USS Guam ( LPH - 9 ) USS " Guam " ( LPH - 9 ) , an I " wo Jima " - class amphibious assault ship , was laid down by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 15 November 1962 ; launched on 22 August 1964 , sponsored by Mrs . Vaughn H . Emory Green , and commissioned on 16 January 1965 , Captain N . E . Thurmon in command . She was the third US Navy ship to carry the name , after the Battle of Guam . Decommissioned in 1998 , she was the last of the " Iwo Jima " class in service . 1960s . After fitting out and builder ' s trials , the new amphibious assault ship joined the U . S . Atlantic Fleet on 21 April 1965 and sailed for Norfolk , her homeport . Arriving Hampton Roads the next day for training off the Virginia Capes , she departed Hampton Roads for underway training out of Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . " Guam " returned to Norfolk on 5 July 1965 for intensive amphibious training . She sailed from Hampton Roads on 29 November 1965 to participate in amphibious and anti - submarine warfare exercises en route to the Caribbean . On 10 December 1965 , " Guam " joined the Amphibious Ready Squadron in the Caribbean as flagship for Amphibious Squadron 12 . There she operated at peak readiness to protect the peace and security of the Caribbean and Central America . From 16 February to 28 February 1966 , " Guam " patrolled south of the Dominican Republic ready to land forces on the volatile island of Hispanola if necessary . She conducted amphibious exercises until entering Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 1 June 1966 for post shakedown availability . She departed Philadelphia on 2 August 1966 and prepared for service as the primary recovery ship for the Gemini 11 space flight . On 18 September , at 0959 EDT , " Guam " recovered Astronauts Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon 710 miles east of Cape Kennedy . From 28 November to 12 December , " Guam " participated in Exercise " Lantflex 66 " , and on the latter date became flagship of Amphibious Squadron 8 and Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group . 1970s . In the summer of 1971 , " Guam " was chosen as a test vessel for Admiral Elmo Zumwalts Sea Control Ship concept . This ship was to operate a few VSTOL fighters and some ASW helicopters in order to free up supercarriers from convoy duty during a conflict with the Soviet Union . On 18 January 1972 , she began extensive testing and in 1974 deployed in the Atlantic as a sea control ship with Marine Corps AV - 8A Harrier VSTOL fighters and Sea King ASW helicopters . " Guam " completed the SCS tests and reassumed her role as an Amphibious Assault Ship on 1 July 1974 . In October 1974 her aircraft complement , operated by the US Marine Corps , comprised six AV - 8A , eight CH - 46F Sea Knights , five CH - 53D Sea Stallions and two Bell UH - 1N Iroquis utility helicopters . On 17 January 1977 , in Barcelona , Spain , a landing craft being used as a liberty boat by USS Trenton and USS Guam , was run over by a freighter . The Mike8 boat capsized and came to rest against the fleet landing pier . Crewmembers from both vessels were on hand to assist with rescue operations . There were over one hundred sailors and marines on board the landing craft . 49 sailors and marines were killed . A memorial is erected at the landing pier in memory . 1980s . While operating 50 km southeast of Morehead City , North Carolina ( USA ) , on 19 July 1981 , a Sikorsky CH - 53 " Sea Stallion " helicopter crashed into another CH - 53 and a Bell UH - 1N " Twin Huey " on landing . 4 crewmen died and 10 were injured . Guam deployed to Beirut in 1982 for the Lebanese civil war as part of a multi - national peacekeeping force . In October 1983 , as the lead ship of Amphibious Squadron Four , she participated in the invasion of Grenada . In early 1985 , the ship was drydocked at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and given a massive overhaul lasting several months . Two Phalanx CIWS were added to the ship at this time . On the subsequent cruise to the Mediterranean Sea , the ship was damaged while sailing through a tropical storm . At least two helicopters were washed overboard and the ship stayed at port in Marseille , France for almost 3 weeks for repairs . 1990s and fate . She departed from Norfolk in August 1990 , under the command of Captain Chuck Saffell , to deploy to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm , with less than a month ' s notice . When her crew received notice of the deployment the boilers and electrical generators were torn down for a long term overhaul . Many in the engineering department worked a full day to return two hours later for a following day . In January 1991 , " Guam " was sent to the coast of Somalia for Operation Eastern Exit . She was originally set to take the rescued personnel from the Embassy to Kenya , but Kenya refused the Russian Ambassador . Instead , " Guam " took them to Muscat , Oman before returning to the Persian Gulf . In 1993 , she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet . In 1996 , the USS " Guam " supported the 22nd MEU in Operation Assured Response off the coast of Liberia . " Guam " normally carried 4 AV - 8B Harriers and conducted Harrier operations while operating in the Atlantic coast of the United States . She also conducted Harrier ops on a regular basis while on deployment with the exception of the final voyage from September 1997 through April 1998 . The last operation conducted was in May 1998 before the final ammunition offload at Naval Weapon Station Yorktown . She was decommissioned on 25 August 1998 and spent several months at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard while the Navy decided what to do with the ship . " Guam " was disposed of as a target off the US east coast on 16 October 2001 . The SINKEX was conducted by the " John F . Kennedy " Battle Group . USNS " Mohawk " towed her out to sea and a fighter wing attached to the JFK conducted SINKEX . True to her name she took over 12 hours to sink most likely due to all watertight compartments sealed by the decommissioning crew . The exact location was 031° 14 ' 22 . 0 " North , 071° 16 ' 35 . 0 " West .