USS Nassau ( LHA - 4 ) USS " Nassau " ( LHA - 4 ) was a " Tarawa " - class amphibious assault ship . She was capable of transporting more than 3 , 000 US United States Navy and United States Marine Corps personnel . Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula , Mississippi , laid the ship ' s keel on 13 August 1973 ; she was commissioned on 28 July 1979 . She was decommissioned on 31 March 2011 . Technical Data . She has 1 , 400 compartments , nine elevators and two horizontal conveyors . She also has two boilers – the largest ever manufactured for the United States Navy . They can generate 400 tons of steam per hour and develop 140 , 000 horsepower or 104 megawatts ( MW ) . " Nassau " s electrical power subsystem creates 14 MW to provide electrical power for the ship . She has air conditioning equipment rated at a total of 1 , 500 tons ( 5 . 3 MW ) and can ballast 12 , 000 tons of seawater for trimming the ship to receive and discharge landing craft from the well deck . She was constructed with more than 20 , 000 tons of steel , 3 , 000 tons of aluminum , 400 miles ( 600 km ) of cable and 80 miles ( 130 km ) of pipe . She has a 900 horsepower ( 671 kW ) bow thruster for lateral movement at low speeds that can move the bow with 20 , 000 pounds of force ( 90 kN ) — equivalent to half the pulling power of a diesel railroad locomotive . She has been fitted with a 300 - bed hospital , four medical and three dental operating rooms . Her cargo areas are capable of holding tanks , trucks , artillery and large warfare supply needs . Operational history . " Nassau " was deployed to Beirut with the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit in February 1984 , less than four months after the Beirut barracks bombing . In support of Operations Desert Shield / Desert Storm , the " Nassau " deployed to the Middle East for over eight months on only eight days ' notice . On leaving the United States , the " Nassau " became the flagship for Commander , Amphibious Task Force and the 5th MEB ' s Commanding General . In the last week of the war , she was employed as a " Harrier Carrier " , tasked with operating primarily as a STOVL attack carrier for Marine AV - 8B Harrier II fighters . " Nassau " participated in several more operations throughout the 1990s , including Operations Support Democracy , Deny Flight , Allied Force and Noble Anvil . These operations were in support of US foreign policy objectives ; she also participated in numerous Navy and joint exercises that took her to numerous locations in the Atlantic , Mediterranean and Adriatic regions , including Haiti , Spain , Morocco , Italy , France , Greece , Israel , Albania , Zaire and Kosovo . " Nassau " received her first " Battle Effectiveness " E " award " November 1983 then again was the recipient of the " 2007 Battle Effectiveness " E " award " which is presented annually to ships that demonstrate the highest state of combat readiness in their group and their ability to execute their wartime tasks . She deployed in February 2008 as the flagship of the Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group in support of Maritime Security Operations and Theater Security Cooperation efforts in the Navy ' s 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility . In addition to her primary role as a Marine transport , " Nassau " has served as a flagship ; a logistics hub for incoming and outgoing mail , cargo and other supplies ; combat search and rescue and the tactical recovery and rescue of downed aircraft and personnel . In August 2008 , she had returned from deployment and was undergoing maintenance . At 4 : 30 pm Central Time on Thursday , 18 September 2008 , KHOU News 11 in Houston , Texas announced that " Nassau " was coming to the aid of Galveston Island , following the landfall of Hurricane Ike . " Nassau " anchored offshore and troops deployed to the island with heavy machinery to aid with the clean - up of the devastation caused by the hurricane . In January 2010 , " Nassau " left her Virginia port carrying the 24th MEU ( Marine Expeditionary Unit ) on a routine deployment of approximately eight months . The 24th MEU , based at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina , consists of a ground combat element , a battalion landing team , an aviation combat element , a logistics combat element and a command element . The " Nassau " , accompanied by the and the , comprises the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group ( ARG ) , which supports maritime security operations and more in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas . The 5th Fleet covers the Persian Gulf , the Red Sea , the Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean ; the 6th Fleet encompasses the Mediterranean Sea . " Nassau " was diverted to Haiti on 21 January 2010 , to assist with the international humanitarian aid effort following the earthquake . < br > " Nassau " was decommissioned in Norfolk , Virginia ( USA ) on 31 March 2011 . She is currently residing in Beaumont , TX , with the MARAD National Defense Reserve Fleet ships .