IWO JIMA (LPH-2)

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shipstamps
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Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:12 pm

IWO JIMA (LPH-2)

Post by shipstamps » Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:14 pm



Built as an amphibious assault ship on the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington for the USA Navy.
02 April 1959 laid down.
17 September 1960 launched as the IWO JIMA (LPH-2), sponsored by Mrs. Harry Schmidt. She was the lead ship of her class of seven ships.
Displacement 11.000 tons standard, 18.300 tons full load, dim. 183.7 x 25.6 x 7.9m. (draught).
Powered by one steam turbine 22.000 shp, one shaft, speed 23 knots maximum, cruise speed 20 knots.
Armament 2 – 76mm AA guns, 2 – 8 tube Mk 25 Sea Sparrows BPDMS launchers. 2 – 20mm MK 16 Phalanx CIWS.
Carried 25 helicopters.
Crew 667.
Accommodation for 2.090 troops.
26 August 1961 commissioned under command of Capt. T.D. Harris.


A small volcanic island in the Bonin Group. Iwo Jima was the site of one of the most important and most bitterly fought amphibious operations of the Pacific War. The strategic island, needed as an air base for the assault on Japan itself, was invaded 19 February 1945 and declared secure almost a month later. Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz spoke eloquently of the sailors and marines who fought there: "Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island uncommon valor was a common virtue." The famous photograph of the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi has become a symbol of valor and strength in the years since 1945.

The first ship to be designed and built from the keel up as an amphibious assault ship, IWO JIMA carries helicopters and a detachment of embarked Marines for use in the Navy's newest "vertical envelopment" concept of amphibious operations. Following shakedown training, she spent the rest of 1961 off the California coast in amphibious exercises. In April 1962 the ship joined Joint Task Force 8 in the Johnston Island-Hawaii area for an important series of nuclear tests. IWO JIMA evacuated several islands and took part in the test evaluation. She sailed for Pearl Harbor 26 July from the test area, and continued to San Diego, where she arrived 10 August 1962.

In September the ship took part in full-scale amphibious exercises in California, departing 17 October from San Diego for her first deployment to the western Pacific. As a crisis flared 19 October over the introduction of offensive missiles into Cuba, however, IWO JIMA returned to San Diego, embarked Marines 22 to 27 October, and departed quickly for the Caribbean. As part of America's powerful and mobile force afloat, she cruised in a "ready" status until December brought an easing of the Cuban situation. She arrived San Diego 13 December, having played a major role in preserving American and Latin American security.

IWO JIMA operated out of her home port during the first half of 1963, carrying out amphibious exercises and training. She departed 30 August on her long-delayed cruise to the western Pacific. Joining the 7th Fleet, mobile bulwark of American security in the area, she ranged from Hawaii to the Philippines and Taiwan.

On 31 October 1963 IWO JIMA departed Philippine waters for special operations along the coast of South Vietnam, standing by to protect American nationals during a period of increased strife. She returned to Subic Bay 12 November. The following months she sailed with Special Landing Forces of Marines for rigorous amphibious assault and landing raids practice off the coasts of Taiwan and Okinawa. After unloading ammunition at Sasebo, Japan, she departed 13 April 1965 for return to San Diego, arriving 28 April. Following amphibious training with Marines along the California seaboard, she overhauled in the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. This work was completed by 7 December 1965 when IWO JIMA began amphibious refresher training ranging to the Hawaiian Islands. On 13 March 1965 she departed Pearl Harbor for San Diego, arriving 6 days later.

IWO JIMA received tons of supplies and scores of Army helicopters, tanker trucks, and vehicles in her hangar and flight deck spaces. Nearly a thousand troops were embarked for her western transit that began 12 April. She touched Pearl Harbor a few hours the 17th to off-load 50 Marines and their equipment, then steamed off St. Jacques, Republic of Vietnam, 1 to 2 May, flying off 77 Army helicopters, loaded with troops and combat cargo. From there she proceeded to Subic Bay in the Philippines, where troops and equipment were received for amphibious landing at Chu Lai, Vietnam, 11 May 1965.

IWO JIMA remained off Chu Lai for a month, protecting Marines and Seabees establishing an air field on the sandy shore. Besides helicopter support ashore, including defense perimeter patrol, she was a support center for laundry, showers, fresh provisions, store and mail service. She also supervised the continual off-load of ships over the beach for the entire month, then on 7 June 1965, landed squadron personnel and helicopters ashore at Hue-Phu Bai, some 30 miles north of Da Nang. After a few days rest in Subic Bay she was routed to Sasebo, thence to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, where she embarked Marines and equipment. This was completed 26 June 1965 when she sailed for Quinohn, Republic of Vietnam, in company with TALLADEGA (APA-208) and POINT DEFIANCE (LSD-31). These ships were designated Task Group 76.5, that part of the 7th Fleet that carries the Marine Special Landing Force. On the 30th she arrived at Quinohn, about 100 miles south of Chu Lai. The following day Marines landed ashore to take up defensive positions for the protection of Army engineers and communications units.

IWO JIMA remained off Quinohn for defensive support until 20 July 1965, then steamed for Pratas Reef about 240 miles southwest of Taiwan. Arriving the morning of the 22d her helicopters were immediately pressed into service to aid the salvage of destroyer FRANK KNOX. The close approach of typhoon "Gilda" pounded the grounded destroyer so badly that it was impossible for small boats to get alongside her. Extra men were heli-lifted off the destroyer while surf rose 12 feet high to break completely over the stern of FRANK KNOX. Support given by IWO JIMA included such items as hot food, clothes, water, pumps, hose, gasoline, air compressors, welding machines, damage control equipment and technicians. Feed water was heli-lifted in special tanks constructed by destroyer tender PRAIRIE (AD-15) who had faint hopes of keeping the destroyer's boiler alive. Detached from this duty 1 August 1965, IWO JIMA made a brief call at Hong Kong, then proceeded to the Philippines.

On 17 August 1965 IWO JIMA steamed out of Subic Bay for Vung Tau, Republic of Vietnam, to join in Operation "Starlight," a 5-day search-and-destroy operation that eradicated some 600 Viet Cong. The successful Navy-Marine Corps amphibious operation backed by gunfire support from cruiser GALVASTON and two destroyers, came to a close late on 24 August. IWO JIMA’s evacuation and surgical teams kept the American casualties down to a very low percentage. During transit back to Subic Bay she learned FRANK KNOX had been refloated, good news for IWO JIMA’s crew who had put in so many hard and long hours at Pratas Reef. She landed her Marine Special Landing Force at Chu Lai 1 to 2 September, embarked 800 Marines of a rotation draft, and sailed for Buckner Bay.

IWO JIMA landed the rotation troops at Okinawa, then came off Quinohn, 10 September 1965, to cover the landing of the Army's 1st Air Cavalry Division. She had supported three amphibious assault search-and-destroy raids along the coast by 1 October when she steamed to southern waters, remaining in stand-by status for possible evacuation of U.S. nationals in revolt-torn Indonesia. Eight days later she sailed for Danang for a helicopter squadron exchange, thence to Subic Bay where she was relieved by VALLEY FORGE (LPH-8). Following a visit to Yokosuka, she departed 1 November for return to San Diego, arriving 17 November 1965. Several months later she again joined the 7th Fleet Amphibious Ready Group, a fast moving assault force which had completed more than 20 search-and-destroy operations along the South Vietnamese coast between March 1965 and September 1966. One of these missions hit only 3 miles south of the demilitarized zone to search out and decimate a regiment of the North Vietnam Army's 342B Division which had infiltrated South Vietnam through the neutral zone.

During the first 3 months of 1966, IWO JIMA was at San Diego for upkeep and improvement changes. From April through June extensive refresher training occupied all hands as IWO JIMA , prepared for her forthcoming Western Pacific deployment. On 24 July, steaming with a task group, she passed the volcanic island whose costly conquest by stouthearted sailors and marines had inspired her name. On board was one of the marine groups that had landed on Iwo Jima over two decades earlier. After operations in the Vietnam area, she sailed for Japan. December 30th once again found IWO JIMA, on the line and underway for special operations in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam in a Navy-ready group with a two pronged punch. Early in January 1967 the Commanding Officer, Captain Nils W. Boe, was relieved by Captain F. X. Timmes. Upon his departure Captain Boe said of his crew in a family-gram to mothers and wives, "I want to thank each of you for letting me borrow these magnificent young men for a little while. They have made me feel ten feet tall." On 1 July 1967 IWO JIMA was reassigned to Amphibious Squadron 3 from vice Amphibious Squadron 1, with which she continued to sail with the Pacific Fleet.

Iwo Jima continues her support of simultaneous sea and air assaults as the nerve-center of an Amphibious Ready Group that can strike anywhere along the Vietnamese coast within 48 hours.
On 17 April 1970, IWO JIMA was the flagship of TaskForce 130 that waited for the Apollo 13 spaceship's astronauts after their memorable "successful failure" mission. In the 1995 film Apollo 13, IWO JIMA was played by her sister ship, NEW ORLEANS (LPH-11).
In October 1990 IWO JIMA was in the Persian Gulf, as part of the buildup for Operation Desert Storm. Having been in operation there for two months, she had developed a leak in a steam valve which supplied steam to a stand-by electrical generator. She docked in Manama, Bahrain, where the valve was repaired by a local contractor under US government inspection.
Repairs were completed towards the end of October. As she raised steam to get underway and rejoin the fleet, the valve began to leak once more. The problem was reported to the captain on the bridge, but before any action could be taken the bonnet blew off the valve, flooding the boiler room with steam from two boilers. All ten of the crewmen in the room were killed, most instantly.
The cause of the accident was determined to be the use of fasteners of the wrong material on the valve, combined with a lack of proper inspection.
IWO JIMA was decommissioned 14 July 1993, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register 24 September. She was sold for scrap 18 December 1995.
The ship's island is at The Museum of The American GI in College Station, Texas.
Scrapped by International Shipbuilding Ltd., Brownsville, Texas scrapping commenced in January 1996 and was completed in November 1996.

Grenada 1971 1c sg 455, scott 421.
Mali 1973 75fr. sg?, scott C199

Downloaded mostly from Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Iwo_Jima_(LPH-2)

aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: IWO JIMA (LPH-2)

Post by aukepalmhof » Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:01 pm

Mongolia 1970 4t sgMS591, scott? (The IWO JIMA recovered the satalite but the aircraft carrier depicted on the stamp is not the IWO JIMA.
Yemen 1969 4B sg?, scott?
Hungary 1970 250ft sg?, scott?
Mali 1973 75F sg?, scott?
Togo 2015 13,200F sg?, scott? (in margin of sheet)
Attachments
1970 Iwo Jima.jpg
1969 Iwo Jima.jpg
1970 Iwo Jima.jpg
1973 IWO JIMA FDC.jpg
1973 IWO JIMA.jpg
2015 NEW YORK Togo (2).jpg
Last edited by aukepalmhof on Sun Sep 13, 2015 8:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Arturo
Posts: 723
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:11 pm

Re: IWO JIMA (LPH-2)

Post by Arturo » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:16 pm

Iwo Jima (LPH-2)

Paraguay 1973, S.G?, Scott: 1524c.
Attachments
Iwo Jima.jpg

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