The USS Peleliu (LHA-5) is a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy, named after the Battle of Peleliu during World War II.

History

Originally to be named the Khe Sanh and then Da Nang, the Peleliu was laid in 1976 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, launched on 25 November 1978, sponsored by Peggy Hayward (wife of then-CNO Thomas B. Hayward), and commissioned 3 May 1980, with Captain T. P. Scott in command.

The Peleliu immediately headed south, transited the Panama Canal, and then crossing the Equator on 27 May, setting a new record for time between commissioning and entrance into the Southern Hemisphere. Next, she proceeded to the port of Long Beach, California.

After Operation Desert Storm In June 1991, while coming back from the Persian Gulf, the Peleliu participated in the evacuation of Subic Bay personnel in the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. The evacuation included several patients from the maternity ward, resulting in multiple births aboard ship. The eruption was among the world's largest in the past 100 years. It covered a large region in heavy volcanic ash and resulting in the destruction of much of the US naval base.

In November 2001, the Peleliu delivered the first U.S. Marines to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On 2 January 2004 a vessel was intercepted and fifteen individuals were detained and an estimated of hashish (approximately $11 million street value) were seized by U.S. and coalition maritime forces following the interception of a dhow on 1 January in the North Arabian Sea.

The Peleliu deployed in support of the Pacific Partnership mission 23 May – 20 September 2007. The mission included medical, dental, construction, and other humanitarian assistance programs ashore and afloat in the Philippines, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Marshall Islands. Medical personnel onboard the Peleliu included medical teams from the U.S. Navy and ten partner nations, and three Non-Governmental Organizations, including "Project Handclasp".

In 2008 she was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and maritime security operations. On 10 August 2008 she responded to a distress call from a merchant vessel, the Gem of Kilakari, which was being attacked by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden north of Somalia. The attack was successfully halted with no injuries.