) look on as she moves away from the pier. Iwo Jima** is deploying to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Desert Shield. DOD photo # DM-ST-91-04105 MOREHEAD CITY, North Carolina (11 January 1991), at USMC photo by LCPL Graham, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri
1260k	CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters line the deck of *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2)** as she departs Morehead City Port Authority for deployment to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield. DOD photo # DM-ST-91-04286 MOREHEAD CITY, North Carolina (11 January 1991), a USMC photo by LCPL Graham, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri
1088k	An aerial view of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard looking west/northwest, 30 October 1995. The shipyard closed, 30 September 1995, but the Navy Intermediate Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) continues to store decommissioned ships. Vessels visible , left to right: the battleships *USS Iowa* (BB-61), and USS Wisconsin (BB-64) at the DD wharf; USS Sylvania (AFS-2), USS Milwaukee (AOR-2) and USS Savannah (AOR-4) at pier 5; the aircraft carriers USS Forrestal (CV-59) and USS Saratoga (CV-60); at pier 4; the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) and USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7) at pier 2. In the back pool is the heavy cruiser USS Des Moines (CA-134)** and numerous destroyers and frigates.DOD photo # DN-SC-97-00422 PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (30 October 1995), a US Navy photo by Robert J. Sitar, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.mil.	Robert M. Cieri