USS Cleveland ( LPD - 7 ) USS " Cleveland " ( LPD - 7 ) , an " Austin " - class amphibious transport dock , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city in Ohio . Her keel was laid down at Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula , Mississippi . She was launched on 7 May 1966 , and was commissioned on 21 April 1967 at Norfolk , Virginia . At the time of decommissioning , she was the third - oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy , behind ( " Old Ironsides " ) and . After commissioning , " Cleveland " changed homeport to San Diego , California , to become a member of the Pacific Fleet ' s Amphibious Force . " Cleveland " divided her time between operations in the Eastern Pacific and extended deployments to the Western Pacific . " Cleveland " was normally assigned as part of an Amphibious Readiness Group ( ARG ) and , with her embarked Marines and other forces , performed a wide variety of missions . 1960s to 1980s . " Cleveland " first saw action during the Tet Offensive in 1967 . After the Vietnam War cease - fire in January 1973 , " Cleveland " joined Task Force 78 in the mine - clearing effort of Haiphong Harbor and Operation End Sweep . " Cleveland " then began a series of seven Western Pacific deployments between 1974 and 1985 . In 1978 , portions of the film " Inchon " was filmed during a practice amphibious assault off the coast of Korea . This is referenced in the ship ' s logs of 1978 . Assigned duties as Third Fleet flagship from January through November 1988 , " Cleveland " once again demonstrated the flexibility and professionalism that became her hallmark . " Cleveland " then briefly shifted focus to environmental protection when she deployed to Prince William Sound , Alaska , in support of oil spill cleanup efforts associated with the " Exxon Valdez " disaster . 1990s . The ship ' s next two deployments , in 1990 and 1991 , were in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm . In October 1992 and in March 1993 , " Cleveland " deployed on short notice to Central America in support of law enforcement operations , or LEO OPS where she was the first LPD to embark an SH - 60 Seahawk helicopter . During the March 1993 deployment " Cleveland " and the embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment ( LEDET ) played a key role in what was the largest maritime cocaine seizure to date involving the motor vessel " Sea Chariot " . This was the result of an unprecedented Joint Counter Drug Mission between the United States NAVY and the Columbian NAVY called Operation Emerald . These two deployments included four transits of the Panama Canal and steaming over 20 , 000 miles . While deployed to the Western Pacific in 1994 , " Cleveland " participated in United Nations relief efforts in Rwanda and the relocation of the United States Liaison office from Mogadishu , Somalia , to Nairobi , Kenya . Following the relocation efforts , " Cleveland " was ordered to steam into the North Persian Gulf to assist in deterring Iraq ' s massing of troops on the Kuwaiti border as part of Operation Vigilant Warrior . Her next inter - deployment cycle was highlighted by Exercise " RIMPAC ' 96 " off the coast of Hawaii , which included the first ever multilateral exercise involving US and Russia n forces in US waters . The trip to Hawaii for the exercise culminated in a parade of ships for the 50th anniversary celebration to commemorate the end of the Pacific War . " Cleveland " returned to the North Persian Gulf during her deployment in 1996 and 1997 , participating in coalition and bilateral exercises and achieving yet another milestone as the first Amphibious Warship to actively participate in Maritime Interdiction Operations ( MIO ) in support of United Nations sanctions against Iraq . In the summer of 1998 , " Cleveland " once again participated in the bi - annual RIMPAC exercise . " Cleveland " then began her sixteenth major deployment in December 1998 , embarking Navy SEAL s , elements of the 13th MEU ( SOC ) – Marine Expeditionary Unit ( Special Operation Capable ) – and a detachment of unmanned aerial vehicle s ( UAVs ) . During this deployment " Cleveland " stood off the Horn of Africa , inserting a military liaison team into Eritrea and remaining ready to conduct a non - combatant evacuation operation . " Cleveland " then returned to the Persian Gulf to conduct MIO where she served as flagship for the commander of all MIO forces in the Persian Gulf . During this period , an embarked UAV discovered an Iraqi surface - to - surface missile site that was threatening coalition forces . Aircraft from destroyed this missile site while the UAV transmitted live imagery back to " Cleveland " . 2000s . " Cleveland " was once again called upon to perform outside her normal realm of operations while participating in recovery and salvage efforts of Alaska Airlines flight 261 in February 2000 , receiving the Coast Guard Unit Commendation with Operational Distinguishing Device . Following a Fleet Week visit to San Francisco , California , " Cleveland " completed her training cycle and deployed for the seventeenth time in March 2001 . USS Cleveland ( LPD 7 ) arrived in San Diego , 4 August 2011 , returning from Pacific Partnership 2011 , concluding the ship ' s final mission prior to its decommissioning . During the course of the ship ' s final mission , the medical contingent treated 38 , 696 patients at medical and dental civic action projects , or MEDCAPs and DENCAPs . Both governments of the U . S . and Mexico could not come to an agreement regarding the sale of the vessel ; therefore the ship continued on active duty until its decommissioning on 30 September 2011 . USS Cleveland will transit to Hawaii , where the ship will be in an inactive reserve status . Awards . In her 44 years of service , " Cleveland " received two Combat Action Ribbon s , the Joint Meritorious Unit Award , the Navy Unit Commendation , three Meritorious Unit Commendation s , eight Navy Excellence Ribbon s , three Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal s , 23 Vietnam Service Medal s , the Southwest Asia Service Medal , the Humanitarian Service Medal , the Coast Guard Unit Commendation with Operational Distinguishing Device , and three Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation . References . The article includes information from " Cleveland " ' s Web site , cleveland . navy . mil