USS Peleliu (LHA-5) was commissioned on 3 May, 1980 at Pascagoula, Mississippi. Last of the Tarawa-class ships, she was one of 24 U.S. ships that provided humanitarian relief following the 17 October 1989 earthquake in the San Francisco area.
USS Peleliu provided shelter for 300 victims and provided helicopter support. Frigate
Lang provided steam for power generation, frigate
Gray provided electric power, and guided missile cruiser
Texas provided communications support. Helicopter detachments also flew from combat support oiler
Kansas City and ammunition ship
Flint, and Marines from the LST
Schenectady aided local relief efforts.
Lt. Joel Todd Martinique died and five were injured when a UH-1N Huey helicopter hit the water after taking off from
Peleliu in October 1993. The aircraft was conducting a medical evacuation mission for a suspected appendicitis victim. Lt. Martinique, a naval doctor, was accompanying the patient when the Huey went into the water. The aircraft was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 163(C).
In 2001
USS Peleliu participated in
Operation Enduring Freedom, with troops embarked from her making an air assault to take a desert airstrip in southern Afghanistan later known as Forward Operating Base (FOB) or Camp Rhino. This 400-mile mission was the longest-ever air assault in US Navy history. Camp Rhino map:
https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/camp-rhino/view/google/
The following November, Marines from
Peleliu took part in
Exercise Image Nautilus, a humanitarian assistance operation in Djibouti, providing medical and dental care to almost 1,400 Djiboutians, and helping repair a local clinic.
In 2007
USS Peleliu provided medical assistance and training to several South Asian nations, including Vietnam, the Philippines, and the Marshall Islands, as part of a multinational effort,
Pacific Partnership.
The next year,
Peleliu successfully deterred an armed piracy incident while assigned to
Operation Iraqi Freedom, saving the targeted ship with no injuries.
When Pakistan was subjected to record flooding in 2010,
USS Peleliu carried out rescue operations with her helicopters. Despite reported Taliban threats and the killing of three Christian missionaries in Pakistan,
Peleliu continued the mission. Although 2000 died, many more would have been victims without the humanitarian aid offered by the United States and other nations.
USS Peleliu was decommissioned at San Diego, California in 2015 and towed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where she is laid up in reserve.
The ship's history:
https://www.history.navy.mil/.../p/peleliu--lha-5-.html
LHA-5: Displacement 26,255 (light), 39,925 tons (full)
Length 820’; Beam 106’; Draft 27’; Speed 24 knots
Complement 964, troop capacity 1,900+
Armament: 2 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers
2 x Phalanx 20 mm CIWS mount
3 x .50 caliber machine guns
4 x 25 mm Mk 38 machine guns
Aircraft: 12 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters
4 CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters
6 AV-8B Harrier attack aircraft
3 UH-1N Huey helicopters
4 AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters
Landing/attack craft: 4 Landing Craft, Utility (LCU) or
2 LCUs and 1 Landing Craft, Air Cushion
USS Peleliu (LHA-5) underway in the Pacific Ocean off Peleliu Island, 6 February 1984. (Photographer’s Mate, Second Class G. Leech, U.S. Navy Photograph NH 107658 from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command).
15th MEU Special Operations Capable AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters launch from Peleliu in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, 13 October 2001. (Lance Cpl. Matthew J. Decker, U.S. Marine Corps Photograph 011013-M-9933D-009, Navy.mil Photos).
Peleliu anchors for well deck operations and flight quarters in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 8 January 2002. (Photographers Mate 3rd Class Ryan M. Kitchell, U.S. Navy Photograph 020108-N-9467K-161, Navy.mil Photos).
An MH-60S Seahawk takes off from Peleliu carrying disaster relief supplies to Pakistan, 6 September 2010. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ian Campbell, U.S. Navy Photograph 100906-N-1485C-410, Navy.mil Photos).
Peleliu underway in the Philippine Sea, 22 October 2014. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua Hammond, U.S. Navy Photograph 141022-N-NZ935-057, Navy.mil Photos).Peleliu underway in the Pacific Ocean off Peleliu Island, 6 February 1984. (Photographer’s Mate, Second Class G. Leech, U.S. Navy Photograph NH 107658 from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command).
