USS Whidbey Island
In February 1981, the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Shipbuilding Company of Seattle, Washington, a contract to construct LSD-41, first of a new Dock Landing Ship class to replace the aging Thomaston-class LSDs.Whidbey Island deployed to the Mediterranean for the second time in December 1988 with MARG 1-89, participating in three major landing exercises with the Spanish, French and Italian navies before returning to homeport in June 1989.After further steaming around the Western Mediterranean in support of Operation Desert Storm, Whidbey Island returned to homeport March 1991 from her extended seven-month deployment.On 5 December 1991 Whidbey Island deployed with MARG 1-92 representing the Amphibious Ready Group's operations in the Black Sea with a series of port calls.At the turn of 1995, Whidbey Island along with Wasp and Shreveport participated in NATO cold weather training in the North Atlantic for Exercise Strong Resolve 95.During this deployment, the ship participated in Exercises Atlas Hinge, Odysseus 95, Noble Shirley, Bright Star and Alexander the Great, spending over three months in the Adriatic Sea in support of peacekeeping operations for the Dayton Peace Accords in the former Yugoslavia.On 3 June 1996, Whidbey Island entered Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Company (NORSHIPCO) for a Dry-docking Phased Maintenance Availability (DPMA) and received a Women at Sea Certification.At the completion of the exercise, crew and troops enjoyed a few days in the port of Marmaris, Turkey, before transiting the Suez Canal en route to the North Persian Gulf.While deployed, Whidbey Island's crew visited Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates; Split, Croatia; and Rota, Spain.Following the offload, Whidbey Island deployed to the Northern Persian Gulf in support of Commander Task Force 158, responsible as an Afloat Forward Staging Base.In November 2006, Whidbey Island departed the Northern Persian Gulf and returned home, stopping in Civitavecchia, Italy and Tunis, Tunisia en route, arriving 6 December 2006.On 12 January 2008, the US Navy reported that Whidbey Island had fired warning shots near a small Iranian boat in the Strait of Hormuz in December.
Whidbey IslandNAB Little CreekVirginiaHull numberMMSI numberCallsignWhidbey Island-classdock landing shipdiesel enginesMarinePhalanxRolling Airframe Missile0.5 in (12.7 mm)United States NavyPuget SoundWashingtonNAS Whidbey IslandJoseph Whidbeylaid downLockheed ShipbuildingSeattle, WashingtonlaunchedSenatorSlade GortoncommissionedLockheed Shipbuilding CompanySeattleThomaston-classkeel layingJohn F. LehmanSecretary of the Navyamphibious assault shipU.S. ArmyLanding Craft Air CushionExercise Northern WeddingVeniceSpanishFrenchItalianEuropean TheaterHurricane HugoMonroviaflagshipOperation Sharp EdgeLas PalmasCanary IslandsOperation Desert StormAmphibious Ready GroupBlack SeaSixth FleetUSS InchonSamsunConstanţaBurgasOperation Sea SignallittoralsWest AfricaTierra del FuegoGrand Turk IslandStraits of FloridaOperation Uphold DemocracyShreveport26th Marine Expeditionary UnitAdriatic SeaDayton Peace AccordsYugoslaviaArmed Forces Service MedalNATO MedalNorfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Company22nd Marine Expeditionary UnitBritishEgyptianJordanian Armed ForcesSuez CanalStraits of TiranGibraltarof MessinaAlicanteAntalyaPalermoSouda BayRolling Airframe Missilesmissilesterrorist attacksthe PentagonWorld Trade Center26th MEUSpecial OperationsMarmarisPersian GulfOperation Enduring FreedomJebel AliRota, SpainOperations Noble EagleIwo JimaExpeditionary Strike GroupAfloat Forward Staging BaseCivitavecchiaBattle "E"Little Creek Naval Amphibious BaseHorn of AfricaComorianMV Al MarjanSomali piratesIranianStrait of Hormuz2016 Turkish coup d'état attemptJoint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort StoryNaval Inactive Ship Maintenance FacilityUSNS Apache (T-ATF-172)Maltese CrossUSS Whidbey (AG 141)British CrownPacific NorthwesttridentWestern HemlockNaval Vessel RegisterAssociated Presspublic domainWayback MachineWhidbey Island-class dock landing shipsGermantownFort McHenryGunston HallComstockTortuga