USS Ashland (LSD 48)

USS ASHLAND is the eighth WHIDBEY ISLAND class amphibious transport dock and the fifth ship in that class built by Avondale in New Orleans, La. USS ASHLAND is the second ship in the Navy to bear the name.

General Characteristics:	Keel laid: April 4, 1989
	Christened: November 11, 1989
	Commissioned: May 9, 1992
	Builder: Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, La.
	Propulsion system: four Colt Industries 16 Cylinder Diesels
	Propellers: two
	Length: 610 feet (186 meters)
	Beam: 84 feet (25.6 meters)
	Draft: 21 feet (6.4 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 16,000 tons full load
	Speed: 22 knots
	Well deck capacity: four LCAC or 21 LCM-6 (on deck: one LCM-6, two LCPL and one LCVP)
	Aircraft: none, but two landing spots allow for operation of aircraft as large as the CH-53E
	Crew: Ship: 20 Officers, 25 Chief Petty Officers, 302 Enlisted
	Crew: Marine Detachment: approx. 400 + approx. 100 surge
	Armament: two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, two 25mm Mk-38 guns, six .50-calibre Machine guns, two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) system
	Cost: $149 million
	Homeport: San Diego, Calif.

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Crew List:

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

Click here to view the list.

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Click here to see which USS ASHLAND memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS ASHLAND Cruise Books:

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History of USS ASHLAND:

LSD 48's keel was laid on April 4, 1989 at New Orleans, Louisiana by Avondale Industries Incorporated. Launching and christening took place on November 11, 1989 with Mrs. Kathleen Foley, wife of ADM S. R. Foley, Jr. (Ret.), as ship's sponsor. USS ASHLAND was commissioned on May 9, 1992 at New Orleans, Louisiana.

Since her commissioning, ASHLAND has distinguished herself in a variety of missions and operations. During her maiden overseas deployment to the Mediterranean from August 1993 to February 1994, she participated in a number of significant operations including Operation DENY FLIGHT off Bosnia, and Operations RESTORE HOPEand PROVIDE PROMISE off the coast of Somalia. The ship also made an historic port visit to Constanta, Romania in the Black Sea.

In September 1994, the ship received short notice orders to sail in support of Operation ABLE VIGIL, the Cuban Migration Interdiction effort, during which she rescued or received from other units over 5,100 Cuban migrants and transferred them to processing centers at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This was immediately followed by operations in both the Cap Haitian and Port Au Prince theaters during Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY, the military intervention in Haiti.

After her return from these operations in October 1994, ASHLAND became the first amphibious ship to embark females as permanent members of the crew. In December 1995, the ship returned from an extensive six month deployment to South America and West Africa as part of Unitas 36-95 and West African Training Cruise or WATC'95. During this period, ASHLAND visited over 20 cities and operated with the navies and marines of 12 South American and African nations. During this deployment, the ship transited the historic Chilean intercoastal Waterway, the Straits of Magellan, and rounded Cape Horn.

In May 1996, ASHLAND became the test platform for the Ship's Self Defense System (SSDS). SSDS integrates sensor and weapon systems to provide an automated, quick response, multi-target engagement capability against closing targets. SSDS utilizes both the Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) and the Rolling Airframe missile (RAM) system, which is a multi-target engagement, "fire-and forget" missile system used to intercept hostile and anti-ship missiles.

From October 1997 to April 1998, ASHLAND completed her third deployment, operating in the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Gulf. During this deployment, the ship participated in numerous exercises and operations including Operations DESERT THUNDER and SOUTHERN WATCH during a period of heightened tension in Southwest Asia.

After completing her Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf deployment that ended in spring 1998, ASHLAND stood down and reset until May before resuming local training and preparations out of Little Creek, Virginia. On June 16, 1999, CDR Jorge Sierra-Solla relieved CDR Robert Heimer as commanding officer during a change of command at Little Creek, marking a leadership transition as the ship moved into a new deployment cycle.

In early 1999, ASHLAND deployed with the SAIPAN (LHA 2) ARG under PHIBRON FOUR into the Mediterranean, conducting amphibious exercises such as Spanish PHIBLEX 1-99 and ALEXANDER THE GREAT '99, and providing presence during NATO operations connected to the Kosovo crisis (Operation ALLIED FORCE / JOINT GUARDIAN). The force returned to the U.S. on May 13, 1999. ASHLAND subsequently executed another Mediterranean deployment in 2000.

Through 2001-2002, ASHLAND cycled through training and maintenance in preparation for major operations after the September 11 attacks. The ship's 2002 record shows repair and maintenance to posture for engineering assessments and deployment, culminating in assignment to Amphibious Task Force East for the opening phase of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF).

ASHLAND sailed for the Mediterranean on January 12, 2003, with ATF East, entered the Med on January 28, and then transited the Suez Canal into the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf to support OIF. Embarked Marine forces and heavy equipment - including M1A1 main battle tanks - were carried to Kuwait as part of the initial buildup. ASHLAND returned to Little Creek on June 25, 2003, after a five-and-a-half-month deployment in support of OIF and ongoing ENDURING FREEDOM maritime security.

During a 2005 deployment with the KEARSARGE ARG, ASHLAND was in Aqaba, Jordan, on August 19, 2005, when three Katyusha rockets were launched toward U.S. naval targets. The ships were not struck, but one Jordanian soldier was killed on shore and another wounded. Sailors from ASHLAND and KEARSARGE later received the Combat Action Ribbon for this attack.

In January 2007, ASHLAND deployed to the Horn of Africa as an afloat staging base with forces operating off Somalia under the umbrella of the DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) strike group and Combined Task Force 150. The period coincided with strikes against al-Qaeda elements near Ras Kamboni in southern Somalia and broader maritime counter-terror operations along the Somali coast. ASHLAND returned to Little Creek on May 16, 2007, after six months, with Navy imagery and coverage noting her role as an afloat staging platform during sustained operations.

In spring 2008, the ship operated in the Indian Ocean and visited Antsiranana, Madagascar, as part of U.S. Sixth Fleet's Southeast Africa engagement, and that year produced a "Mediterranean and Indian Ocean" cruise book reflecting deployments across both theaters.

On April 10, 2010, while conducting counter-piracy patrols about 330 nautical miles off Djibouti, ASHLAND came under small-arms fire from a skiff. Following rules of engagement, the ship returned fire with her 25-mm battery, disabling the skiff. Six survivors were recovered and treated aboard without injuries to U.S. personnel. U.S. federal prosecutions followed in connection with the incident.

A comprehensive mid-life modernization finished in 2012 upgraded diesel engines, control systems, shipboard networks, power management, and chilled-water capacity, and replaced legacy steam auxiliaries with electric systems to extend service life.

ASHLAND shifted to forward-deployed naval forces in Japan in 2013, arriving Sasebo in August and operating under Expeditionary Strike Group 7 with the 31ST MEU. In November 2013, she surged with GERMANTOWN (LSD 42) to the central Philippines for Operation DAMAYAN after Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, moving Marines, helicopters, landing craft, and heavy equipment into Leyte Gulf and around Samar to support relief operations.

In 2014, ASHLAND conducted regional patrols from Sasebo with the BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD 6) ARG and the 31ST MEU, returning to Sasebo on April 25 after a two-month patrol that included amphibious training and theater security cooperation events around the Western Pacific.

In August 2015, ASHLAND executed Defense Support to Civil Authorities in the Northern Mariana Islands after Typhoon Soudelor. She offloaded humanitarian aid at Saipan Harbor and supported movement of personnel and equipment - imagery shows well-deck operations with AAVs staging via Guam and pier-side offload of relief cargo in Saipan.

By mid-2016, ASHLAND completed a CARAT 2016 deployment and returned to Sasebo in July. Across her forward-deployed tenure she regularly took part in CARAT, BALIKATAN, and other Seventh Fleet amphibious exercises with regional partners.

On October 25, 2017, ASHLAND rescued two U.S. mariners (and their dogs) whose sailboat had been adrift for months in the Pacific. Five days later the ship arrived at White Beach, Okinawa, to disembark the survivors. The rescue and arrival were documented by Navy releases and broadcast footage.

In autumn 2018, ASHLAND again provided civil support in the Marianas, first during Typhoon Mangkhut's impact and then after Super Typhoon Yutu devastated Saipan and Tinian. She completed the Yutu recovery mission in November 2018, operating alongside joint and interagency partners to move relief supplies, equipment, and assessment teams ashore.

During 2019-2021 ASHLAND continued forward-deployed patrols with Seventh Fleet, supporting bilateral and multilateral amphibious training around Japan and the Philippines with the 31ST MEU and participating in recurring series such as BALIKATAN and CARAT.

In 2020, the Navy's long-range shipbuilding plan proposed placing several aging LSDs, including ASHLAND, Out of Commission in Reserve by 2023. Congress later blocked those retirements in the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act, keeping ASHLAND in active service.

In 2022, while still forward-deployed to Japan with the AMERICA (LHA 6) ARG, ASHLAND held a change-of-command on May 11 in Darwin, Australia, and continued WestPac operations with Amphibious Squadron 11 and the 31ST MEU.

On April 20, 2023, after nearly a decade forward-deployed to Japan, ASHLAND moored at Naval Base San Diego to complete her homeport shift from Sasebo and join Expeditionary Strike Group 3 for U.S. Third Fleet operations. In her first West Coast public engagement after arrival, the ship participated in Los Angeles Fleet Week over Memorial Day weekend, May 26-29, 2023, embarking daily public tours at the Port of Los Angeles and sending Sailors to community events around L.A. alongside USS PRINCETON (CG 59), USS CINCINNATI (LCS 20) and USCGC TERRELL HORNE (WPC 1131).

After a summer and early fall period of local operations and post-shift normalization in San Diego, ASHLAND held a change of command on October 5, 2023, when CDR Quinn Matt relieved CDR Dirk Sonnenberg aboard the ship.

In early 2024, ASHLAND continued stateside training and readiness activities tied to her new West Coast employment. On February 23, 2024, the ship hosted local students for guided tours while pierside at Naval Base San Diego as part of recruiting and community outreach, further indicating a period focused on in-port training and material readiness. Material self-sufficiency and maintenance training remained a priority into 2025. A Navy Regional Maintenance Center publication in January 2025 documented NAMTS (Navy Afloat Maintenance Training Strategy) work aboard ASHLAND, including electrical-division hands-on repairs - such as troubleshooting and repairing a burnt Automatic Bus Transfer (ABT) relay - and mentoring that advanced Sailors' qualifications while directly improving the ship's readiness.

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Homeports of USS ASHLAND:

Period	Homeport
commissioned at New Orleans, La.
1992 - 2013	Little Creek, Va.
2013 - 2023	Sasebo, Japan
2023 - present	San Diego, Ca.

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USS ASHLAND Patch Gallery:

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USS ASHLAND Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken in May 2003 in the Bab El Mandeb at the Horn of Africa and the ASHLAND was steaming in formation with the USS BATAAN (LHD 5). Approx. 15 minutes before the below photos were taken, the BATAAN had contacted the merchant ship informing them, that they were in formation but the master of the merchant ship ignored the calls and continued heading torwards the ASHLAND. The ASHLAND was finally forced to speed up and make a hard left turn to avoid a collision. The CPA (Closest Point of Approach) was 50 yards. After the incident, the master of the merchant ship called the ASHLAND "unprofessional"...

Thanks to LCDR Bob Adamcik for the information. He was the navigator aboard the BATAAN at the time of the incident.

The photo below was taken by me and shows the USS ASHLAND at the Earl Industries shipyard in Portsmouth, Va., undergoing her three-month Planned Maintenance Availability (PMA) on November 9, 2008.

The photos below were taken by me and show the USS ASHLAND dry-docked at the Metro Machine Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., for her mid-life extension overhaul. Work included normal repair and refurbishment, as well as major alterations to several ship systems including improvements to the ship�s diesel engines, onboard networks, engineering control systems, and power management, and improved capacity for air conditioning and chilled water distribution. The biggest long-term change, however, was the replacement of high-maintenance steam systems with all-electric functionality. ASHLAND entered the shipyard on February 9, 2011.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning during an open ship event aboard USS ASHLAND as part of the Los Angeles Fleet Week at San Pedro, Calif., on May 27, 2023.