Iwo Jima-class Amphibious Assault Ships
LPH-11 USS New Orleans
Highlights of Ship's Service History
18 Dec 1964
![Authorised  [ quill pen icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/authorize.gif)
Contract awarded to the U.S. Navy Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA
![Authorised  [ quill pen icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/authorize.gif)
1 Mar 1966
![Keel laid  [ keel laid icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/keel.gif)
Keel laid
![Keel laid  [ keel laid icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/keel.gif)
3 Feb 1968
![Launched  [ champagne bottle icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/launch.gif)
Launched
![Launched  [ champagne bottle icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/launch.gif)
16 Nov 1968
![Commissioned  [ bunting icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/commission.gif)
Commissioned
![Commissioned  [ bunting icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/commission.gif)
9 Feb 1971
![U. S. space program  [ nasa logo icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/nasa.gif)
Recovery ship for Apollo 14
![U. S. space program  [ nasa logo icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/nasa.gif)
25 Sep 1973
![U. S. space program  [ nasa logo icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/nasa.gif)
Recovery ship for Skylab II
![U. S. space program  [ nasa logo icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/nasa.gif)
8 Feb 1974
![U. S. space program  [ nasa logo icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/nasa.gif)
Recovery ship for Skylab III
![U. S. space program  [ nasa logo icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/nasa.gif)
24 Jul 1975
![U. S. space program  [ nasa logo icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/nasa.gif)
Recovery ship for the American crew of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
![U. S. space program  [ nasa logo icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/nasa.gif)
Nov 1994
![Motion picture  [ movie camera icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/movie.gif)
Portrayed decommissioned sister ship LPH-2 USS Iwo Jima in the movie Apollo 13 ![Motion picture  [ movie camera icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/movie.gif)
![Internet Movie Database  [ imdb icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/imdb.gif) 
1 Oct 1997
![Decommissioned  [ gold watch icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/decomm.gif)
Decommissioned
![Decommissioned  [ gold watch icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/decomm.gif)
23 Oct 1998
![Stricken from list of naval vessels  [ eraser icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/strike.gif)
Stricken from the Navy List
![Stricken from list of naval vessels  [ eraser icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/strike.gif)
1997-2006
![U. S. Reserve Fleet  [ subdued U. S. flag icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/reserve.gif)
Held in the Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, CA
![U. S. Reserve Fleet  [ subdued U. S. flag icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/reserve.gif)
2006-2009
![U. S. Reserve Fleet  [ subdued U. S. flag icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/reserve.gif)
Currently in the custody of NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI; being held pending SINKEX or scrapping.
![U. S. Reserve Fleet  [ subdued U. S. flag icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/reserve.gif)
July 2010
![Gunnery or missile target  [ targeting reticle icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/target.gif)
Sunk as target during RIMPAC 2010.
![Gunnery or missile target  [ targeting reticle icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/target.gif)
| Sources | |
| Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - U. S. Naval Historical Center ![United States  [ Flag of United States ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/flags/us-tn.gif) United States Naval Vessel Register ![United States  [ Flag of United States ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/flags/us-tn.gif) Wikipedia ![Wikipedia article  [ Wikipedia icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/wiki.gif) NavSource: Photographic History of the U.S. Navy ![WWW article  [ World Wide Web icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/web.gif) Haze Gray & Underway ![WWW article  [ World Wide Web icon ]](http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/RustyBill/website/icon/web.gif)  | |
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![USS New Orleans (LPH-11)  [USS New Orleans photo]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/USSNewOrleansLPH111.jpg)