USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43)

- decommissioned -

USS FORT McHENRY was the third WHIDBEY ISLAND class dock landing ship. In April 2006, the USS TORTUGA (LSD 46) replaced the USS FORT McHENRY as a forward deployed naval unit in Sasebo, Japan. The hull swap was part of the Navy's long-range plan to routinely replace older ships assigned to the Navy's Forward Deployed Naval Force with newer or more capable ships. TORTUGA's crew brought the McHENRY back to Little Creek, Va.

On March 27, 2021 - after more than 33 1/2 years of service - FORT McHENRY's crew held a decommissioning ceremony at Naval Station Mayport, Fla. On April 16, 2021, the ship was officially placed "out of commission, in reserve". FORT McHENRY was subsequently towed to the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for lay-up.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: January 27, 1983
	Keel laid: June 10, 1983
	Launched: February 1, 1986
	Commissioned: August 8, 1987
	Decommissioned: April 16, 2021
	Builder: Lockheed Shipbuilding, Seattle, Wash.
	Propulsion system: four Colt Industries 16 Cylinder Diesels
	Propellers: two
	Length: 610 feet (186 meters)
	Beam: 84 feet (25.6 meters)
	Draft: 21 feet (6.4 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 16,000 tons full load
	Speed: 22 knots
	Well deck capacity: four LCAC or 21 LCM-6 (on deck: one LCM-6, two LCPL and one LCVP)
	Aircraft: none, but two landing spots allow for operation of aircraft as large as the CH-53E
	Crew: Ship: 20 Officers, 25 Chief Petty Officers, 302 Enlisted
	Crew: Marine Detachment: approx. 400 + approx. 100 surge
	Armament: two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, two 25mm Mk-38 guns, six .50-calibre Machine guns, two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) systems
	Cost: $272 million

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS FORT McHENRY. 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 FORT McHENRY memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS FORT McHENRY Cruise Books:

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About the Ship's Name, about Fort McHenry:

The history of the fort begins in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. The people of Baltimore feared an attack by the British and wanted a fort for protection. Anticipating an attack at any time, a set of earthen mounds was quickly constructed. Originally, it was called Fort Whetstone, because of its location on Whetstone Point.

Although the Revolutionary War ended without an attack on Baltimore, improvements to the fort continued. In 1798, a French engineer was directed by the Secretary of War to draw plans for a new fort on Whetstone Point. These plans were expensive, and it was difficult for the people of Baltimore to raise money for construction. However, James McHenry, a well-known politician, was instrumental in raising funds for the new fort. The fort was renamed "Fort McHenry" in his honor.

Fort McHenry became famous when the British tried to attack Baltimore during the War of 1812. When the bombardment began on 13 September 1814, there were 1000 soldiers defending the fort. Their commanding officer was Major George Armistead.

Just prior to the attack, Francis Scott Key met the Royal Navy in Chesapeake Bay to affect the release of Dr. William Beanes, a British prisoner and close friend of Key. Dr. Beanes was released, but the Americans were forced to wait in their boat behind the British fleet until the attack was completed. From a distance of approximately eight miles, Key and his friends watched the British bombard Fort McHenry.

After 25 hours of continuous bombing, the British decided to leave since they were unable to destroy the fort. Realizing the British had ceased the attack, Key looked toward the fort to see if the flag was still there. To his relief, the flag was still flying! Quickly, he wrote down the words to a poem that was soon handed out as a handbill under the title, "Defence of Fort McHenry". Later, the words were set to music, and renamed, "The Star Spangled Banner". This became a popular patriotic song, and in 1931 it became the United States’ national anthem.

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History of USS FORT MCHENRY:

Named for the national monument in Baltimore, Maryland, USS FORT MCHENRY (LSD 43) is the third Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Ship. FORT MCHENRY's keel was laid on 10 June 1983, and the ship was launched on 1 February 1986. The Honorable Helen D. Bently was the sponsor for FORT MCHENRY's commissioning ceremony which took place in Seattle, Washington on 8 August 1987.

FORT MCHENRY's maiden deployment was from June 1988 to December 1988 to the Western Pacific. Following her return, FORT MCHENRY participated in the cleanup of the EXXON VALDEZ oil spill by deploying to Prince William Sound from 28 April to 22 June 1989. In recognition of the crew's effectiveness during the cleanup operation, FORT MCHENRY was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Coast Guard's Special Operations Service Ribbon.

On 20 June 1990, FORT MCHENRY began her second deployment which was scheduled to be a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990 altered the schedule and resulted in a 10-month Desert Shield/Desert Storm deployment. Following her return to San Diego on 17 April 1991, FORT MCHENRY was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon for operations conducted in the North Arabian Gulf during Desert Storm.

Eight months after returning from her second deployment, FORT MCHENRY deployed again on 6 January 1992. After several successful multinational exercises and port visits, FORT MCHENRY returned to San Diego on 6 July 1992.

Following an extensive overhaul period, FORT MCHENRY began the training cycle to prepare for her next deployment. While in the training cycle, FORT MCHENRY transited to the east coast through the Panama Canal to pick up five new LCACs from Panama City, Florida. At the completion of the training cycle, FORT MCHENRY embarked on her fourth deployment from 9 June to 9 December 1994. While deployed, FORT MCHENRY participated in Operation Restore Hope by supporting the relocation of the United States Liaison Office from Somalia to Kenya. She also participated in Operation Vigilant Warrior, The United States' response to renewed Iraqi aggression against Kuwait. Following the deployment, FORT MCHENRY was awarded her second Navy Unit Commendation and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and also received her fourth Battle Efficiency Award.

On 1 September 1995, FORT MCHENRY departed San Diego for the last time as she became one of the forward deployed units of the Seventh Fleet homeported in Sasebo, Japan. During her first year in Japan, FORT MCHENRY participated in several training exercises in the Southeast Pacific. Also during that year, FORT MCHENRY had the rare opportunity to visit Shanghai, People's Republic of China on a goodwill mission to foster military ties with the Chinese.

During FORT MCHENRY's second full year in Japan, she participated in several multinational exercises designed to promote interoperability between U.S. and foreign forces. In February 1997 she departed for Brisbane, Australia to participate in Tandem Thrust, a combined U.S. and Australian command post and field training exercise. In June 1997, FORT MCHENRY transited to Pattaya, Thailand to take part in exercise Cobra Gold with elements of the Thai military. In October 1997 FORT MCHENRY departed for South Korea to conduct exercise Foal Eagle with amphibious forces from the Republic of Korea.

On 8 May 1998, following an extensive dry dock period, FORT MCHENRY embarked on Cooperation and Readiness Afloat Training (CARAT 98). CARAT was a series of exercises conducted by the U.S. and several countries in the Western Pacific. During the three-month cruise, FORT MCHENRY trained with forces from, and made goodwill port visits to Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. On June 1 1998, FORT MCHENRY received the Commander, Naval Surface Pacific Fleet Wellness Unit Award for 1997 and the Chief of Naval Operations Award for 1997. FORT MCHENRY concluded 1998 by participating in exercise FOAL EAGLE off the Coast of South Korea.

In January of 1999, FORT MCHENRY made her second port visit to Hong Kong since the island’s return to Chinese rule in 1997. In February 1999, FORT MCHENRY began the 1999 competitive training cycle and spent much of the month conducting exercises in South Korea with the ROK military and training independently in the South China Sea. On 16 February, Fort MCHENRY received her fifth Battle Efficiency Award recognizing excellence in Maritime Warfare, Combat and Control, Logistics Management and Engineering and Survivability during the 1998 training cycle.

From 8 through 12 March, 1999, FORT MCHENRY underwent Command Assessment Readiness Training (CART II). During the five-day assessment, Afloat Training Group Western Pacific and the Propulsion Evaluation Board assessed FORT MCHENRY’S effectiveness in all areas of shipboard readiness.

On March 15 1999, FORT MCHENRY transited to Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands to participate in exercise Tandem Thrust 99 (TT-99), an combined exercise designed to develop interoperabilty between forces from several nations during emergency contingency planning situations. During the exercise, FORT MCHENRY and the embarked Marines of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force for TT-99 trained with elements from all branches of the U.S. military, the Australian Defense Force, and forces from Canada and Singapore. Tandem Thrust closed in early April and the ship then wrapped up Total Ship Training Assessments that June, marking a high-tempo finish to the fiscal-year cycle.

In 2000, FORT MCHENRY's calendar reflected the Pacific alliance pattern around the Philippine Sea and the Korean Peninsula. She took part in BALIKATAN 2000 alongside Philippine forces, followed in May by COBRA GOLD in Thailand, where she supported MEU surface assaults and logistics moves for multinational staffs. In the autumn, she supported U.S. Army amphibious logistics in Exercise NEPTUNE THUNDER, and from October 27 to November 3 completed FOAL EAGLE in South Korea, rehearsing reception, staging, onward movement and integration (RSOI) while practicing ship-to-shore movement in the Yellow Sea approaches. The year closed with awards for battle efficiency and departmental excellence tied to her 1999 performance.

Through the first half of 2001, the ship entered a lengthy maintenance and upgrade availability in Japan that brought on new defensive systems - RAM and SSDS - before she returned to sea work-ups in June and hosted a public port visit to Kagoshima in August. After the September 11 attacks she remained with 7th Fleet's amphibious force, completing certification events and maintaining contingency posture in Northeast Asia while continuing routine presence operations from Sasebo.

In 2002, she again supported combined training in Korea during FOAL EAGLE and executed an uncommon goodwill line of operations with Russia: in early July she joined USS CHANCELLORSVILLE (CG 62) for a port call at Vladivostok, a visible confidence-building stop with the Russian Pacific Fleet that capped a transit of the Sea of Japan.

In 2003, the ship reprised that Russo-American engagement. On July 3, she and the San Diego-based destroyer USS LASSEN (DDG 82) arrived in Vladivostok for Independence Day-week events that included reciprocal ship tours and discussions of damage control and boarding procedures. The visit ended July 7 and the two ships returned to 7th Fleet tasking. A change of command followed in August as the ship reset for another work-up cycle in the Western Pacific.

During 2004, FORT MCHENRY joined the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) series, working phases that included Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, with in-port subject-matter exchanges ashore and at-sea boarding, seamanship, and amphibious drills. Late that year, a string of destructive Philippine typhoons triggered an emergency tasking: the ship shifted rapidly to provide a staging platform for helicopters and LCACs moving fuel, relief supplies, and assessment teams into hard-hit areas.

On December 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated coastal Sumatra. In January-February 2005, FORT MCHENRY shifted to Aceh, Indonesia, for Operation Unified Assistance, teaming with ESSEX (LHD 2), RUSHMORE (LSD 47), and other U.S. units to deliver water, food, and medical support ashore. As aviation detachments consolidated, ESSEX served as the primary helicopter platform while FORT MCHENRY focused on LCAC and logistics throughput - moving well over a million pounds of relief cargo during the operation. On February 20, the ship hosted former U.S. Presidents George H. W. Bush and William J. Clinton during their survey of relief efforts. By late January, the naval task group began to draw down, leaving ESSEX and FORT MCHENRY to continue lift and sustainment into February before the mission wound down. In March, returning north, the ship supported the 60th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Iwo Jima, then turned to regional maritime-security training - SEACAT 2005 in early July followed by CARAT phases in Singapore and Thailand through mid-summer, before standing down to routine tasking in home waters.

Forward-deployed since 1995, FORT MCHENRY's Sasebo chapter closed in spring 2006 with a hull-swap: on March 31, USS TORTUGA (LSD 46) arrived to replace her. The crews cross-decked; on April 13 the TORTUGA crew sailed the FORT MCHENRY hull east across the Pacific to a new homeport at Little Creek, Virginia, where the ship entered major maintenance and reset for Atlantic Fleet duty.

From the U.S. East Coast she embarked on the inaugural "Global Fleet Station" concept for Africa - soon formalized as AFRICA PARTNERSHIP STATION (APS). Departing Little Creek on October 16, 2007, with an embarked multinational staff and working in company with HSV-2 SWIFT, the ship spent late 2007 and early 2008 along the Gulf of Guinea. She conducted port visits and at-sea training with maritime services from Senegal to Cameroon and Gabon, hosting non-lethal tactics courses, maritime law discussions, small-boat operations, and damage-control training while Seabees and interagency teams supported shore projects. She returned to Virginia on May 4, 2008, after roughly seven months, having set the baseline for subsequent APS deployments.

In 2009, FORT MCHENRY sailed with the BATAAN (LHD 5) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 22nd MEU. Deploying in May, she conducted maritime security operations and theater reserve tasks across 6th and 5th Fleet waters before completing the seven-month cruise in December, with BATAAN and PONCE (LPD 15) entering Norfolk and FORT MCHENRY returning to Little Creek.

Within weeks of that return, the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake launched Operation Unified Response. Task-organized forces - including ARG shipping and a large joint/combined relief architecture - surged to the Caribbean through March to support air and sea logistics, medical evacuation, and port clearance, a mission that involved dozens of ships, tens of thousands of service members, and sustained sealift into Port-au-Prince. FORT MCHENRY's amphibious capability and habitability fit made her a useful asset in the broader Haiti maritime response the ARG supported that winter.

After subsequent training and upkeep cycles, the ship shifted homeport to Naval Station Mayport to anchor a revitalized amphibious waterfront. On August 17, 2014, she and IWO JIMA (LHD 7) arrived at Mayport, joining NEW YORK (LPD 21) to base an ARG on Florida's coast. Late that year, FORT MCHENRY deployed with the IWO JIMA ARG and the 24th MEU, making a holiday port call at Valencia, Spain on December 29 before continuing into U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet waters.

In early 2015, she transited the Suez Canal on January 10, operated across the Mediterranean through spring with the ARG/MEU team, and conducted engagement ports and amphibious training. On June 24-28 she visited Bar, Montenegro, as part of 6th Fleet capacity-building with a prospective NATO ally, then rejoined group operations - alongside IWO JIMA and NEW YORK - during the redeployment phase. The ARG returned to Mayport in July after eight months.

Following sustainment in 2016, FORT MCHENRY remained active in East Coast amphibious events and, in October 2017, served as a primary staging platform during Exercise Bold Alligator 17. She and the Mexican Navy's ARM PAPALOAPAN supported a live amphibious landing at Camp Lejeune on October 25, launching the first waves of AAVs and integrating U.S. and partner ground forces in the culminating assault of the exercise.

On December 16, 2018, the ship departed Mayport with the KEARSARGE (LHD 3) ARG and 22nd MEU for a deployment that quickly took her into the Black Sea at a tense geopolitical moment. After transiting the Dardanelles she arrived at Constanta, Romania, on January 7, 2019 - the first U.S. warship to enter the Black Sea since Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels at the Kerch Strait in November 2018 - underscoring NATO presence and partnership with the Romanian Navy.

During that same deployment, a shipboard outbreak of viral parotitis (a mumps-like illness) first detected on December 22, 2018, led commanders to modify the port-visit plan while medical teams treated, vaccinated, and isolated patients. The number of affected personnel ultimately reached the high-20s (roughly four percent of those embarked), all of whom recovered. Routine training continued at sea under adjusted schedules. After months in 5th Fleet, the ship chopped back to 6th Fleet to take part in BALTOPS 2019 in the Baltic Sea - hosting media and distinguished visitors during the exercise - and then returned to Mayport on July 18, 2019.

In 2020, the ship remained stateside preparing for transition out of active service. On March 27, 2021, she held her decommissioning ceremony at Naval Station Mayport after 33 years in commission, was placed out of commission in reserve, and in late April was towed by USNS APACHE (T-ATF 172) to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, for lay-up.

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Homeports of USS FORT McHENRY:

Period	Homeport
commissioned at Seattle, Wash.
1987 - 1995	San Diego, Calif.
1995 - 2006	Sasebo, Japan
2006 - 2014	Little Creek, Va.
2014 - 2021	Mayport, Fla.

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USS FORT McHENRY Image Gallery:

The photo below was taken by me and shows the FORT McHENRY dry-docked at Norfolk, Va., on October 27, 2010.

The photos below were taken by me and show the worn down FORT McHENRY leaving Kiel, Germany, to participate in BALTOPS 2019 in the Baltic Sea on June 9, 2019. The FORT McHENRY deployed from Mayport, Fla., on December 12, 2018, and spent the majority of the deployment in Middle Eastern waters. During this time, the crew was quarantined at sea for 110 consecutive days due to viral mumps outbreak on board.