USS Juneau (LPD-10)

USS ''Juneau'' (LPD-10), an , is the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the capital of Alaska. The ship entered service on 12 July 1969, and participated in the Vietnam War, was command ship for the response to the ''Exxon Valdex'' oil spill, transported troops to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm, and was part of the attempted US response to Cyclone Nargis. ''Juneau'' was decommissioned in 2008, and is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, and is currently berthed in Oahu, Hawaii waiting for disposal.

Construction and launch

Her keel was laid down by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington, on 23 January 1965. She was launched on 12 February 1966 ( sponsored by Mrs. William A. Egan, wife of William A. Egan, the Governor of Alaska), and commissioned on 12 July 1969.

Operational history

Throughout the 1970s, ''Juneau'' completed five deployments to the western Pacific, including eight trips into Vietnamese waters, earning five battle stars for its efforts in the Vietnam War. ''Juneau'' conducted the first AV-8A Harrier landing on a United States Pacific Fleet LPD in February 1976. On 4 July 1976, ''Juneau'' arrived in Juneau, Alaska with a complement of Marines from 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division as part of United States Bicentennial celebrations.

During the 1980s ''Juneau'' completed seven deployments. In April 1989, ''Juneau'' received emergency orders to Prince William Sound in support of the ''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill clean up. She was the first naval vessel on station, and assumed the duties of command and control ship for Joint Task Force Alaska. She provided berthing, communications, transportation (both surface and air), food, medical and laundry services for over four hundred civilian cleanup workers. She was the host of Vice-President Dan Quayle's visit to Prince William Sound, where he toured an oil soaked beach and then returned to ''Juneau'' and gave a speech that was televised nationwide.

After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the initiation of Operation Desert Shield, ''Juneau'' sailed with twelve other ships of Amphibious Group Three in December 1990 to participate in Operation Desert Storm. Joining with ships from Amphibious Group Two, ''Juneau'' was a member of the largest amphibious task force since the United Nations assault on Incheon, South Korea in the Korean War. On 24 February 1991 ''Juneau'' off-loaded her equipment and ammunition in record time and landed her embarked troops at Ras Mishab, Saudi Arabia, whence they would assault Iraqi positions in southern Kuwait.

In May 1991, ''Juneau'' proceeded to Bangladesh to assist in Operation Sea Angel, providing relief after a disastrous cyclone.

During her 14th deployment in late 1992, ''Juneau'' was diverted to the coast of Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope. Early on 9 December 1992, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) performed an unopposed amphibious assault into the city of Mogadishu from ''Juneau'', and . The embarked Marines ensured the security of shipments of food supplies to the people of Somalia.

''Juneau'' was homeported in San Diego until 30 July 1999 when she relieved as part of the forward-deployed naval forces. From June to September 1999 ''Juneau'' participated in the first ship swap with her sister ship ''Dubuque'', where each ship's crew remained in their original home ports, allowing ''Dubuque'' to return to the homeport of San Diego, California. Since that date, ''Juneau'' has been homeported in Sasebo, Japan.

''Juneau'' was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 28 to 31 January 2000.

During the 2008 Myanmar Cyclone Nargis crisis and the subsequent Operation Caring Response aid mission, ''Juneau'' (as part of the amphibious group, along with , and ), she stood by off Burma from 13 May to 5 June, waiting for the Myanmar junta government to permit US aid to its citizens. However, in early June, with permission still not forthcoming, it was decided to put the group back on its scheduled operations.

Decommissioning

''Juneau'' swapped with her sister ship during the third quarter of fiscal year 2008. After the swap, the ship sailed to San Diego for decommissioning. The decommissioning took place 30 October 2008 after which the ship was moved to Hawaii and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.''San Diego Union-Tribune'', 28 October 2008.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Juneau (LPD-10)
Austin-class amphibious transport docks
Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Vietnam War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Ships built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company
National Defense Reserve Fleet
1966 ships