Hull number - LSD-40 Awarded - May 2, 1967 Keel Laid - July 15, 1970 Launched - April 22, 1972 Commissioned - December 9, 1972 Decommissioned - February 27, 1998 Builder - General Dynamics, Quincy, Mass. Propulsion System - Two 600 psi boilers Propellers - Two Length - 553 feet (168.6 meters) Beam - 85 feet (25.9 meters) Draft - 18 feet 5.5 meters) Displacement - Approx. 14,000 toons full load Speed - 22 knots Well Deck Capacity - Three LCAC Aircraft - None, but helicopter platform Crew - 18 Officers and 340 Enlisted Marine Detachment - 330 Marines Armament - Two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, Two Mk-38 Machine Guns, Four .50 Machine Guns
Commanding Officers:
Dec 9, 1972 - Sept 17, 1974 - CAPT Gene F. Gauthier, USN
Sept 17, 1974 - Dec 3, 1976 - CDR Glynn M. Thompson, USN
Dec 3, 1976 - Dec 22, 1978 - CDR John F. Gamboa, USN
Dec 22, 1978 - Mar 27, 1981 - CDR Kenneth R. Barry, USN
Mar 27, 1981 - Mar 24, 1983 - CDR Nigel E. Parkhurst, USN
Mar 24, 1983 - Jun 15, 1985 - CDR Richard C. Williams III, USN
Jun 15, 1985 - Oct 24, 1987 - CDR Arthur J. Gilbert, USN
Oct 24, 1987 - Dec 8, 1989 - CDR Edward P. Anglim, USN
Dec 8, 1989 - Jan 17, 1992 - CDR Thomas F. Radich, USN
Jan 17, 1992 - Oct 22, 1993 - CDR John T. Nawrocki, USN
Oct 22, 1993 - Jan 11, 1996 - CDR William E. Jezierski, USN
Jan 11, 1996 - Aug 31, 1997 - CDR Stuart B Markey, USN
Aug 31, 1997 - Feb 27, 1998 - CDR Thomas R. Williams, USN
FORT FISHER was built in Boston Naval Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts. Her keel was laid in July 1970, and she was christened on 22 April 1972. After commissioning on 9 December 1972, FORT FISHER set sail from the East Coast on 2 February 1973, enroute to her new homeport of Long Beach, California, by way of the Panama Canal. On 15 August 1973, her homeport shifted to San Diego, whence FORT FISHER has since operated.
From January until July 1974, the ship made her first extended overseas deployment as a unit of the Amphibious Forces, United States Seventh Fleet. During her service life, FORT FISHER has completed ten extended deployments to the Western Pacific and three to the Arabian Gulf (two of which found the ship in Somalia).
During an overhaul for the purpose of modernization, from September 1986 through May 1987, FORT FISHER was modified to operate and support the newest addition to the U.S. Navy's amphibious arsenal, the air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC). The LCAC is designed to land United States Marines and their equipment at high speed from over-the-horizon.
Due to her versatility, FORT FISHER has received a variety of unusual assignments in addition to her primary amphibious duties. In September 1977, on her way to the Western Pacific, she transported heavy construction equipment for rehabilitation of Eniwetok Atoll, which had been the site of atomic bomb testing. While deployed in 1978 off the coast of Vietnam, the ship rescued a U.S.-flagged yacht that had been temporarily held by the North Vietnamese. In 1988, she twice transited the Panama Canal to ferry new LCACs from Panama City, Florida, to Camp Pendleton, California. And in 1991, FORT FISHER supported counter-narcotics operations off the coast of Central America.
In September 1992, FORT FISHER, as a unit of the TARAWA (LHA 1) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), was ordered to Somalia. Prior to Operation RESTORE HOPE, FORT FISHER assisted in the insertion of the first Combat Controller Team into the airport at Mogadishu. During the deployment from October 1994 through April 1995, the ship was again ordered to that region and was a highly visible part of Operation UNITED SHIELD, the final amphibious withdrawal of troops and equipment from Somalia. FORT FISHER was a cornerstone in what developed into a 23-ship, eight nation coalition of naval, ground, and air forces, executing a night-time amphibious landing and subsequent withdrawal under hostile conditions from the Somali capital. This was the first amphibious withdrawal conducted by United States forces in an operational environment since the Korean War nearly 50 years ago.
In March 1997, FORT FISHER departed on her final deployment. The trip included brief stops in preturnover Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Australia. The ship also made an extended port visit to Aqaba, Jordan. This thirty day stop was in support of the Exercises INFINITE MOONLIGHT and INFINITE SHADOW. These exercises were extremely important as each helped to create strong bonds with the Jordanian military and people. The ship also participated in Exercises RED REEF and IRON MAGIC with other Arabian Gulf nations. FORT FISHER returned home on 24 September 1997 and was decommissioned on 27 February 1998.
