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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive


Patch contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

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 (Lebanon) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba, Vietnam, Lebanon)
Fourth Row - Vietnam Service Medal (8) - Southwest Asia Service Medal - Armed Forces Service Medal (3)
Fifth Row - Humanitarian Service Medal (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:

    Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Advisory Campaign
    1 to 11 November 1963
    30 April to 3 May 1965
    7 May to 12 June 1965
    30 June to 3 July 1965
    Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase IV
    2 April to 19 May 1968
    Vietnam Defense
    17 to 23 August 1965
    11 September to 10 October 1965
    Tet/69 Counteroffensive
    26 to 28 May 1969
    5 to 8 June 1969
    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
    Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    9 June to 20 July 1969
    7 August to 22 September 1969
    3 to 7 October 1969
    Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase III
    3 November 1967
    14 November 1967 to 3 January 1968
    17 to 29 January 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
    Tet Counteroffensive
    30 January to 15 Mary 1968
    26 March to 1 April 1968
     

  • Decommissioned, 14 July 1993, at Norfolk, VA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 24 September 1993
  • Iwo Jima earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with eight campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 18 December 1995, by the Defense Reutilization and Marking Service (DRMS), scrapped at Brownsville, TX.
    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 propeller, 22,000 shp

    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Iwo Jima 73k Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington, VA.
    Official US Marine Corps Photo, by CPL B. M. Richman.
    Robert M. Cieri
    Iwo Jima 351k Christening of the Iwo Jima (LPH-2)Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 17 September 1960, at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA. The caption that accompanied the photo reads: "Somebody Goofed. A champagne bottle slipped out of its metal container and fell unbroken into the water as Mrs. Harry Schmidt tried in vain to break the bottle during christening ceremonies of the amphibious assault ship, Iwo Jima, yesterday at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard." /font> Dale Hargrave
    Iwo Jima 349 Launching of Iwo Jima (LPH-2) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, 17 September 1960. Iwo Jima was the first ship of her type built from the keel up by the Navy. Dale Hargrave
    Iwo Jima 84k Iwo Jima (LPH-2) under construction at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, 3 April 1961. The ship was 85% completed on this date. Photo - Brian Kroenung
    Caption - Tommy Trampp
    Iwo Jima 42k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) at anchor off Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. circa August - September 1961.
    Official US Navy photos from US Naval Shipyard Puget Sound.
    Robert Hurst
    Iwo Jima 65k
    Iwo Jima 104k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) underway in the Atlantic with an unidentified LPD, date unknown. Robert Hurst
    Iwo Jima 133k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) getting underway, date and location unknown. © Ted Meyers
    Iwo Jima 111k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) getting underway, date and location unknown. © Ted Meyers
    Iwo Jima 91k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) underway, in Puget Sound, 2 November 1961.  
    Iwo Jima 224k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) underway in 1963, location unknown. Note the US Marine Corps Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopters parked on the flight deck.
    US Navy Official photo.
    Robert Hurst
    Iwo Jima 80k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) off the coast of South Vietnam, 1965. Photo by LT. Richard Dawson USS Renville.
    Iwo Jima 84k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) at San Diego, CA., 5 February 1966 © Richard Leonhardt
    Iwo Jima 84k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) at San Diego, CA., 5 February 1966 © Richard Leonhardt
    Iwo Jima 120k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) Chinese Military Training, U.S. Navy Ships Poster (Wall Chart), Chinese People's Liberation Army 1966 Tommy Trampp
    Iwo Jima
    101102134
    92k 2/4 Marines boarding HMM-363 UH-34 Seahorses on USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), March 1968.
    USMC photo by Corporal Joe Brand from the Jonathan F. Abel Collection (COLL/3611) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division. This image was originally posted to Flickr by Archives Branch, USMC History Division at https://flickr.com/photos/60868061@N04/29338510155
    Robert Hurst
    Iwo Jima 389k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) under way off the coast of Vietnam, circa February 1969, bow and stern views respectively. Lacy Lee for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 336k
    Iwo Jima 219k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) moored pierside at Danang, Vietnam during the monsoon season in 1969.
    Photo by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 287k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) mast and pirate flag for the “Crossing the Line” ceremony on the way to the landing zone.
    Photo by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 222k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) crew looks on as Apollo 13 decends to the ocean surface. Note the helicopter upper far right.
    Photo by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 308k The Apollo 13 recovery helicopter landing aboard USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) with astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr., John L. Swigert Jr., and James A. Lovell Jr. 17 April 1970.
    Photo by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee RM1 USN Ret for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN Ret USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 263k Apollo 13 astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr., John L. Swigert Jr. and James A. Lovell Jr. depart the recovery helicopter and speak to the crew and news media on the flight deck of USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), 17 April 1970.
    Photo by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee RM1 USN Ret for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN Ret. USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 315k
    Iwo Jima 195k
    Iwo Jima 420k Rear Admiral Donald C. Davis, Commanding Officer of Task Force 130, the Pacific Recovery Forces for the Manned Spacecraft Missions, welcomes the Apollo 13 crew members aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission. The crew members (from the left) astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr. (waving), lunar module pilot; John L. Swigert Jr., command module pilot; and James A. Lovell Jr., commander; were transported by helicopter to the ship following a smooth splash down about four miles from USS Iwo Jima. Splash down occurred at 12:07:44 p.m. (CST), April 17, 1970, to safely conclude a perilous space flight.
    NASA # S70-35606 (17 April 1970)
    Bill Gonyo
    Iwo Jima 276k After resting and cleaning up Apollo 13 astronauts speak to the crew and news media in the hanger deck of USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), 17 April 1970.
    Photo by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee RM1 USN Ret for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN Ret. USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 338k The cake baked and decorated by USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) bakers to celebrate the save return of the Apollo astronauts.
    Photo by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee RM1 USN Ret for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN Ret. USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 343k The Apollo 13 Command Module being loaded aboard USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) after being recovered, 17 April 1970.
    Photos by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee RM1 USN for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN Ret USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 338k
    Iwo Jima 293k The Apollo 13 Command Module practice capsule used by to train scuba divers prior to actual recovery on 17 April 1970.
    Photo by H.R. Adams CSC USN
    Lacy Lee RM1 USN Ret for his father-in-law H.R. Adams CSC USN Ret USS Iwo Jima
    Iwo Jima 513k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) crewmen hoist the Apollo 13 Command Module aboard ship. The Apollo 13 crewmen were already aboard Iwo Jima when this photo was taken. The Apollo 13 spacecraft splashed down at 12:07:44 p.m., 17 April 1970 in the South Pacific Ocean.
    NASA photo from JSC Digital Image Collection # S70-35632 & GRIN (Great Images In NASA) GPN-2000-001105
    Robert Hurst
    Iwo Jima 666k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) at anchor, date and location unknown.
    official US Navy photograph.
    Douglas Church, Storekeeper USS Iwo Jima 1974-77
    Iwo Jima 132k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) moored pierside at Morehead City, N.C. while loading Marines and their equipment for a regularly scheduled deployment to the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, 16-17 October 1973.
    AP wirephotos.
    Tommy Trampp
    Iwo Jima 134k
    Iwo Jima 256k
    Iwo Jima 88k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) underway in the Mediterranean Sea, June 1976 © Richard Leonhardt
    Iwo Jima 71k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) moored pierside at Marseille, France, May 1975. Photo by Philippe Gonzales
    Iwo Jima 70k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) underway in the Mediterranean Sea, June 1976 © Richard Leonhardt
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 75k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), at Barcelona, Spain, 11 November 1976.
    Broadside view with port elevator folded up.
    Photo by Fabio Peña
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 51k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), at Naval Station Rota, Spain, March/April 1975. Iwo Jima seen here swapping out her starboard aircraft elevator with that taken from her sister ship USS Guam (LPH-9). The elevator swap was required after Iwo Jima collided with her flagship after losing steering control in the mid-Atlantic, during an UNREP while enroute from Norfolk. VA. to Rota Spain. The crane visible on the Iwo Jima's starboard quarter was used to effect this exchange. Photo by Manolo Budiño
    Iwo Jima 83k A Marine Corps CH-46D Sea Knight from HMM-261 operating aboard USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) in 1978.
    US Navy photo and text from "United States Navy Aircraft since 1911" by Gordon Swanborough & Peter M. Bowers.
    Robert Hurst
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 90k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) under way in 1980, location unknown.
    US Navy photo
    Robert M. Cieri
    Iwo Jima 85k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) under way during NATO Teamwork exercise in Norway, September 1980.
    US Navy photo
    Robert M. Cieri
    Iwo Jima 182k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) circa October/November 1980, location unknown. Photos by Veryl J. Nelson Sgt. USMC
    Iwo Jima 152k
    Iwo Jima 128k
    Iwo Jima 58k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) under way, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo.
    .
    Iwo Jima 43k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon 1982. Pete Harlem, Courtesy Mario Mederos, USMC
    Iwo Jima 1464k An aerial starboard bow view of Iwo Jima (LPH-2) under way , 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
    Iwo Jima 836k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) under way in the harbor at Genoa, Italy, 15 April 1988, during a routine port visit. Photo by Carlo Martinelli
    Iwo Jima 245k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) moored pierside, Palma de Mallorca (Majorca), Spain, circa 1980s. Photo by Jaume Cifre Sanchez
    Iwo Jima 117k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) under way in 1990, location unknown.
    US Navy photo
    Robert M. Cieri
    Iwo Jima 86k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) underway, date and location unknown.
    © Atlantic Fleet Sales, Norfolk, VA.
    Robert M. Cieri
    Iwo Jima 104k USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) underway, date and location unknown. Tommy Trampp
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 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
    Iwo Jima 122k Decommissioned USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1994 prior to being towed to Camden, N.J. for stripping before being towed to Brownsville, TX. for scrapping. Photo by Ron Reeves
    Iwo Jima 87k View Northeast of the waterfront at the Philadelphia Navy Yard from the 350 ton crane in 1995. The decommissioned USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) is tied up to Pier 2.
    US Library of Congress HAER PA,51-PHILA,709—4
    Mike Green
    Iwo Jima 114k Looking south of Dry Dock No.1 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard with the ex-USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) in the background in mid-1995, prior to the ship being towed to Brownsville, TX. for scrapping.
    US Library of Congress, HAER PA,51-PHILA,709A—1
    Mike Green

    Additional Ships Patches
    Iwo Jima
    Contributed by Mike Smolinski
    Iwo Jima
    Contributed by Tommy Trampp
    Iwo Jima
    Contributed by Maj. Robert Bourlier
    USA Ret. 1976 - Med Cruise


    For more photos and information about USS Iwo Jima, see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
  • Memorabilia
  • USS Iwo Jima Class Association

  • Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Harris, Thomas David26 August 1961 - 24 October 1962
    02CAPT. Harmon, Leonard Edward24 October 1962 - 23 November 1963
    03CAPT. Paul, Paul Moore23 November 1963 - 30 November 1964
    04CAPT. Scott, David Adam30 November 1964 - 21 December 1965
    05CAPT. Boe, Nils William21 December 1965 - 7 January 1967
    06CAPT. Timmes, Francis Xavier7 January 1967 - 15 December 1967
    07CAPT. Shepherd, John Tyler, USN (USNA 1943)15 December 1967 - 4 February 1969
    08CAPT. Casey Jr., Martin Michael4 February 1969 - 12 February 1970
    09CAPT. Kirkemo, Leland Erwin12 February 1970 - 13 February 1971
    10CAPT. Toole Jr., Wycliffe David (Wick), RADM13 February 1971 - 16 May 1972
    11CAPT. Callaghan Jr., William McCombe, VADM16 May 1972 - 5 September 1973
    12CAPT. Josephson, John Vernon, USN (USNA 1949)5 September 1973 - 10 February 1975
    13CAPT. Powell Jr., James Richard10 February 1975 - 14 July 1976
    14CAPT. Hawkins, Phil R.14 July 1976 - 29 June 1978
    15CAPT. Brown Jr., Walter H.29 June 1978 - 12 January 1980
    16CAPT. Lawson, Ramsey 12 January 1980 - 8 January 1981
    17CAPT. Dougherty Jr., William Adam :VADM8 January 1981 - 8 September 1982
    18CAPT. Jones Jr., Arden W.8 September 1982 - 23 February 1984
    19CAPT. Merrill, Hugh Anthony23 February 1984 - 15 August 1985
    20CAPT. Phimister, Stephen15 August 1985 - 24 April 1987
    21CAPT. Hayden, William Buford (T-Ball) :RADM24 April 1987 - 3 November 1988
    22CAPT. Pyle, Kenneth Lawrence, USN (USNA 1968) 3 November 1988 - 4 May 1990
    23CAPT. O'Hearn, Michael Steven, USN (USNA 1967)4 May 1990 - 1 November 1991
    24CAPT. Zia, Ralph K.1 November 1991 - 14 July 1993
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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