USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7)

--- CONTENT ---
The USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) is a US Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault vessel. The ship was named in memory of the Second World War Battle of Iwo Jima. Launched in 2000, the vessel was commissioned in 2001. In particular, he participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, the , the , the Israeli-Lebanese conflict of 2006 and he intervened twice in Haiti following hurricanes Thomas and Matthew.

Construction and launch
The construction of the Iwo Jima began at the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagula, Mississippi, on 1 January 1899. The keel of the ship was laid on . And at the ceremony, the private first class, received the Medal of Honor for its actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima, then placed it in the hull of the ship, where it remains today. The ship was launched on . The USS Iwo Jima is baptized in Pascagula by Zandra Krulak, wife of the General, former Commander of the Marine Corps. The crew took up their duties on board the vessel on its inaugural voyage accompanied by more World War II veterans, many of whom survived the Battle of Iwo Jima. the ship is officially commissioned a week later in Pensacola, the 2001.

Shortly thereafter, the vessel and crew began a training cycle and tested their systems under realistic combat conditions. Iwo Jima was also the first ship open to the public after the attacks of 11 September 2001. In 2002, Iwo Jima participated in New York City.

Military career

Early deployments
The USS Iwo Jima and the Marines of the as well as two other amphibious assault ships formed the Iwo Jima and left the port in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He deployed his Marines in April 2003 from the Mediterranean Sea to northern Iraq for the Iraq War.

In , the Iwo Jima deployed off the coast of Liberia as part of the JTFL in response to the second Liberian civil war. Under the command of the (SETAF), the Iwo Jima arrives from the Navy in Liberia to carry out humanitarian operations. At its peak, the JTFL is composed of more members with SETAF headquarters, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the three-ship Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, the , the command of the United States forces in Europe, and the Special Forces.

In 2004, USS Iwo Jima participated in Fleet Week in New York. In 2005, the Iwo Jima served as the flagship of the Second United States Fleet, based in Norfolk, Virginia.

Uragan Katrina

Iwo Jima is positioned in the Gulf of Mexico to provide relief and support operations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It then climbs up the Mississippi River to reach the city of New Orleans and directly support relief operations as a central command centre for all federal and local emergency operations.

During