USS Wasp ( LHD - 1 ) USS " Wasp " ( LHD 1 ) is a U . S . Navy multipurpose amphibious assault ship . She is the tenth USN vessel to bear the name and was the flagship of the Second Fleet and the lead ship of her class . She was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Litton in Pascagoula , Mississippi . USS " Wasp " and her sister ships are the first specifically designed to accommodate new Landing Craft , Air Cushion ( LCAC ) for fast troop movement over the beach and Harrier II ( AV - 8B ) Vertical / Short Take - Off and Landing ( V / STOL ) jets which provide close air support for the assault force . " Wasp " , which is with a beam of , also accommodates the full range of Navy and Marine Corps helicopters , conventional landing craft , and amphibious vehicles . Since 2004 , in a period when all the rest of the USN ' s flattops have been heavily tasked and often kept on lengthy deployments , the " Wasp " has never been on an extended deployment and the ship is currently assigned to JSF testing , for which it will not be needed again until the summer of 2013 . Specifications . To carry out its primary mission , USS " Wasp " has an assault support system that synchronizes the simultaneous horizontal and vertical flow of troops , cargo and vehicles throughout the ship . Two aircraft elevators service the hangar bay and flight deck . Six cargo elevators , each , are used to transport material and supplies from the cargo holds throughout the ship to staging areas on the flight deck , hangar bay and vehicle storage area . Cargo is transferred to waiting landing craft docked within the ship ' s , well deck . Helicopters in the hangar bay or on the flight deck are cargo - loaded by forklift . " Wasp " has medical and dental facilities capable of providing intensive medical assistance to 600 casualties , whether combat incurred or brought aboard ship during humanitarian missions . The corpsmen also provide routine medical / dental care to the crew and embarked personnel . Major medical facilities include four main and two emergency operating rooms , four dental operating rooms , x - ray rooms , a blood bank , laboratories , and patient wards . In addition , three battle dressing stations are located throughout the ship , as well as a casualty collecting area at the flight deck level . Medical elevators rapidly transfer casualties from the flight deck and hangar bay to the medical facilities . For the comfort of the 1 , 075 crewmembers and 2 , 200 embarked troops , all manned spaces and berthing areas are individually heated and air conditioned . Berthing areas are subdivided to provide semi - private spaces without adversely affecting efficiency . Deck and wall coverings are decorative but also serviceable and easy to maintain . Messing areas facilitate rapid dining in a restaurant atmosphere . Onboard recreational facilities include a Library Multi - Media Resource Center with Internet access , a weight room , and satellite television capabilities . USS " Wasp " s two steam propulsion plants — the largest currently in operation in the U . S . Navy — generate a total of 400 tons of steam per hour . The propulsion system develops 70 , 000 shaft horsepower ( 52 MW ) , powering the ship to speeds in excess of 22 knots ( 25 . 3 mph or 41 km / h ) . USS " Wasp " was built using more than 21 , 000 tons of steel , 400 tons of aluminum , of electrical / electronic cables , of piping and tubing of various types and sizes , and of ventilation ducting . " Wasp " weighed more than 27 , 000 tons when moved onto the Ingalls floating dry - dock on 30 July 1987 for launch on 4 August 1987 , becoming the largest man - made object rolled across land . In 1996 ship was installed with Advanced combat direction system . Ship ' s Coat of Arms . Dark blue and gold are the traditional colors of the US Navy . Blue alludes to the sea , the theater of Naval Operations . Gold is for excellence . The chevron , a traditional symbol for support , represents the amphibious assault mission of the ship . It resembles a wave move to shore and refers to the deployment of men , women and cargo . The wings highlight USS Wasp ' s aviation heritage and capabilities . The modern ship with crossed officers sword and enlisted cutlass adapted from the surface warfare emblems represents leadership , teamwork and the ship ' s mission in surface operations . The pile of a sharp pointed " V " shape is expressive of assault , combat readiness and victory . The wasp , with its well - developed wings and ability to administer painful stings , epitomizes quick striking power . The stars recall two of the previous ships named " Wasp " , CV - 7 and CV - 18 , aircraft carriers that earned two and eight battle stars respectively for World War II service . The red disc or sun refers to World War II Japan and the Pacific Theater where these aircraft carriers saw heavy combat action . The trident s are symbolic of sea power and weaponry . Fleet life . In February 1993 , she left her port on an emergency deployment to Somalia to participate in the United Nations intervention : Operation Restore Hope . Joint Chiefs Chairman , Gen . Colin Powell landed on the ship that April for a discussion of military tactics taking place in and around Mogadishu . Following that , she assisted off the coast of Kuwait for another operation . She later made stops in Toulon , France and Rota , Spain , en route to her home port in Norfolk , Virginia . In 1998 , she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet . Operation Enduring Freedom , Operation Iraqi Freedom . In February 2004 , the USS " Wasp " set sail to take the Marines of 1 / 6 Marine Regiment and HMM - 266 Rein to Afghanistan . They arrived at the end of March and offloaded the Marines . They then turned around and went back to the states to pick up the Marines from HMH - 461 to take them to Djibouti . After offloading the HMH - 461 in Djibouti , they picked up the Marines of HMM - 266 Rein from Kuwait in August 2004 , and returned to the coast of Norfolk , Virginia mid September 2004 . On 7 July 2006 , Vice President Dick Cheney , visited the USS " Wasp " . He gave a speech honoring the efforts of the Expeditionary Strike Group in Operation Iraqi Freedom . The " Wasp " was the principal attraction at Fleet Week 2007 and 2012 in New York City . Current and other operations . In September 2007 , the USS " Wasp " sailed to Nicaragua to offer help to the victims of Hurricane Felix . USS " Wasp " was the first ship to deploy the V - 22 Osprey , doing so in October 2007 , by carrying VMM - 263 ' s ten MV - 22B Osprey s to Iraq to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom . The " Wasp " also served as the platform for the program ' s first Sea Trials in December 1990 , involving the third and fourth Osprey prototypes . On 4 October 2009 , the USS " Wasp " deployed from its base at Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk , Virginia on a three month voyage down the Atlantic coast , to the Caribbean as part of the Southern Partnership Station , amphibious with Destroyer Squadron 40 and an embarked security cooperation Marine Air - Ground Task Force . The 1 , 100 Sailors and 365 embarked Marines conducted operations and exercises in the U . S . 4th Fleet area of responsibility . The operation , called the Southern Partnership Station is part of " Partnership of the Americas " maritime strategy , which focuses on building interoperability and cooperation in the region to meet common challenges , specifically with matters involving the recent executive orders that United States President Barack Obama addressed on 22 January 2009 of the closing down of Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba . The camp which holds hundreds of prisoners suspected of international terrorism is scheduled to close within a year . In mid - October 2009 , The USS " Wasp " set anchor at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba where the United States Marines that were on board , were assigned to training status for approx 3 months while the USS " Wasp " went underway . Since Cuba , the USS " Wasp " has not docked in Jamaica , contrary to rumors , but has practiced further operations and exercises throughout the Caribbean . USS " Wasp " returned to Norfolk Naval Station on 22 December 2009 . On 29 June 2010 , USS " Wasp " was one of the 18 international vessels taking part in the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Canadian Navy in Halifax , Nova Scotia . The Canadian and international warships were reviewed by Queen Elizabeth II , the Duke of Edinburgh , and Prime Minister Stephen Harper . In 2011 the " Wasp " was modified for F - 35B testing , including replacing a Sea Sparrow launcher with monitoring equipment . She returned to sea on 7 July 2011 . On 3 October 2011 the " Wasp " had its first F - 35B land vertically on her decks during trials . On 5 October 2011 the " Wasp " successfully launched its first F - 35B . On 30 January 2012 the " Wasp " set sail for operation Bold Alligator , the largest amphibious exercise conducted by U . S . forces in the last decade and since it is based on real - world situations , the exercise will run in real time . The exercise took place 30 Jan . to 12 Feb . 2012 afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina . In July 2012 " Wasp " visited Boston for Fleet Week 2012 and Fourth of July festivities . On 30 October 2012 , the " Wasp " was sent towards the Hurricane Sandy impact area in case the USN was needed to support the disaster relief efforts .