USS Essex (LHD-2)

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Career
Ordered:	10 September 1986
Laid down:	20 March 1989
Launched:	23 February 1991
Commissioned:	17 October 1992
Status:	Active in service as of 2007
Homeport:	Sasebo, Japan
General Characteristics
Displacement:	40236 tons
Length:	844 ft (257 m)
Beam:	110 ft (34 m)
Draft:
Propulsion:	Geared steam turbines
Speed:
Range:
Complement:	73 officers, 1009 enlisted (without Marines embarked)
Armament:
Aircraft:
Motto:	Take Notice
Nickname:	"The Iron Gator"

USS Essex (LHD-2) is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship commissioned on 17 October 1992. Dick Cheney, then the Secretary of Defense in the first Bush Administration, spoke at the commissioning ceremony; the Essex was moored at North Island NAS, next to the Kitty Hawk (CV-63). Essex conducted an arduous and highly successful training program, during the spring and summer of 1993, and during September of that year, she was in dry dock in Long Beach harbor for about three months and her crew were at 4 section duty. Her maiden deployment was in October 1994. With the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) embarked, Essex showcased her abilities on numerous occasions. The highlight of the deployment came in January of 1995, when she left the Persian Gulf to prepare for the complex task of covering the withdrawal of UN multinational force from Somalia in Operation United Shield. Under fire from advancing Somalis, every member of the force was successfully extracted. Essex returned to San Diego on 25 April 1995.

After a short maintenance period, Essex embarked on a vigorous workup cycle, culminating in her participation in RIMPAC ?96, a biennial, seven-nation naval exercise. On 10 October 1996, she embarked on her second Western Pacific deployment, with the 11th MEU (SOC) and Amphibious Squadron FIVE.

During the deployment, Essex participated in multinational exercises with Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, as well as Exercise Tandem Thrust ?97, an American-Australian combined exercise with over 28,000 troops, 250 aircraft and 40 ships participating.

Upon her return in April 1997, Essex again went into a short maintenance period, followed by a shortened workup cycle. She then departed for her third Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf deployment on 22 June 1998 with the 15th MEU (SOC) and Amphibious Squadron FIVE.

Essex participated in Exercises Sea Soldier and Red Reef, and participated in Military SALT and Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations with the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. Additionally, Essex supported Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the UN-mandated no-fly zone over southern Iraq.

On 26 July 2000, after successful completion of the largest crew swap in U.S. Navy history, Essex replaced Belleau Wood (LHA-3) and inherited the distinctive role as the Navy?s only permanently forward-deployed Amphibious Assault Ship in Sasebo, Japan.

In the role, Essex participated in humanitarian assistance/disaster relief operations in East Timor in October and November 2001; Foal Eagle in Korea in 2002; and the Philippines mudslide recovery in February 2006.

In 2004, Essex carried the 31st MEU to Kuwait. Along with Harpers Ferry and Juneau. Essex stayed in the Persian Gulf while the 31st MEU and the combat element 1st Battalion, 3d Marines, went into Iraq for the Battle of Fallujah. During that time, Essex went to aid in the Humanitarian missions in Banda Aceh, Indonesia after the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2005. She then returned to the Persian Gulf to embark the 31st MEU and the combat element despite being in need of maintenance. After picking up the MEU and the Combat Element, the three ships returned to Okinawa, Japan. The ship had been at sea a total of 8 months.

Since her commissioning, Essex has received numerous awards, including all of the warfare excellence awards, seven Battle ?E? awards (most recently in 2006 [1]), the Golden Anchor Award for retention, the Ney Award for food service excellence, the Thompson Award for public affairs excellence, the Ogden Award for firefighting excellence, and the Chief of Naval Operations and Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific Safety Award.

Essex is also featured in the computer game Battlefield 2 as the base of operations for the United States Marines in several maps, including one called "The Iron Gator" after Essex's nickname where US SEALS fight Middle Eastern Coalition special forces unit within the corridors of the ship. In Battlefield 2, the Essex serves as a spawn and launch point for AH-64 Apache, AH-1W SuperCobra, SH-60B Seahawk helicopters in addition to several F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-18 Hornet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Essex_%28LHD-2%29