{"id":28726,"date":"2015-04-03T01:06:03","date_gmt":"2015-04-03T01:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2015\/04\/03\/crew-retires-the-peleliu-after-35-years-service\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:12:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:12:15","slug":"crew-retires-the-peleliu-after-35-years-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2015\/04\/03\/crew-retires-the-peleliu-after-35-years-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Crew retires the Peleliu after 35 years’ service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The venerable “Iron Nickel” \u2014 the big deck ship <\/span>that delivered the first Marines into Afghanistan in November 2001 \u2014 was decommissioned on <\/span>March 31 after nearly 35 years of service that included deployments in support of operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of current and former crew members, to include 10 previous commanding officers, were on hand to bid the amphibious assault ship Peleliu farewell at the San Diego ceremony. The ship, the last of the Tarawa-class, completed its 17th and final deployment on <\/span>Dec. 24, ending a legendary career that included deployments in support of operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“From that first deployment onward, USS Peleliu and her crew demonstrated time and again that she always achieved the mission, to perfection, with style and in ways that had never been seen before,” said Rear Adm. Marcus Hitchcock, director of Fleet and Joint Training at U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and the ship’s 18th commanding officer. He served as guest speaker for the decommissioning ceremony. “Except on rare occasions, USS Peleliu never did it alone. She always had a teammate by her side, the U.S. Marine Corps.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) depart amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) to participate in the ground phase of Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) 2015. PHIBLEX is an annual, bilateral training exercise conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, U.S. Marines and Navy to strengthen interoperability across a range of capabilities to include disaster relief and contingency operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dustin Knight\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit depart the Peleliu for the ground phase of Amphibious Landing Exercise 2013 in the Philippines.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo Credit: MC3 Dustin Knight\/Navy<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship will be towed from Naval Base San Diego to Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor, where it will be placed in an inactive reserve status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the ship’s three decade run, it set many firsts and were many firsts along the way<\/span> for the blue\/green team, which conducted 178,051 flight operations, served 57,983 personnel, and <\/span>steamed approximately 1,011,946 nautical miles and counted 57,983 crewmembers. They include the first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n