USS Saipan (LHA-2)

Saipan in the Atlantic Ocean on 5 April 2004
History
United States
Name:	USS Saipan
Namesake:	Battle of Saipan
Builder:	Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula, Mississippi, U.S.
Laid down:	21 July 1972
Launched:	20 July 1974
Commissioned:	15 October 1977
Decommissioned:	25 April 2007
Identification:	LHA-2
Motto:	Omnia Facimus ("We do it all")
Fate:	Scrapped by International Shipbreaking, 2009
Notes:	Call sign NHOV
Badge:
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:	exceeds 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.

Saipan was laid down on 21 July 1972 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Litton Industries of Pascagoula, Mississippi; launched on 20 July 1974 and sponsored by the wife of Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf.

Saipan’s operational career began in July 1979 when she was diverted from Fleet Refresher Training to Special Contingency Operations, for possible non-combatant evacuation of American personnel from the Nicaraguan Revolution.

From February to April 1980, Saipan was involved in Anorak Express 80. The Navy crew of around 800 and an entire Marine battalion of over 2,000 sailed from Norfolk to Norway. In May, Saipan was underway to augment U.S. Coast Guard efforts to assist Cuban refugees crossing the Straits of Florida to the United States during the Mariel boatlift. On 25 August, Saipan departed Norfolk for the first Mediterranean deployment by an LHA.