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USS Iwo Jima is the seventh WASP-class Amphibious Assault Ship and the second ship in the Navy to bear the name. The IWO JIMA is also the Navy's third Amphibious Assault Ship designed and built from the keel up with accommodations for female sailors.

Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS IWO JIMA. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The Shield:

Iwo Jima was the site of one of the most important and bitterly fought amphibious operations of World War II. The United States Marine Corps War Memorial is based on the immortal photograph of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945 and has become a symbol of strength, courage and valor. The three spearheads represent the amphibious triad: The Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), The Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV), and the V-22 Osprey Tilt Rotor Aircraft. The light blue reflects the seas of the world. The USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7), one of the last ships propelled by steam boilers, is reflected by the white disc with the Hero's boiler.

The Crest:

The USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7) is configured to deploy with the V-22 Osprey Tilt Rotor Aircraft. This is symbolized by the attacking Osprey. The previous USS IWO JIMA (LPH 2) was a helo-carrier during the Vietnam Era. The palm fronds commemorate the previous ship and its service in Vietnam.

The Motto:

The motto is based on Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz's words when he spoke of the Sailors and Marines who fought at the battle of Iwo Jima: "Among the Americans who fought at Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue." The red is emblematic of valor and sacrifice.

USS IWO JIMA History:

Fabrication work for USS IWO JIMA began at the Ingalls Shipyard, Pascagoula, Miss., on September 3, 1996, and the ship’s keel was laid on December 12, 1997. The ship was launched on February 4, 2000, and was christened by her sponsor, Mrs. Zandra Krulak, wife of Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Krulak, in Pascagoula, Mississippi on March 25, 2000.

The commissioning crew moved aboard in April 2001 and made the ship's maiden voyage (accompanied by more than 2,000 World War II veterans - many of them survivors of the Battle of Iwo Jima) on June 23, 2001. She was commissioned a week later in Pensacola, Florida, on June 30, 2001. Shortly thereafter, the ship and crew began an accelerated Inter-Deployment Training Cycle.

Together with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), IWO JIMA conducted her maiden, eight-month deployment, returning to Norfolk in October 2003.

Completing essentially four deployments in one, IWO JIMA's operational capabilities were put to the test as the ship inserted marines from the 26 MEU (SOC) into Northern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, patrolled the Persian Gulf, conducted operations in and around Djibouti as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and executed a peacekeeping mission off the coast of war-torn Liberia, transiting more than 45,000 nautical miles.

After a post deployment maintenance period, IWO JIMA became the Flag ship for Commander, Second Fleet in October 2004. For over a year, IWO JIMA participated in many high visibility exercises, experiments, and operations with US and allied naval forces.

On August 31, 2005, IWO JIMA was sortied to the Gulf of Mexico to provide disaster relief and to conduct support operations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. IWO JIMA sailed up the Mississippi River to the city of New Orleans to directly support relief operations and act as the central command center for all federal, state, and local disaster recovery operations.

During this critical period, IWO JIMA also served as the region’s only fully functional air field for helicopter operations, conducting over one thousand flight deck operations; provided hot meals, showers, drinking water, and berthing to thousands of National Guardsmen and relief workers; provided medical services, including first aid and surgical services, for disaster victims; and conducted clean-up operations in the city and suburbs of New Orleans.

After completing her Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) Integrated Training exercises in February 2006, the IWO JIMA stood out on her second six-month deployment in support of the War on Terrorism in June. In July, she relieved the USS PELELIU (LHA 5) ESG in the Middle East. Shortly afterwards, IWO JIMA and the 24th MEU assisted in the departure of American citizens from Lebanon after the US Embassy in Lebanon had requested assistance in the evacuation in mid-July. Later in the cruise, AV-8B Harrier aircraft embarked aboard IWO JIMA flew combat missions against Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan. The IWO JIMA ESG returned home to Norfolk on December 6, 2006.

The ship next entered the BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair Facility in Norfolk for a four-month maintenance period. Following sea trials in June 2007, the amphibious assault ship joined the Fleet Week celebrations in Port Everglades, Fla., in April 2008.

From July 8-18, 2008, the IWO JIMA ESG joined a Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the US East Coast. Assigned to the ESG was also the BNS Greenhalgh (F 46), marking the first time a Brazilian Navy surface unit was fully integrated into a US Strike Group. The IWO JIMA Team subsequently participated in USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT's (CVN 71) Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) conducted July 21-31.

On August 26, 2008, the amphibious assault ship departed Norfolk on its third scheduled deployment to the US Central Command, returning to Norfolk on March 27, 2009, after the seven-month underway period. IWO JIMA arrived in New York City two month later to participate in this city's Fleet Week. After the Fleet Week, the ship crossed the Atlantic arriving in the Gulf of Guinea on July 9, 2009, to support US President Obama's visit to Ghana July 10-11.

From October to December, IWO JIMA went through a successful CNO Availability at BAE SYstems Shipyard. During that time, the ship scored high marks during the Light Off and Assessment November 23-25. For the remained of 2009, IWO JIMA remained in port at Naval Station Norfolk.

2010 started with preparations for Inspection and Survey (INSURV) that took place in April, followed by the participation in the Fleet Week at Port Everglades, Fla. On July 19-21, 2010, the ship called at Miami to inaugurate "Continuing Promise 2010", a four-month U.S. Southern Command humanitarian-civil assistance cruise. IWO JIMA then proceeded to Haiti as its first operating stop (late July), put medical and engineering teams ashore by helicopter and landing craft, and continued to Costa Rica - anchored off Limon by August 23 - Panama's Chiriqui Grande in October, and onward to Guyana and Suriname. As Tropical Storm Tomas threatened Haiti, the ship diverted north. On November 6, her aircraft overflew the island to assess damage for U.N. and Haitian authorities before she stood by for potential disaster relief through early November. She completed the mission and returned to home waters later that month, closing a deployment that blended port visits with clinics, surgical care aboard ship, and small engineering projects across the Caribbean and northern South America.

By late 2011, IWO JIMA was back on the U.S. East Coast preparing for a new cycle with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). In December, the ship and its embarked Marines took part in a composite training period that fed directly into "Bold Alligator 2012", the Navy-Marine Corps' then-largest amphibious exercise in a decade. On February 7, 2012, Marines from IWO JIMA and USS GUNSTON HALL (LSD 44) executed a long-range, sea-based air assault to Fort Pickett, Virginia - part of a scenario testing command-and-control and logistics for deep inland raids ahead of certification for deployment.

IWO JIMA deployed with her Amphibious Ready Group and the 24th MEU on March 27, 2012, with the amphibious transport dock USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) and dock landing ship USS GUNSTON HALL. Early in the cruise, the MEU participated in AFRICAN LION in Morocco. On April 11 an MV-22B Osprey from VMM-261 crashed near Agadir during training after launching from IWO JIMA, killing two crew chiefs and injuring two pilots. The ARG pressed on to the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea, calling at Souda Bay, Crete, on May 27, and conducting theater security cooperation through the summer, including EAGER LION events in Jordan and sustainment evolutions in Kuwait and Djibouti. In mid-November, as violence escalated between Israel and Hamas during Operation Pillar of Defense (November 14-21, 2012), the ARG was ordered to the eastern Mediterranean to stand by for a possible U.S. citizen evacuation from Israel, delaying the group's return. The 24th MEU formally announced an extension in the Sixth Fleet area on November 19. The ARG and MEU returned to the United States in mid-December.

After deployment, the ship entered a major dry-docking phased maintenance availability at BAE Systems in Norfolk beginning January 23, 2013, a yard period that stretched through that fall. In August-November 2014, IWO JIMA executed "Bold Alligator 14" off the Carolinas and Virginia capes, serving as an afloat command platform for II Marine Expeditionary Force/2d MEB staff during experimental fly-in C2 operations. The ship also shifted her homeport to Naval Station Mayport, Florida, in August 2014 as part of a broader realignment of Atlantic Fleet amphibs.

IWO JIMA and the 24th MEU began their next overseas period in late 2014, formally embarking on December 16 and operating through July 2015 across Fifth and Sixth Fleet waters with frequent disaggregated operations. Against the backdrop of Yemen's civil war and Houthi advances, the ARG spent extended time in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden supporting contingency plans. On April 19, 2015, IWO JIMA conducted a "show of presence" with rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft as U.S. forces monitored an Iranian convoy suspected of running arms toward Yemen. Days later, the U.S. surged carrier and cruiser forces into the region, and the Iranian formation turned back. Through June, ARG/MEU elements continued security cooperation in Europe - including Marine small-arms exchanges near Volos, Greece - and departed the Fifth Fleet region June 21 before returning stateside in July.

Following an 11-month maintenance availability, IWO JIMA completed sea trials on June 27, 2016. That autumn the ship took part in "Bold Alligator 16", and in October sailed south to support relief operations in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew, relieving USS MESA VERDE (LPD 19). The ship served as a sea base for heavy-lift helicopters, engineering detachments and logisticians moving relief supplies ashore during the multinational response.

In September 2017, as Hurricane Irma devastated the Florida Keys, IWO JIMA, with USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) and the cruiser USS SAN JACINTO (CG 56), took station off Key West. Beginning September 12, ship-to-shore lift moved water, food, medical supplies and emergency personnel ashore while embarked Marine CH-53Es ferried more than 58,000 pounds of aid. The force wrapped up local recovery efforts around September 20, and the Navy later awarded IWO JIMA the Humanitarian Service Medal for the Irma response.

On February 7, 2018, IWO JIMA departed Mayport for a six-month deployment as flagship of an ARG composed of IWO JIMA, USS NEW YORK and USS OAK HILL (LSD 51), embarked with the 26th MEU. After transiting to the Mediterranean, the ship made a mid-March port visit to Haifa, Israel, as U.S. and Israeli forces completed cooperative air-and-missile defense activities. By late spring the ARG operated disaggregated across the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. On June 14, IWO JIMA entered the Gulf, restoring a U.S. capital ship presence in the region, while other elements took part in BALTOPS 2018 in the Baltic Sea. The ARG returned to Mayport on August 9. Less than two months later, IWO JIMA crossed the Atlantic again to participate in NATO's "Trident Juncture 18", joining U.S. and Allied naval forces off Norway through early November before departing Sixth Fleet later that month and returning home in December.

During a maintenance period in Mayport on November 14-15, 2019, a fire broke out in a hazardous-materials space aboard IWO JIMA, injuring 11 sailors with heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. Damage was contained pierside with assistance from nearby crews and local firefighters, and the ship returned to sea for trials in December while the Navy reviewed fire-prevention practices fleet-wide. The incident occurred near the close of a maintenance availability that had begun in December 2018.

After re-training through early 2021, the Iwo Jima ARG - now IWO JIMA, USS SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) and USS CARTER HALL (LSD 50) - completed COMPTUEX in March and deployed on March 25 with the 24th MEU. Through the spring the ARG operated with NATO partners in the Mediterranean, including a late-May logistics stop for SAN ANTONIO at Souda Bay, Crete. In August, IWO JIMA transited the Strait of Hormuz into the Fifth Fleet area amid rapid developments in Afghanistan. Within days, elements of the embarked 24th MEU flew to Kabul to reinforce the evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport while the ARG provided sea-based support and regional mobility. The ships returned to the East Coast in early October, and on December 13, 2021, IWO JIMA arrived in Norfolk to make Naval Station Norfolk her new homeport after seven years in Mayport.

In the following years, IWO JIMA has remained in the Fleet Response training and maintenance cycle out of Norfolk while conducting routine operations and logistics evolutions in the western Atlantic. In August 2025, the IWO JIMA ARG sailed from Norfolk to resume forward deployments after an extended gap in ARG/MEU presence. Days later, with Hurricane Erin threatening the Virginia Capes, the group returned to Hampton Roads to ride out the storm before preparing to get underway again. On August 14, 2025, USS IWO JIMA departed Naval Station Norfolk again as the centerpiece of an amphibious ready group that also included USS SAN ANTONIO and USS FORT LAUDERDALE (LPD 28), with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked. Public Navy messaging framed the deployment around regional responsiveness and operations supporting United States Southern Command priorities in the Caribbean, including maritime security and counter–illicit trafficking tasking.

On October 3, 2025, the ship was documented conducting sea-and-anchor evolutions off St. Thomas during a port visit, and by December 11, 2025, USS IWO JIMA was documented pier-side at St. Croix while continuing Caribbean operations. On January 3, 2026, U.S. officials announced that Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro had been captured during Operation Absolute Resolve. Reporting described him being brought aboard USS IWO JIMA in the immediate aftermath before transfer to U.S. custody for legal proceedings in New York.

On January 16, 2026, the U.S. government announced a major availability award to BAE Systems for USS IWO JIMA's fiscal year 2026 selected restricted availability in Norfolk, described as beginning June 1, 2026 and planned to run into late February 2028 - signaling a long, intensive maintenance and modernization period after the deployment cycle. On February 7, 2026, a Marine assigned to the embarked force was reported overboard from USS IWO JIMA during Caribbean operations. After an around-the-clock 72-hour search effort, he was declared deceased on February 10, 2026, and the incident was publicly announced with an ongoing investigation.

Period	Homeport
commissioned at Pensacola, Fla.
2001 - 2014	Norfolk, Va.
2014 - 2021	Mayport, Fla.
2021 - present	Norfolk, Va.

Date	Where	Events
April 11, 2012	near Agadir, Morocco	An MV-22B Osprey from VMM-261 crashes near Agadir during training after launching from IWO JIMA, killing two crew chiefs and injuring two pilots.
November 14, 2019	Naval Station Mayport, Fla.	A fire breaks out in a cargo hold just before midnight aboard the IWO JIMA while she is undergoing a Phased Maintenance Availability (PMA) at her homeport. Crewmembers, assisted by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and sailors from USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG 68) take almost five hours to extinguish the fire. Eleven sailors suffer minor injuries.
February 7, 2026	Caribbean Sea	Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah is falling overboard while USS IWO JIMA is operating in the Caribbean Sea. An extensive search involving five US Navy ships and 10 aircraft was suspended three days later and the Marine is declared lost at sea.

Date

Where

Events

April 11, 2012

near Agadir, Morocco

An MV-22B Osprey from VMM-261 crashes near Agadir during training after launching from IWO JIMA, killing two crew chiefs and injuring two pilots.

November 14, 2019

Naval Station Mayport, Fla.

A fire breaks out in a cargo hold just before midnight aboard the IWO JIMA while she is undergoing a Phased Maintenance Availability (PMA) at her homeport. Crewmembers, assisted by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and sailors from USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG 68) take almost five hours to extinguish the fire. Eleven sailors suffer minor injuries.

February 7, 2026

Caribbean Sea

Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah is falling overboard while USS IWO JIMA is operating in the Caribbean Sea. An extensive search involving five US Navy ships and 10 aircraft was suspended three days later and the Marine is declared lost at sea.

About the Ship's Name:

USS IWO JIMA is named for the epic battle of February 1945, in which three divisions of the United States Marine Corps took control of the tiny island of Iwo Jima from 22,000 determined Japanese defenders.

The United States had recovered from the disastrous attack on Pearl Harbor, to the point where routine air attacks on Japanese cities could be made by heavy bombers launched from the Marianas. The successful outcome of the war seemed inevitable, but victory over the Japanese would come only at a high price. The Japanese considered Iwo Jima a part of mainland Japan, and an invader had not set foot on Japanese soil for 4,000 years.

Iwo Jima was a thorn in the side of the US heavy bomber crews. Air attacks on the Marianas bomber bases, and bombers enroute to and from Japan, were launched from Iwo Jima. An assault on the island was necessary to eliminate these air attacks and to provide a haven for damaged American aircraft returning from Japan.

Amphibious forces of the US Pacific Fleet attacked the fortress of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, with a formidable force, totaling 495 ships, including 17 aircraft carriers, 1170 planes, and 110,308 troops. Before the amphibious assault, elements of the Air Force and Army Air Corps pounded the island in the longest sustained aerial offensive of the war. Incredibly, this ferocious bombardment had little effect. Hardly any of the Japanese underground fortresses were touched.

The Japanese defenders devised a unique and deadly strategy to defend Iwo Jima from an American assault. Instead of building a barrier to stop the Americans at the beach, they fortified the interior of the island, creating a defense that could not be breached in a day.

On February 19, 1945, the first wave of Marines were launched after an hour-long bombardment by the Navy’s “big guns". The Americans planned to capture, isolate and fortify Mt. Suribachi. The success of the entire assault depended upon the early capture of the mountain.

After an hour of calm, the Japanese defenders, hiding in their network of caves and underground bunkers, unleashed a hail of gunfire. Mortars, machine guns and heavy artillery rained down from scores of machine gun nests atop Suribachi. After the first day of fighting, 566 American men were killed and 1,755 more were wounded. For the next several days, some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific were fought on the isle of Iwo Jima.

It was a battle of attrition on terrain that had no front lines; where the attackers were exposed and the defenders fortified.

The battle for Iwo Jima was fought desperately until March 26, when the island was finally secured by US forces. In the struggle, nearly 7,000 Americans and more than 20,000 Japanese were killed. It was one of the most savage and costly battles in the history of the Marine Corps. As Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz observed, “Among the Americans who served on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

The photo below was taken by Karl-Heinz Ahles and shows IWO JIMA under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding on May 17, 1999.

The photo below was taken by Brian Barton when IWO JIMA was at Naval Base Norfolk on July 23, 2002.

The photos below were taken by Alexei Saveliev and show the USS IWO JIMA at Limassol, Cyprus, in August 2006.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS IWO JIMA at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on May 8, 2014.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS IWO JIMA at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on December 26, 2021.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS IWO JIMA undergoing a Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) at General Dynamics NASSCO in Norfolk, Va., on September 6, 2022.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show USS IWO JIMA at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 9, 2023.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show USS IWO JIMA at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 4, 2024.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: December 28, 1995
	Keel laid: December 12, 1997
	Launched: February 5, 2000
	Commissioned: June 30, 2001
	Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, West Bank, Pascagoula, Miss.
	Propulsion system: two boilers, two geared turbines
	Propellers: two
	Aircraft elevators: two
	Length: 840 feet (256 meters)
	Flight Deck Width: 140 feet (42.6 meters)
	Beam: 106 feet (32,.3 meters)
	Draft: 26,5 feet (8.1 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 40,500 tons full load
	Speed: 23 knots
	Aircraft: 30+ (including V-22 Osprey, AH-1Z Viper and AH-1W Super Cobra, F-35B, CH-53K Sea Stallion, MH-60S Naval Hawk)
	Well deck capacity: three LCAC or two LCU or six LCM-8 or 40 Amphibious Assault Vessels (AAV) (normal) or 61 AAVs (stowed)
	Crew: Ship: 73 officers, 1,009 enlisted Marine Detachment: 1,894
	Armament: two Mk-29 NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, eight Mk-33 .50 cal. machine guns, two Rolling Airframe Missile Systems
	Cost: approx. $761 million
	Homeport: Norfolk, Va.

USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7)