USS Ashland ( LSD - 48 ) USS " Ashland " ( LSD - 48 ) is a " Whidbey Island " - class dock landing ship of the United States Navy . She was the second Navy ship to be named for Ashland , the home of Henry Clay , in Lexington , Kentucky . " Ashland " was laid down on 4 April 1988 , by the Avondale Shipyards , New Orleans , La . ; launched and christened on 11 November 1989 , sponsored by Mrs . Kathleen Foley , wife of Admiral Sylvester R . Foley , Jr . ( Ret . ) ; and commissioned on 9 May 1992 , at New Orleans . As of 2013 , " Ashland " is homeported at Sasebo , Japan , and assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11 . 2005 rocket attack . On 19 August 2005 , the " Ashland " and the USS " Kearsarge " were targeted by three Katyusha rockets while in port in Aqaba , Jordan . The vessels were not hit , but one Jordanian soldier was killed and another was wounded after two rockets hit nearby docks . The third rocket landed on a taxi near the Eilat airport in Israel but did not explode . Responsibility was claimed by the Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade , which states that it is associated with the al - Qaeda terrorist group . Later service . In January 2007 , the warship was sent to the coast of Somalia to conduct antiterrorist operations as part of the USS " Dwight D . Eisenhower " task force . On 31 May 2008 " The Guardian " reported that the human rights group Reprieve said up to seventeen US Naval vessels may have been used to covertly hold captives . Reprieve expressed the concern the " Ashland " had been used as a receiving ship for up to 100 captives taken in East Africa . In April 2008 , " Ashland " visited Antsiranana , Madagascar . On 10 April 2010 , seven suspected pirates on a skiff shot at the " Ashland " approximately off the coast of Djibouti . " Ashland " fired two rounds at the skiff from her MK - 38 Mod 2 , 25mm gun . The people on board the skiff abandoned ship as it became engulfed in flames . Rigid - hulled inflatable boat s from the " Ashland " rescued the six surviving individuals and brought them aboard the ship for medical treatment . The " Ashland " was not damaged and there were no injuries to the crew . The piracy charges were later dropped , although other charges remain in effect . In late August 2010 , one of the pirates , Jama Idle Ibrahim , and five others , pleaded guilty to attacking to plunder a vessel , engaging in an act of violence against people on a vessel , and using a firearm during a crime of violence . They agreed to a 30 year prison term , and currently face a sentencing hearing on 29 November 2010 . On 29 November 2010 Jama Idle Ibrahim was sentenced at a federal courthouse in Norfolk , Virginia to 30 years in prison for his involvement in the April piracy attacks against the Ashland . " Today marks the first sentencing in Norfolk for acts of piracy in more than 150 years , " said U . S . Attorney Neil H . MacBride . Mid - life extension work on on the " Ashland " , completed in 2012 , included normal repair and refurbishment , as well as major alterations to several ship systems . 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 were made . The biggest long - term change , however , involved the replacement of high - maintenance steam systems with all - electric functionality . The " Ashland " , one of eight active ships in its class , is expected to remain in service and mission - capable to 2038 . USS " Ashland " ( LSD - 48 ) command histories – Naval History & Heritage Command