SITE NAVIGATION

SHIP SPECIFIC INFORMATION

TYPE	AMPHIBOUS ASSAULT (LHA)
CLASS	TARAWA
OFFICIAL NAME	USS PELELIU
PENNANT NUMBER	5
NICKNAME	MIGHTY LIU
MOTTO	PAX PER POTENS (PEACE THROUGH POWER)
BUILDER	INGALLS SHIPBUILDING
CONTRACT AWARD DATE	11/06/1970
KEEL LAYING DATE	11/12/1976
LAUNCH DATE	11/25/1978
DELIVERY DATE	04/03/1980
COMMISSION DATE	05/03/1980
PLANNING YARD	NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD, NORFOLK, VA
NAVSEA PMS	470
CUSTODIAN	US NAVY
STATUS	ACTIVE DUTY
HOMEPORT	SAN DIEGO, CA
MAILING ADDRESS	FPO, AP, 96624-1620
UIC (UNIT IDENT. CODE)	20748
TYPE COMMANDER	SURFPAC
FLEET COMMAND	N/A
GROUP COMMAND	N/A
SQUADRON COMMAND	PHIBRON 3

AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIPS

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LHA 5 | USS PELELIU

Namesake:

Battle of Peleliu

Like the bloody World War II island campaigns before it, Peleliu was a fight to capture an airstrip on a far-flung speck of coral in the western Pacific. And, as with previous island battles, the Americans would prevail, but at a cost no one anticipated, against a fanatical enemy whose new defense strategy would make the invaders pay dearly for every chunk of coral taken. By the summer of 1944, the United States had come a long way since the dark days of Pearl Harbor, Wake Island and Bataan. Victories in the Southwest and Central Pacific had brought the war even closer to Japan, with American bombers now able to strike at the Japanese homeland itself. But there was disagreement by the U.S. Joint Chiefs over two proposed strategies to crush the Japanese Empire.

One strategy proposed by General Douglas MacArthur called for the recapture of the Philippines, followed by the capture of Okinawa then Formosa for an attack at the Chinese mainland. From there, the eventual invasion of Japan would come. Admiral Chester Nimitz, on the other hand, favored a more direct strategy of bypassing the Philippines, but seizing Okinawa and Formosa as staging areas for the future invasion of Japan's southernmost islands. As for Peleliu, both commanders' strategies included the invasion of this island, but for different reasons, and the 1st Marine Division had already been chosen to make the assault. To settle this dispute, President Franklin Roosevelt traveled to Pearl Harbor to meet personally with both commanders and hear their respective arguments. From this the president would make his own decision. After a review of both positions, MacArthur's strategy was chosen. However, before MacArthur could retake the Philippines, the Palau Islands - Peleliu specifically, would have to be neutralized to protect his right flank. What followed would be a ferocious battle lasting more than two months and costing over 12,000 lives. It would also be one of the Pacific War's most forgotten campaigns.

Historical Notes:

USS PELELIU was commissioned on May 3, 1980 at Ingalls Shipyard, Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship's sponsor was Mrs. Peggy Hayward, wife of then CNO, Thomas B. Hayward.

The ship departed Ingalls Shipyard under command of CAPT T.P. Scott. Flight operations were frequently conducted and the ship logged its 500th landing on May 30, 1980.

On May 17th PELELIU arrived in Colon, Panama to begin unrigging for the transit of the Panama Canal. PELELIU departed Colon on May 20th and tied up in Balboa, Panama (Pacific side of the canal) twelve hours later. After five days of rerigging in Balboa, PELELIU departed and entered her homewaters of the Pacific. PELELIU proceeded south from Panama and crossed the equator on the night of May 27th, which is the record for the shortest period between a ship's commissioning and "Crossing the Line."

On May 28th PELELIU headed northerly enroute Mazatlan, Mexico, departing the Baja port on June 7th enroute San Diego, California. Most of the events PELELIU and her crew participated in during this initial transit were "firsts" and the underway refueling with USNS TALUGA was no exception, occurring on June 8th. PELELIU arrived at Naval Air Station, San Diego on June 10th for a one-day stop prior to proceeding to Long Beach, CA, her homeport.

In 1981 PELELIU complete its Post-Shakedown Availability and join the fleet as a fully operational unit of the Navy's Pacific Amphibious Force. The latter part of the year found the ship and her crew well trained having past numerous work up evaluations. The Engineering department passed their Operational Propulsion Plant Examination (OPPE) in 42--hours vice the normal 72 hours required, and REFTRA was successfully accomplished just prior to the holiday season. All efforts were directed toward preparing PELELIU for its first Western Pacific/Indian Ocean deployment.

1982 marked USS PELELIU's first year as a fully operational unit of the Navy's Pacific Fleet Amphibious Force. In January, she was the flagship in a no-notice, non-combatant emergency evacuation exercise conducted off San Clemente Island, and on March 28th the ship got underway for its maiden deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

The deployment was completed on October 4th. One month later the ship deployed to the northern Pacific Ocean to participate in an exercise held off Amchitka in the Aleutian Islands. PELELIU conducted its 10,000th accident free landing during this northern Pacific exercise.

Ship's Crest:

The stars across the top of the shield represent the eight Medal of Honor recipients from the Battle of Peleliu Island in 1944. Centered is the large roman numeral "V" which represents the hull number of the ship, LHA-5. The four point star in the "V" identifies the four functions of the landing force, and sustain their operations ashore. In the lower left-hand side of the shield is a ring which by tradition of heraldry, symbolizes the fifth born. The 1st Marine Division emblem is the constellation Southern Cross with the numeral '1" superimposed. USS PELELIU's moto is "PAX PER POTENS", which is "PEACE THROUGH POWER".