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By Petty Officer 3rd Class Karalie Pallotta
USS Tarawa Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO - Amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa returned to San Diego from her 14th Western Pacific deployment, June 3.
During the deployment she and her crew sailed over 36,000 miles and visited four continents. They supported over 1,300 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit; aided the citizens of Bangladesh and Djibouti through medical and dental civil action projects; and welcomed aboard coalition leaders from Pakistan, France, Ethiopia, Egypt and the U.S., impressing upon them the capabilities of an American warship.
"Through all this the ship and her crew never wavered in performance of their duty," said Capt. Brian Luther, Tarawa commanding officer. "The soul of the ship has always been her crew, and although Tarawa has known many sailors in her life time, I would venture to say that there have been none so well trained and dedicated to the service of their country as the men and women that are aboard right now. Their continued work is what made her last deployment a success."
"It's also pretty cool to be here for Tarawa's last deployment. She's held up really well, and it's a privilege to be here for this last Westpac," said Petty Officer 1st class Anthony St. Thomas.
Tarawa departed San Diego Nov. 5. During her deployment her crew conducted disaster relief operations in Bangladesh, humanitarian assistance operations in Djibouti, and maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf.
Tarawa was commissioned May 29,1976 and has out lived two of her older contemporaries, the USS Saipan, decommissioned April 20, 2007 and transferred to the inactive fleet; and the USS Belleau Wood which was sunk July 10, 2006, as part of SINKEX during RIMPAC. She is scheduled to be decommissioned in March 2009.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2008 21:56 |
| Story ID: | 20076 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 589 |
| Downloads: | 519 |
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