{"id":22554,"date":"2021-03-30T20:47:53","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T20:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/03\/30\/uss-fort-mchenry-a-dock-landing-ship-decommissioned-after-33-years-in-the-fleet\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:13:24","slug":"uss-fort-mchenry-a-dock-landing-ship-decommissioned-after-33-years-in-the-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/03\/30\/uss-fort-mchenry-a-dock-landing-ship-decommissioned-after-33-years-in-the-fleet\/","title":{"rendered":"USS Fort McHenry, a dock landing ship, decommissioned after 33 years in the fleet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dock landing ship <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/07\/the-us-navy-is-back-in-the-black-sea-sending-a-message-to-moscow\/\" target=_blank>Fort McHenry<\/a> was decommissioned Saturday after 33 years in the fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decommissioning ceremony for the Whidbey Island-class ship, LSD-43, at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, included Rear Adm. Robert Katz, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2, and Capt. George \u201cDusty\u201d Rhodes, commanding officer of the ship when it was commissioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDuring my 17 years of sea duty and four commands at sea, I have no doubt that the Fort McHenry crew was the best with whom I ever served,\u201d said Rhodes, who retired from the Navy in 1999, according to a Navy news release. \u201cThey were always more than willing to do whatever it took to fulfill the mission. It is remarkable how closely they have stuck together over the past 34 years. I am proud to be among them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fort McHenry was commissioned in 1987 and has since supported operations including Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Vigilant Warrior and Enduring Freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ship\u2019s last deployment to Europe, Africa the and Middle East with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/07\/18\/kearsarge-args-unusual-cruise-is-over\/\" target=_blank>Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group<\/a> wrapped up in July 2019. The vessel \u2014 along with Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit \u2014 completed maritime security operations and more than 15 strait transits.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/03\/14\/us-warship-sails-the-arabian-sea-avoiding-port-killing-time-and-germs\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635574523108274739-ftmchenry-n-xg464-036jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US warship sails the Arabian Sea, avoiding port, killing time &#8230; and germs<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Personnel on the dock landing ship Fort McHenry have treated 25 sailors and Marines for a viral infection similar to mumps.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During that deployment, in early January 2019, Fort McHenry became the first U.S. Navy ship to enter the Black Sea following an incident two months earlier in the Kerch Strait, between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, when Russia fired upon three Ukrainian navy ships and then seized them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Fort-McHenry.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-48380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Fort-McHenry.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Fort-McHenry.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Fort-McHenry.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Fort-McHenry.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">190718-N-QI061-140\rNAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (July 18, 2019) The Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) pulls into Naval Station Mayport, Fla. Fort McHenry completed a scheduled deployment as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group in support of maritime security operations, crisis response and theater security cooperation, while also providing a forward naval presence. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard\/Released)\r\r<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the first several months of that same deployment, the ship suffered an outbreak of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antimicrobe.org\/e45.asp\">viral parotitis<\/a>, an infection that triggers symptoms similar to mumps, with fever, dehydration and chills. The outbreak caused more than 25 sailors to contract the disease and led the ship to ditch port visits for more than 100 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The last leg of the deployment included engaging in BALTOPS 2019, an annual exercise since 1972 in the Baltic Sea region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am humbled to be with you on this bittersweet day as we gather here at Naval Station Mayport to commemorate this ship\u2019s 33 years of commissioned service,\u201d Katz said, according to a Navy news release. \u201cThe history of Fort McHenry lies within each of the ship\u2019s sailors, and it is my hope this pride in their namesake guided all who crossed its quarterdeck and reported for duty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ship will be inactivated next month and placed on \u201cout of commission, in reserve\u201d status as it\u2019s transported to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy announced last month that the Fort McHenry would be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/02\/17\/bonhomme-richards-dismantling-to-begin-in-april\/\">decommissioned in a NAVADMIN<\/a>. The same release said that littoral combat ships Freedom and Independence would also be moved to \u201cout of commission, in reserve\u201d status this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the service also announced the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, which suffered a major fire last year, would be dismantled starting in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coastal patrol ships Zephyr and Shamal are also slated to be dismantled this year, while coastal patrol ship Tornado and fleet ocean tug Sioux will be sold to a foreign military.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fort McHenry was commissioned in 1987 and has since supported operations including Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Vigilant Warrior and Enduring Freedom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":48378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,23,88,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3305],"class_list":["post-22554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"HOW5FUNAXNBENH66BFGUOMDUFY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/03\/30\/uss-fort-mchenry-a-dock-landing-ship-decommissioned-after-33-years-in-the-fleet\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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