The USS Tripoli has concluded her final voyage from Beaumont to Brownsville, Texas, where she will now be dismantled and recycled by International Shipbreaking Limited LLC, part of EMR Group, a leading metal recycler.
The 13,000 ton IWO JIMA – class amphibious assault ship was the second ship in the U.S.Navy to be named after the famous amphibious operation that inspired the words in the marine hymn “To the shores of Tripoli”.
She served in the Navy for almost 30 years. During this period the USS Tripoli completed three deployments during the Vietnam War and became the first amphibious warfare ship to carry a full squadron of AV-8’s Harrier Jets. She also played an integral role in the Persian Gulf where she spearheaded the U.N. mine sweeping operation in Iraq and was deployed as an initial “show of force” when Saddam Hussein deployed forces along the Kuwaiti border.
Her distinguished service earned her 19 awards, including three Combat Action Ribbons and a National Defense Service Medal before she was decommissioned and stricken from Naval service in 1995. The Tripoli spent her following years laid up at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California before she was towed to Pearl Harbor to serve as a launch platform for the ballistic missile defense program.
International Shipbreaking Limited LCC, part of the EMR Group, is one of the world’s leading green ship recycling companies with three specialist facilities located in Brownsville, Texas; New Orleans and Amelia, Louisiana. These specialized facilities have safely recycled over 400 ships and marine structures including USS Thomas S. Gates (CG-51), USS Forrest Sherman (DD-931), USS George Philip (FFG-12), USS Jarrett (FFG-33), USS Constellation (CV-64) and USS Ranger (CV-61). The USS Independence (CV-62) is currently being recycled.
Chris Green, Senior Manager of the Brownsville facility said: “The USS Tripoli has significant sentimental meaning to the men and women who served our country and spent a part of their lives with her. She will be recycled in a safe, respectful and environmentally responsible manner.”
Work has begun to recycle the ship and the recycling operation is expected to take approximately 12 months to complete.
Published in the August 2018 Edition
