USS Bataan (LHD-5)
USS Bataan (LHD-5) is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship in the United States Navy. The ship is named after the Battle of Bataan, fought in the Philippines during World War II. The ship enables the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps team to seamlessly transition from the sea to a land battle, as the lead ship and centerpiece of an Amphibious Ready Group. She is capable of amphibious assault, advance force, and special purpose operations, as well as evacuation and humanitarian assistance.
For other ships with the same name, see USS Bataan.Commissioning[edit]
Ship's sponsor, Linda Sloan Mundy, wife of former Marine Corps Commandant Gen Carl E. Mundy, Jr., christened the new ship "in the name of the United States and in honor of the heroic defenders of Bataan" at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi.[2] More than 100 members of veterans groups associated with both the Battle of Bataan and the infamous "Bataan Death March" that followed, as well as the Battle of Corregidor, and the aircraft carrier Bataan (CVL-29), were at the christening ceremony. She was launched on 15 March 1996, and commissioned on 20 September 1997.[2][3] Her homeport is Norfolk, Virginia.[3]
Capabilities[edit]
Bataan enables the Navy and Marine Corps team to seamlessly transition from the sea to a land battle, as the lead ship and centerpiece of an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG).[4] The ship is capable of amphibious assault, advance force, and special purpose operations, as well as evacuation and humanitarian assistance.[4]