USS TARAWA

USS Tarawa (LHA-1) was the lead ship of the Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships in the United States Navy. Commissioned on May 29, 1976, she was designed to embark, deploy, and land elements of a Marine landing force in amphibious assault operations. USS Tarawa played a significant role in numerous operations, including peacekeeping missions in Lebanon in the 1980s and humanitarian relief in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope in 1992–1993. After more than three decades of service, Tarawa was decommissioned on March 31, 2009.