USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3)
737716
216045559
2008-05-30T20:55:12Z
207.10.77.194
{{otherships|USS Belleau Wood}}
{|{{Infobox Ship Begin}}
{{Infobox Ship Image
|Ship image=[[Image:bwandlandingcraft.jpg|300px|USS Belleau Wood prepares to receive a Marine landing craft]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Belleau Wood'' prepares to receive a Marine landing craft
}}
{{Infobox Ship Career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=US
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1969}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=[[15 November]] [[1969]]
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=[[5 March]] [[1973]]
|Ship launched=[[11 April]] [[1977]]
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=[[23 September]] [[1978]]
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=[[28 October]] [[2005]]
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=[[28 October]] [[2005]]
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=[[San Diego, California]]
|Ship identification=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship honors=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate={{Ship fate box target}}, [[13 July]] [[2006]]
|Ship status=
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=
|Ship type=
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=40,000 tons
|Ship tons burthen=
|Ship length={{convert|820|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|106|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|26|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=Steam Turbine
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed=24 knots (44 km/h)
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=930 officers and men, 2000 Marines plus equipment
|Ship crew=
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=2 × 21 cell [[RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile|RAM]] launchers, <br/>2 × 20 mm [[Phalanx CIWS]], <br/>4 × 25 mm [[M242 Bushmaster#Naval|Mk 38 Bushmaster]] gun mounts, <br/>5 × .50 cal mounts
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=30 [[helicopter]]s
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Belleau Wood'' (LHA-3)''', nicknamed "Devil Dog", was the third [[United States Navy]] [[Tarawa class amphibious assault ship|''Tarawa''-class]] [[amphibious assault ship]]. She was the second ship named after the [[battle of Belleau Wood]] in [[World War I]]. The latter of the two ships serves as the backdrop for a military tribunal in [[James W. Huston's]] novel [[Secret Justice]].
Her keel was laid down on [[5 March]] [[1973]] at [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]], by [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]]. She was launched on [[11 April]] [[1977]], and commissioned on [[23 September]] [[1978]], Captain T.C. Steele in command.
''Belleau Wood'' was the third of five ships in a new class of general-purpose amphibious assault ships and combined in one ship type the functions previously performed by four different types: the amphibious assault ship (LPH), the [[amphibious transport dock]] (LPD), the [[amphibious cargo ship]] (LKA), and the [[Dock Landing Ship|dock landing ship]] (LSD). She was capable of landing elements of a [[United States Marine Corps]] battalion landing team and their supporting equipment by [[landing craft]], by [[helicopter]]s, or by a combination of both.
==Ship history==
Homeported in [[Naval Station San Diego|NS San Diego, California]] in October 1978, ''Belleau Wood'' participated in her first full-scale operation in 1979 off the coast of [[Hawaii]]. In early 1979 she reported for a one-year engine overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard.
''Belleau Wood'' began her first major deployment in January 1981. The ship rescued 150 [[Vietnam]]ese refugees, earning the crew the Humanitarian Service Medal. The deployment included three major exercises and eight port visits. ''Belleau Wood'' returned to San Diego in August 1981.
In August 1982, the ship began its second deployment and participated in four major amphibious exercises including JADE TIGER 83. ''Belleau Wood'''s third successful deployment ran from January to July 1984. The ship then completed an 11-month complex overhaul at [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]], [[Bremerton, Washington]].
In January 1987, ''Belleau Wood'' got underway for her fourth deployment. The crew participated in four major exercises, including the first winter amphibious exercises conducted in the [[Aleutian Islands]] since [[World War II]], and introduced the ship to the [[AV-8 Harrier II|AV-8B Harrier]] jump jet. The ship also received the Admiral Flatley Memorial Award in 1987 for Aviation Safety.
In January 1989, ''Belleau Wood'' departed for the Western Pacific. Over the next five months, the ship participated in Exercise ''Team Spirit'' 89 in [[Korea]] and Exercise VALIANT USHER in the [[Philippines]] and Korea.
On [[4 October]] [[1989]], the ship hosted the Minister of Defense of the [[Soviet Union]] during his historic visit to the United States.
''Belleau Wood'' entered her second complex overhaul at the [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard]] in [[Long Beach, California]] in 1990. Major work included an upgrade to [[CIWS]] and installation of the [[Rolling Airframe Missile]] (RAM) System.
On [[31 August]] [[1992]], ''Belleau Wood'' sailed out of San Diego for the last time, bound for its new homeport in [[U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo|Sasebo]], [[Japan]]. During this transit, the ship provided disaster relief to the people of [[Kauai|Kauai, Hawaii]] after [[Hurricane Iniki]] ravaged the island. For this, the crew was awarded its second [[Humanitarian Service Medal]]. Upon arrival in Japan, ''Belleau Wood'' joined [[Amphibious Group 1]] and [[Amphibious Squadron 11]], and became the only forward deployed large deck amphibious ship in the world.
On [[27 October]] [[1992]], [[Petty Officer Third Class]] [[Allen Schindler|Allen R. Schindler, Jr]], who was rumored among the crew to be homosexual, was brutally murdered in a park in Sasebo by two shipmates, a case that emerged into the public eye months later as newly-elected president Bill Clinton unveiled his "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.
On [[24 November]] [[1992]], ''Belleau Wood'' became the last ship to sail out of the Philippines while conducting the final withdrawal of U.S. Forces from [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay|Subic Bay Naval Base]] and [[Naval Air Station Cubi Point]].
Following her move to Japan, ''Belleau Wood'' became a familiar sight at joint military exercises such as ''Valiant Usher'' in [[Australia]], ''Team Spirit'' in Korea, ''Cobra Gold'' in [[Thailand]] and ''Tandem Thrust'' near [[Guam]]. ''Belleau Wood'' also became the first large-deck Navy ship to undergo pierside maintenance by COMLOGWESTPAC, [[Singapore]]. ''Belleau Wood'' participated in the [[World War II]] 50th anniversary commemoration ceremonies in [[Guam]] and the [[Philippines]] and served off the coast of [[Somalia]] in 1995 as the command platform for [[Operation United Shield]].
In July 2000, ''Belleau Wood'' took part in the largest crew swap to date when she was relieved as forward deployed amphibious assault ship. The procedure started when [[USS Essex (LHD-2)|USS ''Essex'' (LHD-2)]] arrived in Sasebo on [[13 July]] [[2000]]. The swap was part of a planned rotation of forward deployed naval forces in Japan, and was the third crew-swap exchange. The ships’ crews simply switched ships, minimizing the impact of moving families from homeport to homeport. Sailors in Sasebo assigned to USS ''Belleau Wood'', moved on to ''Essex'', while Sailors from San Diego assigned to ''Essex'' moved aboard ''Belleau Wood''. ''Belleau Wood'' and the San Diego-based crew then returned to San Diego in mid-August to begin overhaul and maintenance cycles.
During 2002, ''Belleau Wood'' was the backdrop for the making of the movie ''Antwone Fisher'' staring Derek Luke, Joy Bryant, and Denzel Washington.
In November 2003, ''Belleau Wood'' was the site of another first when Brigadier General [[Joseph V. Medina]] took command of the Expeditionary Strike Group ''Three'', of which ''Belleau Wood'' was the flagship. This event marked the first time in history that a [[United States Marine Corps]] officer took command of a Naval flotilla.
The ship was decommissioned on [[28 October]] [[2005]]. It was sunk as part of [[RIMPAC]] '06 exercises on [[13 July]] [[2006]].
==Significance of the name==
[[Image:bwbigdawg.png|right|thumbnail|USS ''Belleau Wood'' mascot as displayed on the island superstructure. Artwork by DM2 Artilles Faxas]]
The ship was named in memory of the [[World War I]] [[Battle of Belleau Wood]]. United States Marines of the Fourth Brigade, [[American Expeditionary Forces]], stopped the last major [[Germany|German]] offensive of the war. The Marines reportedly fought so ferociously that the Germans respectfully referred to them as ''Teufelhunden''—Devil Dogs—and it was this moniker that became the ship's mascot, and one of the nicknames for US Marines (Devil Dog).
</br>
==Coat of arms==
[[Image:LHA-3 CoA.png|left|220px|USS ''Belleau Wood'' Coat of Arms]]The official seal of ''Belleau Wood'' is a blend of symbols. An image of a fighting U.S. Marine is at the center of the plaque. The leatherneck is in World War I battle dress. He carries a [[rifle]] with [[bayonet]], and seems to be beckoning someone to follow him. Surrounding the figure are the gold cross, shield and swords of the [[Croix de guerre]], the [[France|French]] medal awarded to the Marines who distinguished themselves at Belleau Wood. In that tradition, Marines of the Fourth Brigade are permitted to wear the French [[fourragère]] to this day.
Twelve gold battle stars in a field of blue line the top of this plaque. They stand for the World War II record of the ship's namesake, [[USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)|USS ''Belleau Wood'']] (CVL-24). The gap between the sixth and seventh stars represents the ship's only break in her war record. On [[30 October]] [[1944]], while off [[Leyte Gulf]], ''Belleau Wood'' was struck by a [[kamikaze]] airplane. The ship then had to undergo repairs and an overhaul, hence the gap.
Blue and gold, prevailing hues of the plaque, are traditional colors of the Navy. The tricolor (red over white over blue) is a reminder that the Battle of Belleau Wood occurred in France, and that Marines who gave their lives at Belleau Wood did so in the defense of another nation's freedom. The segments also bring to mind the colors of the United States.
== References ==
* Much of the information for this article came from the USS ''Belleau Wood'' Public Affairs Office.
==External links==
*[http://www.greenmarines.com/PhotoGalleries/tabid/61/Default.aspx United Shield Pictures Aboard USS ''Belleau Wood'' at greenmarines.com]
*[http://history.navy.mil/danfs/b4/belleau_wood.htm USS ''Belleau Wood'' at history.navy.mil]
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/0703.htm USS ''Belleau Wood'' at Navsource.org]
*[http://navysite.de/ships/lha3.htm USS ''Belleau Wood'' at Navysite.de]
*[http://www.ussbelleauwood.com/ USS ''Belleau Wood'' Veterans' Association homepage]
*[http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060220/NEWS08/602200323/1001/NEWS/ Honolulu Advertiser article about ship in mothballs]
*[http://www.strategypage.com/gallery/articles/military_photos_200672004030.asp Pictures of the sinking of USS ''Belleau Wood'' at StrategyPage.com]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/LHA-3 LHA-3 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]
* [http://www.uscarriers.net/lha3history.htm USS Belleau Wood history at U.S. Carriers]
{{Tarawa_class_amphibious_assault_ship}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belleau Wood (LHA-3)}}
[[Category:Tarawa class amphibious assault ships]]
[[Category:Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States]]
[[de:USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3)]]
[[ja:ベロー・ウッド (強襲揚陸艦)]]