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About the Ship's Coat of Arms

History

Homeports of USS Green Bay

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USS Green Bay (LPD 20)

USS GREEN BAY is the fourth SAN ANTONIO - class amphibious transport dock and the second ship in the Navy named in honor of the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin. In February 2015, the GREEN BAY became the first SAN ANTONIO - class LPD to be forward deployed when she shifted her homeport from San Diego, Calif., to Sasebo, Japan.

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Crew List:

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

• Click here to view the list.

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• Click here to see which USS GREEN BAY memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The Shield:

Dark Blue and Gold, the colors traditionally associated with the Navy to represent the sea and excellence. The pale blue symbolizes the historic waterway of the Fox River, the entrance which leads to the City of Green Bay, the first settlement in Wisconsin. The Green Bay logo recalls the heritage and spirit of the city, which includes the city's football team "The Green Bay Packers". The chief signifies authority. The silhouette commemorates the previous ship, USS GREEN BAY (PG 101), which served as aggressor in fleet exercises, while serving in Guantanimo Bay, Cuba. The wavy division of the shield suggests the shoreline, combined with the pale alludes to the ship’s mission of amphibious transport of troops.

The Crest:

The maple wreath conveys success and achievement, signifying the state tree of Wisconsin, sugar maple. The anchor represents naval strength and maritime tradition. Red denotes sacrifice. The restock of the anchor exemplifies the Marine Corps, highlighting the Navy and Marine team. The state seal alludes to Wisconsin’s industry and honors the state being the "Heart of America".

The Supporters:

The crossed naval and marine swords symbolize readiness and cooperation of the Navy-Marine war fighting team.

The Motto:

The motto "STATUM BELLO INVICTUS MANEO" translates to "STAND AND FIGHT, REMAIN UNVANQUISHED". The scroll displays the colors of the "Green Bay Packers", green and gold, which honor the city's admiration and commitment for their home football team.

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USS GREEN BAY History:

The contract for the SAN ANTONIO-class amphibious transport dock that would become USS GREEN BAY was awarded to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems on May 30, 2000. Her keel-laying ceremony followed at Avondale, New Orleans, on August 26, 2003, marking the formal start of construction. She was christened at Avondale on July 15, 2006, with Rose Mary Magnus as sponsor, delivered to the U.S. Navy on August 29, 2008, and commissioned at Long Beach, California, on January 24, 2009. These milestones placed the ship into the Pacific Fleet with San Diego as her initial homeport and the role of carrying, launching, and sustaining Marines, landing craft, and aircraft for amphibious operations.

Following post-commissioning trials and local training, GREEN BAY embarked on her maiden deployment with the BOXER (LHD 4) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), departing San Diego on February 22, 2011. The three-ship ARG - USS BOXER, USS GREEN BAY, and USS COMSTOCK (LSD 45) - operated under Commander, Amphibious Squadron 1, and entered 7th Fleet before transiting to 5th Fleet for maritime security operations. Imagery and official releases from the period show the formation moving across the Indian Ocean after operations in the Middle East, before returning to the Western Pacific and then home in late September 2011.

After workups and a maintenance period, GREEN BAY sailed again with the PELELIU (LHA 5) ARG and 15th MEU for an eight-month Western Pacific and Middle East deployment across late 2012 and early 2013. The PELELIU ARG comprised USS PELELIU, USS GREEN BAY, and USS RUSHMORE (LSD 47). During 5th Fleet operations she trained with regional partners in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, including participation in exercise series such as Iron Magic (UAE), Red Reef (Saudi Arabia), and Leading Edge, while serving as theater reserve and supporting maritime security tasks. Port calls documented on this cruise included Manama, Bahrain (late January 2013), and Jebel Ali/Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where GREEN BAY moored and later departed on April 17, 2013. The ship also visited Hong Kong that April for community-relations events before crossing back across the Pacific. The PELELIU ARG returned to San Diego on May 14, 2013, concluding a deployment that covered tens of thousands of miles across 7th and 5th Fleets.

On January 26, 2015, GREEN BAY departed San Diego to shift homeport to Sasebo, Japan, joining U.S. 7th Fleet's Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) and replacing the retiring USS DENVER (LPD 9) in the BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD 6) Amphibious Ready Group. She arrived in Sasebo on February 19, 2015, and from then operated primarily with the 31st MEU on routine patrols, bilateral training, and humanitarian-assistance ready posture across the Western Pacific. A mid-2016 change of command in Sasebo (July 20, 2016) punctuated a year of high-tempo operations that included large-scale joint exercise Valiant Shield in the Philippine Sea and a port visit to Hong Kong from September 29 to October 2, 2016.

In 2017, GREEN BAY worked up and sailed south for Australia's Talisman Sabre, with a pre-exercise logistics and liberty stop at Cairns announced for June 26. On August 5, 2017, a Marine MV-22B Osprey that had departed USS BONHOMME RICHARD struck GREEN BAY's flight deck and then crashed into Shoalwater Bay during approach. 23 personnel were rescued and three Marines were lost. The incident occurred against the backdrop of intensive allied air-sea maneuver training with the Australian Defence Force and U.S. 7th Fleet units. By April 2017, GREEN BAY had already completed a 31st MEU patrol and disembarked the MEU at Okinawa, underscoring how quickly FDNF-Japan ships turn around between commitments.

Through 2018, GREEN BAY continued 31st MEU patrols and regional engagement. In November, she anchored off Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, arriving on November 13 to support security for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week on November 17-18. While in Port Moresby, she operated with Royal Australian Navy assets including HMAS ADELAIDE (L 01), and supported interagency and multinational security coordination. She departed November 19 after APEC concluded. Subsequent logistics included transporting U.S. Coast Guard small boats and equipment staged at Townsville following the event.

Early 2019 saw GREEN BAY and the 31st MEU in Thailand for Cobra Gold, with documented amphibious craft and flight operations in the Gulf of Thailand from February into March. During mid-2019 she conducted visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) drills in the Coral Sea while maneuvering with U.S. and partner forces during the Australia phase of the patrol. Amid regional tension and mass protests in Hong Kong, Chinese authorities denied GREEN BAY a requested port visit scheduled for August 17, 2019, at the same time they denied USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70) a later stop. The decision reflected wider U.S.–China frictions and a tightening of access to Hong Kong for U.S. Navy ships.

In early 2020, GREEN BAY again supported Cobra Gold - arriving at Chuk Samet Port on February 22, 2020 - and participated in at-sea phases and flight operations into mid-March with the AMERICA (LHA 6) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) and 31st MEU as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and regional port restrictions tightened. That period underscored the ship's flexible logistics role within the ESG, sustaining embarked Marines and aviation detachments at sea.

Operations in 2021 consisted largely of forward presence, bilateral training around Japan and the Philippine Sea, and constrained in-port engagements because of public-health measures. One publicly noted event was a July 2021 tour for Japan's National Defense Academy midshipmen in Sasebo, reflecting the steady tempo of alliance outreach despite restrictions. In 2022, GREEN BAY returned to Thailand for Cobra Gold 22, operating alongside Royal Thai Navy units including HTMS SURIN (LST 722), and executed a summer change of command while remaining on FDNF duty.

In 2023, GREEN BAY conducted cross-deck landing craft air cushion (LCAC) operations with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in Japanese waters on March 10 and joined Singapore-U.S. bilateral activities during Singapore-U.S. cooperation events in May, furthering amphibious interoperability across key Indo-Pacific partners.

During the final year of her Japan basing, GREEN BAY continued routine patrols with the AMERICA ESG and 31st MEU, including logistics evolutions such as a February 8, 2024 replenishment at sea in the Philippine Sea - moving cargo from USNS CARL BRASHEAR (T-AKE 7) via SH-60 helicopter. In July 2024, she held a change of command in Sasebo, then, on December 9, 2024, completed a homeport shift back to San Diego in line with National Defense Authorization Act limits on permanent forward deployment durations in Japan. The transfer ended nearly a decade of FDNF operations centered on deterrence, crisis response, and allied training in the first island chain and Southeast Asia.

Back in California in 2025, the Navy awarded a docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) to BAE Systems' San Diego Ship Repair yard to modernize and maintain GREEN BAY, with work beginning in February 2025. The DSRA supports mid-life readiness for the ship's well deck, aviation facilities, combat systems, and hotel services - preparing her for the next cycle of Pacific Fleet deployments from her new homeport.

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Homeports of USS GREEN BAY:

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USS GREEN BAY Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by Thomas Heinrich and show the GREEN BAY at San Diego, Calif., on March 21, 2009.

The photos below were taken by me and show the GREEN BAY at San Diego, Calif., on March 23, 2010.

The photos below were taken by me on September 30, 2011. They show the GREEN BAY early in the morning returning to San Diego, Calif., after a seven-month deployment as part of the BOXER Amphibious Strike Group. The last two photos were taken in the late afternoon and show GREEN BAY berthed at the Naval Base.

The photos below were taken by me on March 15, 2012 and show the GREEN BAY in the shipyard in San Diego, Calif.

The photo below was taken by me and shows the GREEN BAY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on May 10, 2012.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee during USS GREEN BAY's port visit to Hong Kong April 15-22, 2013. The GREEN BAY, along with USS PELELIU (LHA 5) and USS RUSHMORE (LSD 47), visited Hong Kong on their way home from the 5th Fleet area of operations. The three ships arrived in San Diego, Calif., on May 14 after being deployed for eight months.

The photos below were taken by Henry Schnutz on August 27, 2013, and show the GREEN BAY at BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair in the early stage of her 11-month Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA).

The photos below were taken by Lydia Perz on May 3, 2014, and show the GREEN BAY at BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair in the final stage of her 11-month Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA).

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the GREEN BAY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on December 27, 2014.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee during USS GREEN BAY's port visit to Hong Kong September 29 - October 2, 2016. GREEN BAY had just completed Exercise Valiant Shield 2016 off Guam.

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