USS Tortuga ( LSD - 46 ) USS " Tortuga " ( LSD - 46 ) is a " Whidbey Island " - class dock landing ship of the United States Navy . She was the second Navy ship to be named for the Dry Tortugas , a group of desert coral islets west of Key West , Florida . " Tortuga " was laid down on 23 March 1987 , by the Avondale Shipyards , New Orleans , Louisiana . The threat of Hurricane Gilbert in the Gulf of Mexico forced an early launching of the ship , as a precautionary measure , on 15 September 1988 . On 19 November 1988 , Mrs . Rosemary Parker Schoultz , the ship ' s sponsor , presided over the christening ceremony , breaking the traditional bottle of champagne over the bow of the ship . " Tortuga " was commissioned on 17 November 1990 . Ship history 1991 – 2011 . In 1997 , " Tortuga " was commanded by CDR Kenneth M . Rome , and made a Mediterranean deployment from 1 July 1998 until 8 December 1998 . In 1999 , CDR J . M . Burdon assumed command and commanded the ship until his retirement in late 2000 . He was succeeded by CDR James P . Driscoll , and in October 2000 , the ship was ordered on an emergency deployment to support UNITAS 2000 in the South Pacific after had run aground on an underwater mountain off the coast of Valparaiso , Chile suffering catastrophic damage . After successfully finishing the UNITAS deployment , Tortuga returned to Little Creek . In January 2001 , Tortuga was assigned as flagship to the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic | SNFL a NATO peacekeeping / quick reaction force . In August 2002 , the " Tortuga " departed North Carolina with Marines and Sailors from BLT 2 / 2 . During this time she was the home to Echo Company , CAAT Red and a section of CAAT Green , as well as LAR and AmTracks . The group was on what was supposed to be a 6 month deployment . In September and October 2002 , " Tortuga " was in Thessaloniki , Greece in support of BLT 2 / 2 operations in Kosovo . In November " Tortuga " transited the Suez Canal with the rest of her ARG . They were then assigned to the U . S . Fifth Fleet . In mid - November , " Tortuga " put Marines from BLT 2 / 2 ashore in Djibouti . She then proceeded south of the equator to the Seychelle Islands . In March 2003 , " Tortuga " proceeded to the Persian Gulf to deploy her Marines and Sailors in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . The Marines and Sailors returned to " Tortuga " in April and returned to the United States on 27 May 2003 after a 9 month deployment . In 2005 , " Tortuga " was commanded by CDR Mark H . Scovill , homeported at NAB Little Creek , Virginia , and assigned to Amphibious Group 2 of the Atlantic Fleet . On 25 August 2005 " Tortuga " and her crew were pulled from a training exercise and sent to New Orleans to become part of Joint Task Force Katrina . She was the first Navy ship to sail up the Mississippi River following the hurricane and berthed on the West Bank of New Orleans Naval Station . The ship instantly became a major rally point for the scattered military and civilian forces across New Orleans . " Tortuga " ' s crew conducted rescue missions in the flooded Ninth Ward and assisted local officials from St . Bernard Parish . Crew members employed combat rubber raiding craft ( CRRCs ) which allowed them to search flooded areas with many underwater obstacles . As the crew rescued people from neighborhoods they were brought back to " Tortuga " with 7 and 11 meter RHIBs . Evacuees were processed , received medical attention , and were forwarded to their next destination at the earliest possible time . As water receded in New Orleans and the CRRCs became useless , the ship served as the headquarters for the 307th Eng Bn , 82nd Airborne Division U . S . Army camped out on the Naval Station , while they worked in conjunction with U . S . Navy units to conduct rescue and clean up missions . On 14 October 2005 , the U . S . Navy announced that " Tortuga " , would be forward - deployed to Sasebo , Japan to replace " Fort McHenry " ( LSD - 43 ) . " Tortuga " arrived in Sasebo 31 March 2006 for turnover and assignment as part of the U . S . Navy ’ s Forward Deployed Naval Forces ( FDNF ) . On 12 April the crews of the two ships completed an exchange - of - command process . Conducted in 12 days , the hull swap between " Fort McHenry " and " Tortuga " was the quickest in the history of the U . S . Navy . " Tortuga " ' s former crew departed Sasebo 13 April 2006 to return to Little Creek on board " Fort McHenry " . On 15 May , only a month following the swap , " Tortuga " departed for a three - month deployment . The deployment was centered around an annual exercise called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training ( CARAT ) 2006 . " Tortuga " joined a newly established task group ( TG 73 . 5 ) reporting directly to Commander , Logistics Group WESTPAC out of Singapore . The group consisted of five ships , " Tortuga " , " Hopper " ( DDG - 70 ) , " Crommelin " ( FFG - 37 ) , " Salvor " ( ARS - 52 ) , and USCGC " Sherman " ( WHEC - 720 ) . The group visited and operated with the navies of Singapore , Thailand , Indonesia , Malaysia , Brunei , and Philippines . " Tortuga " visited the tiny island of Iwo Jima in March 2008 and March 2010 to celebrate the anniversary of the WWII battle fought there . In 2011 , the " Tortuga " participated in disaster relief after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami . As part of " Operation Tomodachi " , the ship transported Japanese Self - Defense Force servicemen and equipment from Hokkaido to Honshu island . Divers from the ship helped map and clear debris from the ports of Hachinohe , Aomori and Miyako , Iwate , facilitating both ports to reopen to ship traffic . In April 5 to 7 , USS Tortuga will be participating in a joint annual military exercises together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to enhance regional cooperation and effectiveness in the region . More than 8 , 000 personnel will be conducting the Balikatan exercises .