USS Cleveland LPD-7

USS Cleveland LPD 7 Cleveland Class Transport Dock

		Commissioned 21 April 1967
		Displacement: 17,000 t. (full load)
		Length: 570' Beam: 84' Draft: variable
		Speed: 21+ k
		Crew Complement: 164 ship's officers, 1408 ship's enlisted, 840 troops, 90 flag staff
		Armament: Two 25mm Mk38 guns; two Phalanx CIWS; and eight .50-calibre machine guns.
		Aircraft: Two CH-46 Sea Knights or two CH-53 Sea Stallions or four UH-1 Iroquois ("Hueys") or AH-1 Cobras or two AV-8 Harriers
		Assault Craft: one LCU or one LCAC or two LCM-8 or four LCM-6



		The USS Cleveland (LPD-7) was commissioned April 21, 1967 at Norfolk, Virginia. The USS Cleveland is the third ship to be named after the city of Cleveland, Ohio. The first was the Protected Cruiser (C-19) from 1903-1929 and the second a light Cruiser (CL-55) from 1942-1947. After commissioning, the USS Cleveland changed homeport to San Diego, California to become a member of the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Forces. USS CLEVELAND has divided her time between operations in the Easter Pacific and extended deployments to the Western Pacific. USS CLEVELAND is usually assigned as part of a Marine Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), with her embarked Marines acting as part of the United States military effort in Southeast Asia. The USS Cleveland is a highly versatile ship and has served is such varied operations as, Tet Offensive in 1967, Third Fleet Flagship 1988, oil spill cleanup efforts associated with the Exxon Valdez disaster 1989, amphibious in support Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and again in 1991, Drug interdiction operations in Central America in 1993, recovery and salvage efforts of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 in 2000

		Official USS Cleveland Web Site : http://www.cleveland.navy.mil/