USS Iwo Jima departs Naval Station Rota, Spain

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USS Iwo Jima departs Naval Station Rota, Spain
By: U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs - 05-02-21
Re: https://www.c6f.navy.mil/Press-Room/...on-rota-spain/

Photo link: https://media.defense.gov/2021/May/0...KH151-0056.JPG

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain , –
Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), flagship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG), departed Naval Station (NS) Rota, Spain, after completion of its mid-deployment voyage repair (MDVR), April 27, 2021.

Iwo Jima’s maintenance visit provided an opportunity for repairs and replacements of integral ship’s systems, including the starboard steering assembly assessment, the ship’s whistle, and a ship control system (SCS) network switch modification.

Support for the ship was coordinated through the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUPP) Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella – Rota, Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) Detachment Rota, and Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia, Public Works Department Rota.

“Our port maintenance visit was especially successful due to the support of the installation and Installation Commanding Officer Capt. Dave Baird,” said Capt. David Loo, commanding officer, USS Iwo Jima. “What a fantastic place for us to have been able to pull into during our deployment. We were able to get a lot of maintenance and repairs done pier-side. Folks from NAVSUPP Fleet Logistics Center, the Forward Deployed RMC, and NAVFAC were standing by on the pier, ready to help and assist. Port Operations were more than ready to help support all of our pier-side facilities.”

The crew completed normal working days supported by in-port duty sections while in port, but were also offered a unique opportunity for liberty after working hours. Morale, Wellness, and Recreation (MWR) Rota sequestered their “Fleet Zone,” an on-base area consisting of restaurants, sports fields, bowling alley, and liberty center, for exclusive use by the crew of the Iwo Jima. NS Rota’s Navy Exchange and Commissary also opened their doors for exclusive hours, supporting the crew in maintaining their COVID-free deployment.

“I can't say enough about our stop in Naval Station Rota,” said Loo. “It was a big opportunity for the crew to find a safe port of call in the sixth fleet operating area, to get off the ship, rest, relax, and complete maintenance and continue our operations here in the sixth fleet operating area.”

Iwo Jima is operating in the Atlantic Ocean in support of naval operations to maintain maritime stability and security in order to ensure access, deter aggression, and defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.

The combined IWOARG and 24th MEU have roughly 4,300 Sailors and Marines. The ARG-MEU is deployed to SIXTHFLT in support of regional NATO Allies and partners as well as U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

The IWOARG consists of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), Carter Hall (LSD 50) and the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17). Embarked detachments for the Iwo Jima ARG include Amphibious Squadron Four, Fleet Surgical Team (FST) Six, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, Tactical Air Control Squadron (TACRON) 21, Naval Beach Group (NBG) Two, Beach Master Unit (BMU) Two, Assault Craft Unit (ACU) Two and Four, and Sailors from Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) Two.

The 24th MEU mission is to provide the United States with a forward-deployed, amphibious force-in-readiness capable of executing missions across the full spectrum of combat and military operations other than war, and consists of four basic elements, the Command Element, Ground Combat Element, Air Combat Element and the Logistics Combat Element. The unit consists of a ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 1/8, a logistics combat element, Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, and an aviation combat element, Marine Medium Tilt-Rotor Squadron (VMM) 162 Reinforced.

U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

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History of:

USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Battle of Iwo Jima of World War II. The ship was commissioned in 2001 and is in service.
https://www.seaforces.org/usnships/l...S-Iwo-Jima.htm

Original USS Iwo Jima LPH-2 History:
Re: http://www.ussiwojimaclassassociatio...ry/index.shtml

More on the Current LHD-7 USS Iwo Jima & photo's:
Re: https://www.seaforces.org/usnships/l...S-Iwo-Jima.htm

Namesake & History:

The Battle of Iwo Jima:

USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7) is named for the epic battle of February 1945, in which three divisions of the United States Marine Corps took control of the tiny island of Iwo Jima from 22,000 determined Japanese defenders.

The United States had recovered from the disastrous attack on Pearl Harbor, to the point where routine air attacks on Japanese cities could be made by heavy bombers launched from the Marianas. The successful outcome of the war seemed inevitable, but victory over the Japanese would come only at a high price. The Japanese considered Iwo Jima a part of mainland Japan, and an invader had not set foot on Japanese soil for 4,000 years.

Iwo Jima was a thorn in the side of the U.S. heavy bomber crews. Air attacks on the Marianas bomber bases, and bombers enroute to and from Japan,were launched from Iwo Jima. An assault on the island was necessary to eliminate these air attacks and to provide a haven for damaged American aircraft returning from Japan.

Amphibious forces of the U.S. Pacific Fleet attacked the fortress of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, with a formidable force, totaling 495 ships, including 17 aircraft carriers, 1170 planes, and 110,308 troops. Before the amphibious assault, elements of the Air Force and Army Air Corps pounded the island in the longest sustained aerial offensive of the war. Incredibly, this ferocious bombardment had little effect. Hardly any of the Japanese underground fortresses were touched.

The Japanese defenders devised a unique and deadly strategy to defend Iwo Jima from an American assault. Instead of building a barrier to stop the Americans at the beach, they fortified the interior of the island, creating a defense that could not be breached in a day.

On Feb. 19, 1945, the first wave of Marines were launched after an hour-long bombardment by the Navy’s “big guns.” The Americans planned to capture, isolate and fortify Mt. Suribachi. The success of the entire assault depended upon the early capture of the mountain.

After an hour of calm, the Japanese defenders, hiding in their network of caves and underground bunkers, unleashed a hail of gunfire. Mortars, machine guns and heavy artillery rained down from scores of machine gun nests atop Suribachi. After the first day of fighting, 566 American men were killed and 1,755 more were wounded. For the next several days, some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific were fought on the isle of Iwo Jima.

It was a battle of attrition on terrain that had no front lines; where the attackers were exposed and the defenders fortified.

The battle for Iwo was fought desperately until March 26th, when the island was finally secured by U.S. forces. In the struggle, nearly 7,000 Americans and more than 20,000 Japanese were killed. It was one of the most savage and costly battles in the history of the Marine Corps. As Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz observed, “Among the Americans who served on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

PFC Jack Lucas was 17 when he earned the Medal of Honor, the youngest awardee in our nation’s history. He leapt on two live grenades, saving countless brother Marines. A doctor aboard the hospital ship on which Lucas was treated said he was, “too damned young and too damned tough to die.” When asked, 53 years later, why he jumped on the grenades, Jack simply said, “to save my buddies.” He and his lovely wife, Ruby, are honorary crew and family members of USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7).

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