USS Kearsarge ( LHD - 3 ) USS " Kearsarge " ( LHD - 3 ) is the third of the United States Navy . She is the fifth ship to be named ( the fourth actually commissioned ) in honor of the , a sloop - of - war that gained fame during the American Civil War , which was in turn named for Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire . Construction . " Kearsarge " ' s keel was laid down on 6 February 1990 at Litton - Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation of Pascagoula , Mississippi . Ingalls built " Kearsarge " using efficient pre - outfitting and modular construction techniques . Hundreds of smaller sub - assemblies , containing piping , ventilation ducting and other hardware , as well as major machinery equipment , generators , and electrical panels were constructed . The sub - assemblies were then joined with others to form assemblies , which were in turn welded together to form five completed hull and superstructure modules . These giant modules , each weighing thousands of tons , were joined together on land to form the completed ship ' s hull . The result of this early outfitting was a ship that was over 70 percent complete at launch . She was launched on 26 March 1992 , in a ceremony attended by then - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell . The warship was christened on 16 May 1992 , and commissioned on 16 October 1993 . Characteristics . The assault support system on the ship coordinates vertical and horizontal movement of troops , cargo and vehicles . Monorail trains , moving at speeds up to 600 ft / min ( 3 m / s ) , transport cargo and supplies from storage and staging areas throughout the ship to a well deck which opens to the sea through huge gates in the ship ' s stern . There , the cargo , troops and vehicles are loaded onto landing craft for transit to the beach . The air cushion landing craft can " fly " out of the dry well deck , or the well deck can be flooded so conventional landing craft can float out on their way to the beach . Simultaneously , helicopters can be lifted from the hangar deck to the flight deck by two deck - edge elevators and loaded with supplies from three massive cargo elevators . " Kearsarge " s armament suite includes the NATO RIM - 7 Sea Sparrow point defense system for anti - aircraft support , RIM - 116 Rolling Airframe Missile s , 25 - mm chain gun s and the Phalanx close - in weapon system to counter threats from low - flying aircraft and close - in small craft . Missile decoy launchers augment the anti - ship missile defenses . Operations . " Kearsarge " is capable of amphibious assault , advance force and special purpose operations , as well as non - combatant evacuation and other humanitarian missions . Since her commissioning , she has performed these missions all over the world , including evacuating non - combatants from Freetown , Sierra Leone , on 31 May 1997 and rescuing Air Force Captain Scott O ' Grady from Serb - controlled territory in Bosnia on 8 June 1995 . Additionally , " Kearsarge " is fully equipped with state - of - the - art command and control ( C & C ) systems for flagship command duty , and her medical facilities are second in capability only to the Navy ' s hospital ships , and . These facilities allowed " Kearsarge " to serve a dual role during the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , as a platform for bombing missions against Serb forces in Operation Allied Force , and as a treatment facility for Albanian refugees in Operation Shining Hope . On 19 August 2005 " Kearsarge " and were targeted by rockets while in port in Jordan . The rockets flew over " Ashland " s bow and struck the pier adjacent to the ships . The vessels were not hit but one Jordanian soldier was killed and another was wounded . USS " Kearsarge " , in 2006 , and again in 2008 , served as the principal attraction for New York ' s " Fleet Week " . In August 2007 the ship visited the port of Valletta , Malta on the way to a six - month deployment to Iraq ( 5th Fleet AOR ) . The ship also recently deployed Sailors and Marines in a relief effort in Bangladesh following Cyclone Sidr and provided support for President George W . Bush ' s January 2008 visit to Israel . On 6 August 2008 , " Kearsarge " deployed in support of Operation Continuing Promise . The ship ' s crew , along with augment from the United States Marine Corps , the United States Air Force , the United States Army , the United States Coast Guard , the United States Public Health Service , Canadian Forces , and other multi - national forces and NGO ' s provided medical , construction and humanitarian services to seven Central , South , and Caribbean American countries ( Panama , Columbia , the Dominican Republic , Guyana , Haiti , Nicaragua , and Trinidad ) . The ship also provided Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief ( HA / DR ) operations in Haiti following four Atlantic hurricanes . On 2 March 2011 , " Kearsarge " , along with , traveled through the Suez Canal in response to the 2011 Libyan civil war . Robert Gates had said days earlier that he ordered the two warships into the Mediterranean , along with an extra 400 Marines , in case they are needed to evacuate civilians or provide humanitarian relief . As of 20 March , AV - 8B Harrier II attack aircraft from the " Kearsarge " have been reported attacking Libyan targets as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn . On 22 March , V - 22 Ospreys from the " Kearsarge " conducted a successful CSAR operation to recover the crew of a USAF F - 15E Strike Eagle after it crashed in Libya due to a mechanical failure during a combat mission . The " Daily Telegraph " reported a military source as stating that during the rescue strafing runs were carried out and two Harriers dropped two 500 lb bombs on a convoy of Libyan vehicles , with other reports alleging that Libyan civilians were wounded in the operation . The ship returned to home port at Norfolk on 16 May 2011 . Following a three day delay due to weather , Kearsarge deployed from Naval Station Norfolk on March 11 , 2013 for a scheduled eight month deployment . One of her first port visits was to cash - strapped Cyprus . The Kearsarge later docked at the Israeli port of Eilat for several days beginning May 14 , 2013 before continuing her deployment . One of her MV - 22s exercised in a joint operation with HMS Illustrious . Awards . USS " Kearsarge " has been awarded the Golden Anchor for Retention Excellence , Ronald Reagan Distinguished Service Award , the CNO Environmental Safety Award , the Admiral Flatley Memorial Award ( aviation safety ) , SECNAV Energy Award ( 2002 ) , Department of Energy ( DOE ) Federal Energy Management Program ( FEMP ) Mobility Energy Efficiency Award ( 2002 ) , the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award and the Commander Naval Surface Force Atlantic Safety Award . Additionally , " Kearsarge " has qualified for the following medals and unit awards : Combat Action Ribbon , Navy Unit Commendation ( three awards ) , Meritorious Unit Commendation ( one award ) , Battle Efficiency " E " Award ( six awards ) , National Defense Service Medal ( two awards ) , Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal , Kosovo Campaign Medal ( with bronze star ) , Armed Forces Service Medal , Sea Service Deployment Ribbon ( five awards ) , and the NATO Medal . Shield and Crest . Blue and gold are colors traditionally associated with the Navy and symbolize the sea and excellence . The green chevron suggests the green peaked Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire . The amphibious nature of the combat operations of the present USS " Kearsarge " is represented by green and blue , alluding land and sea . The arrowheads , together with the white chevronel which represents a shore line , allude to assault landings . The stars commemorate the battle stars the third " Kearsarge " received for Korean War and Vietnam War service . The wings of the crest symbolize the aviation capabilities of both the present and the third " Kearsarge " ; they are gold for the honor and achievement . The white anchor recalls the round the world cruise of the second " Kearsarge " of the Great White Fleet in 1907 and denotes the naval prowess of the USS " Kearsarge " s . The blue and gray wavy bar highlights the Civil War service for the first USS " Kearsarge " . The swords ( one a Navy cutlass and the other a Marine mameluke ) are crossed to denote cooperation and teamwork as well as the combined combat mission of the U . S . Navy and Marine Corps . Motto ~ " Proud . . . Bold . . . Trustworthy . "