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About the Ship's Coat of Arms

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Homeports of USS Tripoli

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USS Tripoli (LHA 7)

USS TRIPOLI is the second ship in the AMERICA - class of amphibious assault ships and the third ship in the Navy to bear the name. Unlike the other amphibious assault ships in the Navy, the USS TRIPOLI is not equipped with a well deck to provide more space for aviation facilities.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS TRIPOLI. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The colors of the shield - dark blue, red and gold - are associated with the US Navy and US Marine Corps. These specific colors represent both the current crew as well as the Marines and Sailors who fought in the Battle of Derne at Tripoli. The inverted pall partitions the shield into thirds, signifying LHA 7 as the third ship to bear the name USS TRIPOLI. The sun in glory above sand dunes depicts the 600-mile desert journey from Alexandria, Egypt to Derne, Tripoli led by General William Eaton, USA, and First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon, USMC.

The trident, featuring a lightning bolt, depicts the three prongs of USS TRIPOLI's capabilities - air, land and sea. The lightning bolt also represents the F-35B Lightning II which USS TRIPOLI can fully support. The three bars wavy represent USS TRIPOLI's ability to navigate across the oceans in defense of national interests.

The magnolia flower pays homage to the State of Mississippi, where USS TRIPOLI was built. All three venues - land, air and sea - are referenced in the shield to reflect and reinforce the ship's motto. The three anchors represent the USS ARGUS, USS HORNET and USS NAUTILUS that provided necessary support, supplies and money to Eaton and O'Bannon along the trek to Tripoli. Additionally, the ships aided Eaton and O'Bannon during the battle with cannon fire upon the enemy's strongholds.

The two Kentucky long rifles are in honor of O'Bannon serving in the Kentucky State Legislature and Senate after his military career as well as denoting his final resting place. Further, the rifles are angled to signify O'Bannon as the first person to raise the American flag in victory on foreign soil.

The ten musket balls pay homage to the eight Marines and two Sailors who were engaged in the Battle of Derna. The eagle, bearing the arms of the United States, is emblematic of Eaton's appointed position as a Consul of Tunis. The fasces, symbolic of leadership and authority, emphasizes Eaton's diplomatic role.

The arrow within the fasces conveys direction, as well as serves to imply a backing of military force. The olive wreath is associated with peace and compliments the conciliatory efforts made by Eaton prior to the Battle of Derna.

IN ÆRE TERRAM MARIQUE translates to IN THE AIR, ON LAND, AND SEA. This personifies the capabilities of USS TRIPOLI as an amphibious warfare vessel and echoes a verse in the Marine Corps Hymn. The Navy Officer sword and Marine Corps Mameluke sword signify leadership and teamwork. The Marine Corps adoption of the Mameluke stems from O'Bannon being awarded the sword by Hamet Karamanli for his leadership and bravery in the decisive victory at Derne. This honor is further commemorated in the Marine Corps Hymn with "To the shores of Tripoli".

The Navy cutlass and Marine Corps NCO sword pay tribute to the enlisted team on the ship.

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USS TRIPOLI History:

USS TRIPOLI entered existence as the second unit of the AMERICA-class when the U.S. Navy announced her name on May 4, 2012, honoring the 1805 Derna campaign in the First Barbary War. Fabrication proceeded at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi; her keel was authenticated on June 20, 2014, and the hull reached the water on May 1, 2017. The ship was christened at Pascagoula on September 16, 2017, with Lynne Mabus serving as sponsor. Builder's sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico ran July 15-19, 2019, followed by acceptance trials with the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey October 29-30, 2019. The Navy accepted delivery on February 28, 2020, completing a protracted construction timeline shaped by design refinements for sustained F-35B operations.

COVID-19 conditions shaped the ship's fleet entry. A formal public commissioning originally planned at Naval Air Station Pensacola was canceled. Instead TRIPOLI was administratively commissioned at Pascagoula on July 15, 2020. Soon after, she put to sea for her homeport shift, pausing at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay on August 3-4, 2020, before continuing through U.S. 4th Fleet waters into the Pacific. She arrived in San Diego, California, on September 18, 2020, establishing her initial fleet homeport. Post-delivery shakedown events and certifications occupied late 2020 into 2021, culminating in a series of at-sea periods that prepared the ship for fixed-wing operations and deployment.

The transition from new construction to fifth-generation aviation platform was marked by key milestones in early 2022. On January 11, 2022, an F-35B from VMFA-122 conducted the first TRIPOLI landing. One week later, on January 18, the ship completed fixed-wing flight operations certification, validating her core design purpose of sustained F-35B use. From March 30 to April 8, 2022, the Navy-Marine Corps team loaded and operated 20 F-35B Lightning II aircraft - drawn from VMFA-211 and VMFA-225 of MAG-13 and Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron VMX-1 - in a full "lightning carrier" concept demonstration off Southern California, exploring the ship's potential as a concentrated STOVL airpower node. TRIPOLI then departed San Diego for her maiden Western Pacific deployment in early May 2022.

During that first deployment, TRIPOLI operated across the U.S. 7th Fleet theater. In June 2022, she embarked the staff of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet for at-sea evolutions (June 2-17). A scheduled port visit to Sasebo on July 6 underscored the ship's relationship with the forward-deployed AMERICA-class flagship USS AMERICA (LHA 6) through organized crew exchanges and sporting events. On July 25, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked for tasking. Through the summer and early autumn the ship's embarked F-35Bs flew missions supporting major theater exercises, including Noble Fusion and Valiant Shield, alongside regional partners and allies. As the deployment progressed, TRIPOLI's presence tied aviation activity to diplomacy: she made a late-August port call at Changi Naval Base, Singapore (arriving August 31), conducted a late-September visit to Manila, Philippines, to position for bilateral Exercise KAMANDAG in October, and later called at Hobart, Tasmania, as part of an Australian port period. The cruise closed with her return to San Diego in late November 2022, after 40,000-plus nautical miles and more than two thousand flight hours.

In 2023, the ship concentrated on sustainment, training, and outreach in 3rd Fleet waters. She hosted international students from the U.S. Naval War College on January 9 and continued local underway periods to preserve flight deck proficiency for embarked squadrons and deck crews. The Navy recognized TRIPOLI's 2022 aviation safety record with the Admiral James H. Flatley Memorial Award (presented September 28, 2023), and Naval Safety Command subsequently listed TRIPOLI among FY 2023 CNO Afloat Safety Award recipients - markers of a maturing ship and air department after a first deployment centered on introducing high-tempo F-35B operations to the platform.

Readiness activities intensified in 2024. Following a selected maintenance period, the ship completed post-availability sea trials in March and executed a spring aviation certification syllabus, including an April 9-11 integration event with VMFA-211 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. On July 15, TRIPOLI hosted 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing units at sea in the eastern Pacific for mobility air qualifications and deck-crew currency, keeping the ship and squadrons aligned on procedures refined during the previous year's safety-award period.

In 2025, the Navy shifted TRIPOLI to the forward presence role envisioned for her class. On May 19 she departed San Diego to forward deploy to Sasebo, Japan, replacing USS AMERICA in the 7th Fleet amphibious force. She arrived at her new homeport on June 23 and integrated into Expeditionary Strike Group 7's schedules and commitments. The forward deployment placed TRIPOLI at the center of Indo-Pacific naval competition dynamics - closer to routine South and East China Sea operations, frequent combined training with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and rapid response tasks with the 31st MEU - while consolidating lessons from her West Coast work-ups and maiden deployment into a long-term regional posture.

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Homeports of USS TRIPOLI:

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USS TRIPOLI Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the TRIPOLI under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., on October 17, 2019.

The photos below were taken by Sebastian Thoma and show the TRIPOLI at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on November 29, 2021.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show USS TRIPOLI before and during the Parade of Ships during Fleet Week San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, Calif., on October 11, 2024.

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