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USS Tortuga (LSD-46)
Encyclopedia
USS Tortuga (LSD-46) is a Whidbey Island-class
dock landing ship
of the United States Navy
. She was the second Navy ship to be named for the Dry Tortugas
, a group of desert coral islets 60 miles (96.6 km) west of Key West, Florida
.
Tortuga was laid down on 23 March 1987, by the Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, Louisiana
. The threat of Hurricane Gilbert
in the Gulf of Mexico
forced an early launching of the ship, as a precautionary measure, on 15 September 1988. On 19 November 1988, Mrs. Rosemary Parker Schoultz, the ship's sponsor, presided over the christening ceremony
, breaking the traditional bottle of champagne over the bow of the ship. Tortuga was commissioned on 17 November 1990.
Kenneth M. Rome, and made a Mediterranean deployment from 1 July 1998 until December 8 1998. In 1999, CDR
J.M. Burdon assumed command and commanded the ship until his retirement in late 2000. He was succeeded by CDR
James P. Driscoll, and in October 2000, the ship was ordered on an emergency deployment to support UNITAS 2000 in the South Pacific after had run aground on an underwater mountain off the coast of Valparaiso, Chile suffering catastrophic damage. After successfully finishing the UNITAS deployment, Tortuga returned to Little Creek. In January 2001, Tortuga was assigned as flagship to the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic|SNFL a NATO peacekeeping/quick reaction force.
In 2005, Tortuga was commanded by CDR
Mark H. Scovill, homeported at NAB Little Creek
, Virginia
, and assigned to Amphibious Group 2 of the Atlantic Fleet.
On 25 August 2005 Tortuga and her crew were pulled from a training exercise and sent to New Orleans to become part of Joint Task Force Katrina
. She was the first Navy ship to sail up the Mississippi River
following the hurricane and berthed on the West Bank of New Orleans Naval Station. The ship instantly became a major rally point for the scattered military and civilian forces across New Orleans. Tortugas crew conducted rescue missions in the flooded Ninth Ward and assisted local officials from St. Bernard Parish. Crew members employed combat rubber raiding craft (CRRCs) which allowed them to search flooded areas with many underwater obstacles. As the crew rescued people from neighborhoods they were brought back to Tortuga with 7 and 11 meter RHIBs. Evacuees were processed, received medical attention, and were forwarded to their next destination at the earliest possible time. As water receded in New Orleans and the CRRCs became useless, the ship turned to serving the Army units camped out on the Naval Station, providing soldiers with hotel services that they could not get in the field.
On 14 October 2005, the U.S. Navy announced that Tortuga, would be forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan
to replace Fort McHenry
(LSD-43). Tortuga arrived in Sasebo 31 March 2006 for turnover and assignment as part of the U.S. Navy’s Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF).
On 12 April the crews of the two ships completed an exchange-of-command process.
Conducted in 12 days, the hull swap between Fort McHenry and Tortuga was the quickest in the history of the U.S. Navy.
Tortugas former crew departed Sasebo 13 April 2006 to return to Little Creek on board Fort McHenry.
On 15 May, only a month following the swap, Tortuga departed for a three-month deployment. The deployment was centered around an annual exercise called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2006. Tortuga joined a newly established task group (TG 73.5) reporting directly to Commander, Logistics Group WESTPAC out of Singapore
. The group consisted of five ships, Tortuga, Hopper
(DDG-70), Crommelin
(FFG-37), Salvor (ARS-52), and USCGC Sherman
(WHEC-720). The group visited and operated with the navies of Singapore
, Thailand
, Indonesia
, Malaysia, Brunei
, and Philippines
.
Tortuga visited the tiny island of Iwo Jima
in March 2008 and March 2010 to celebrate the anniversary of the WWII battle fought there
.
In 2011, the Tortuga participated in disaster relief after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
. As part of Operation Tomodachi
, the ship transported Japanese Self-Defense Force servicemen and equipment from Hokkaido
to Honshu
island. Divers from the ship helped map and clear debris from the ports of Hachinohe, Aomori
and Miyako, Iwate
, facilitating both ports to reopen to ship traffic.
Whidbey Island class dock landing ship
The Whidbey Island class dock landing ship is a dock landing ship of the United States Navy. Introduced to fleet service in 1985, this class of ship features a massive well deck for the transport of four LCAC hovercraft for landing Marines....
dock landing ship
Dock landing ship
A Dock landing ship or Landing ship is a form of amphibious warship designed to support amphibious operations. These amphibious assault ships transport and launch amphibious craft and vehicles with their crews and embarked personnel...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was the second Navy ship to be named for the Dry Tortugas
Dry Tortugas
The Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located at the end of the Florida Keys, USA, about west of Key West, and west of the Marquesas Keys, the closest islands. Still further west is the Tortugas Bank, which is completely submerged. The first Europeans to discover the islands were the...
, a group of desert coral islets 60 miles (96.6 km) west of Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
.
Tortuga was laid down on 23 March 1987, by the Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. The threat of Hurricane Gilbert
Hurricane Gilbert
Hurricane Gilbert was an extremely powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season and created widespread destruction in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin behind only...
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
forced an early launching of the ship, as a precautionary measure, on 15 September 1988. On 19 November 1988, Mrs. Rosemary Parker Schoultz, the ship's sponsor, presided over the christening ceremony
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
, breaking the traditional bottle of champagne over the bow of the ship. Tortuga was commissioned on 17 November 1990.
Ship history 1991–2011
In 1997, Tortuga was commanded by CDRCommander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Kenneth M. Rome, and made a Mediterranean deployment from 1 July 1998 until December 8 1998. In 1999, CDR
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
J.M. Burdon assumed command and commanded the ship until his retirement in late 2000. He was succeeded by CDR
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
James P. Driscoll, and in October 2000, the ship was ordered on an emergency deployment to support UNITAS 2000 in the South Pacific after had run aground on an underwater mountain off the coast of Valparaiso, Chile suffering catastrophic damage. After successfully finishing the UNITAS deployment, Tortuga returned to Little Creek. In January 2001, Tortuga was assigned as flagship to the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic|SNFL a NATO peacekeeping/quick reaction force.
In 2005, Tortuga was commanded by CDR
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Mark H. Scovill, homeported at NAB Little Creek
Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek is the major operating base for the Amphibious Forces in the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet. The base comprises four locations in three states, including almost 12,000 acres of real estate. Its Little Creek location in Virginia Beach, Virginia totals...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and assigned to Amphibious Group 2 of the Atlantic Fleet.
On 25 August 2005 Tortuga and her crew were pulled from a training exercise and sent to New Orleans to become part of Joint Task Force Katrina
Joint Task Force Katrina
Joint Task Force Katrina was a joint operation between the United States Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency created on August 31, 2005 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi to organize relief efforts along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The operation was...
. She was the first Navy ship to sail up the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
following the hurricane and berthed on the West Bank of New Orleans Naval Station. The ship instantly became a major rally point for the scattered military and civilian forces across New Orleans. Tortugas crew conducted rescue missions in the flooded Ninth Ward and assisted local officials from St. Bernard Parish. Crew members employed combat rubber raiding craft (CRRCs) which allowed them to search flooded areas with many underwater obstacles. As the crew rescued people from neighborhoods they were brought back to Tortuga with 7 and 11 meter RHIBs. Evacuees were processed, received medical attention, and were forwarded to their next destination at the earliest possible time. As water receded in New Orleans and the CRRCs became useless, the ship turned to serving the Army units camped out on the Naval Station, providing soldiers with hotel services that they could not get in the field.
On 14 October 2005, the U.S. Navy announced that Tortuga, would be forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to replace Fort McHenry
USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43)
is a Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy. She was named for Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, the 1814 defense of which inspired The Star-Spangled Banner....
(LSD-43). Tortuga arrived in Sasebo 31 March 2006 for turnover and assignment as part of the U.S. Navy’s Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF).
On 12 April the crews of the two ships completed an exchange-of-command process.
Conducted in 12 days, the hull swap between Fort McHenry and Tortuga was the quickest in the history of the U.S. Navy.
Tortugas former crew departed Sasebo 13 April 2006 to return to Little Creek on board Fort McHenry.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The group consisted of five ships, Tortuga, Hopper
USS Hopper (DDG-70)
USS Hopper , an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, is a ship of the United States Navy named for the pioneering computer scientist, Rear Admiral "Amazing Grace" Hopper....
(DDG-70), Crommelin
USS Crommelin (FFG-37)
USS Crommelin , twenty-eighth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class of guided-missile frigates, was named for five brothers: Vice Admiral Henry Crommelin , Rear Admiral John G. Crommelin , Captain Quentin Crommelin , Commander Charles Crommelin , and Lieutenant Commander Richard Crommelin...
(FFG-37), Salvor (ARS-52), and USCGC Sherman
USCGC Sherman (WHEC-720)
USCGC Sherman is a U. S. Coast Guard high endurance cutter based out of Integrated Support Command Alameda, Coast Guard Island, Alameda, California....
(WHEC-720). The group visited and operated with the navies of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, and Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Tortuga visited the tiny island of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
in March 2008 and March 2010 to celebrate the anniversary of the WWII battle fought there
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
.
In 2011, the Tortuga participated in disaster relief after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
. As part of Operation Tomodachi
Operation Tomodachi
is a United States Armed Forces assistance operation to support Japan in disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. As of March 22, 2011, twenty U.S. naval ships, 140 aircraft, and 19,703 Marines and Sailors were involved in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief...
, the ship transported Japanese Self-Defense Force servicemen and equipment from Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
to Honshu
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
island. Divers from the ship helped map and clear debris from the ports of Hachinohe, Aomori
Hachinohe, Aomori
- Neighbouring municipalities :Aomori Prefecture*Sannohe District**Hashikami**Gonohe**Nanbu*Kamikita District**OiraseIwate Prefecture*Karumai-History:...
and Miyako, Iwate
Miyako, Iwate
is a city located in Iwate, Japan.It was founded on February 11, 1941.The city lies along the coast where the flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is connected to Morioka by an east-west train line and highway and the coastal highway also goes through the town...
, facilitating both ports to reopen to ship traffic.
External links
- USS Tortuga official website
- USS Tortuga at navsource.org
- USS Tortuga at nvr.navy.mil
- USS Tortuga at navysite.de