USS Saipan (LHA-2)

USS Saipan underway on 5 April 2004
History
United States
Name	Saipan
Namesake	USS Saipan (CVL-48)
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down	21 July 1972
Launched	20 July 1974
Commissioned	15 October 1977
Decommissioned	25 April 2007[1]
Identification	Callsign: NHOV Hull number: LHA-2
Motto	Omnia Facimus (We do it all)
Fate	Scrapped, 2009
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General characteristics
Class and type	Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship
Displacement	27,165 tons (27,601 t)
Length	820 ft (250 m)
Beam	106 ft (32 m)
Draft	26 ft (7.9 m)
Propulsion	2 × 600 psi combustion engineering boilers 2 × geared steam turbines 60,000 shp (45,000 kW)
Speed	Over 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Troops	Marine detachment: 125 officers, 1,730 enlisted
Complement	65 officers, 1,009 enlisted
Armament	2 × RAM launchers 2 × Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS 3 × .50-caliber M2HB machine gun 6 × Mk 38 25 mm cannons

USS Saipan (LHA-2) was a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship, the second United States Navy ship named in honor of the World War II Battle of Saipan. Commissioned in 1977, the ship saw service until 2007 when she was decommissioned. In 2009 the ship was sold for scrapping.