USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2)

USS Iwo Jima off the United States East Coast in April 1979
History
United States
Name	Iwo Jima
Namesake	Battle of Iwo Jima
Builder	Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Laid down	2 April 1959
Launched	17 September 1960
Commissioned	26 August 1961
Decommissioned	14 July 1993
Stricken	24 September 1993
Identification	Callsign: NXXG Hull number: LPH-2
Fate	Scrapped, 18 December 1995
General characteristics
Class and type	Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship
Displacement	18,474 tons (full) 11,000 tons (light)
Length	592 ft (180 m)
Beam	84 ft (26 m)
Draught	27 ft (8.2 m)
Propulsion	2 × 600 psi (4.1 MPa) boilers, one geared steam turbine, one shaft, 22,000 shaft horsepower (16 MW)
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h)
Range	11,118km (6,000nm) at 18 knots
Troops	2,000
Complement	667
Armament	Initially: 2 × 2 3-inch (76 mm) / 50 caliber DP guns, 8 cell Sea Sparrow BPDMS launchers, Later: 2 × Phalanx CIWS
Aircraft carried	25 helicopters

USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) was the lead ship of her class and type and the first amphibious assault ship to be designed and built from the keel up as a dedicated helicopter carrier. She carried helicopters and typically embarked USMC elements of a Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU)/later Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) principally the Aviation Combat Element (ACE) to conduct heliborne operations in support of an amphibious operation. There was no well deck to support landing craft movement of personnel or equipment to/from shore. Iwo Jima was the second of three ships of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of Iwo Jima, although the first to be completed and see service (the first was cancelled during construction).