USS Boxer (LHD-4) explained

Well deck dimensions:81by by 8.5disp=flipNaNdisp=flip high
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Ship Boats:
Ship Troops:1,687 troops (plus 184 surge) Marine detachment
Ship Complement:1,208
Ship Sensors:
  • 1 AN/SPS-49 2-D Air Search Radar
  • 1 AN/SPS-48 3-D Air Search Radar
  • 1 AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar
  • 1 Mk23 Target Acquisition System (TAS)
  • 1 AN/SPN-43 Marshalling Air Traffic Control Radar
  • 1 AN/SPN-35 Air Traffic Control Radar
  • 1 AN/URN-25 TACAN system
  • 1 AN/UPX-24 Identification Friend Foe
Ship Armament:
Ship Aircraft:

USS Boxer (LHD-4) is a of the United States Navy.[2] She is the sixth U.S. ship to bear the name of the original HMS Boxer, which was captured from the British during the War of 1812.

Construction and career

Boxer was constructed at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, launched 13 August 1993, and commissioned 11 February 1995. She immediately left for San Diego, California, via the Panama Canal. Although she had been designed to safely transit the canal, her bridge wing and other smaller components were sheared off in the transit.

After minor repairs and system checkout, Boxer deployed to the Western Pacific from 24 March 1997 to 24 September 1997, along with and, and visited many foreign ports of call. Boxer also participated in RIMPAC the following year, then on 5 December 1998 deployed again to the Western Pacific.

Boxer deployed again to the Western Pacific, Persian Gulf and Red Sea on 14 March 2001 in support of Operation Southern Watch. She visited Singapore, Thailand, Guam, Jebel Ali, Bahrain, and Jordan, returning to the United States on 14 September 2001, just days after the attacks of 11 September 2001.

In 2003, as a result of the impending war and the need for troops in Iraq, Boxer found herself deploying yet again, this time six months ahead of schedule. This was a six-month deployment in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She deployed with six other ships from San Diego on 17 January 2003:,,,,, and .

She returned to the United States on 26 July 2003. Also in 2003 she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Pacific Fleet.

In another early deployment, to become known as a surge deployment, Boxer steamed alone from San Diego on 14 January 2004 to support the ongoing rebuilding efforts in Iraq, dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom II. She delivered equipment and supplies to Kuwaiti Naval Base in the northern Persian Gulf for the continuing support of the post-war rebuilding of Iraq. She returned home on 29 April 2004.

Boxer was deployed with the 15th MEU from her San Diego port on 13 September 2006. They arrived to Iraq in November and returned to dock in San Diego on 31 May 2007.

From 20 April 2008 to 26 June 2008, Boxer conducted a humanitarian mission in Central and South America.

Anti-Piracy Task Force

Boxer is designated as the flagship of Combined Task Force 151, the international anti-piracy task force pursuing pirates off the coast of Somalia.[3]

On 10 April 2009, Boxer was en route to assist and in negotiating the release of Richard Phillips, captain of U.S. flagged container ship, who was held hostage by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa.[4] On 12 April 2009, Captain Phillips was freed during a US Navy assault in which three of the Somali pirates were killed, and one was captured.[5] Captain Phillips was transported to Boxer for medical examination and rest.[6]

Around 1 May 2009, Boxer assisted some 200 members of the German special operations unit GSG-9 in getting close to the hijacked German container ship . During the last phase of the operation, James L. Jones, the U.S. National Security Advisor, withheld final approval for the operation out of concern for the safety of the 25 sailors on board the vessel. This led to the decision by the German department of defense and the German department of the interior to abort the planned attack on the freighter for the time being and the GSG-9 unit, which is under the command of the German secretary of the interior, returned to their base of operations at the airport of Mombasa, Kenya. It was reported that the German department of defense influence and contacts to James Jones led to the U.S. decision to withdraw from the scene.[7]

The ship returned to San Diego on 1 August 2009. During her transit of the Pacific, 69 of the sailors and marines aboard the ship contracted swine flu, forcing the cancellation of a planned "Tiger Cruise" from Hawaii to meet the ships for several hundred relatives and friends.[8]

2010–2020

The ship, with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, departed San Diego on 22 February 2011 for a seven-month deployment in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Accompanying the ship on the deployment were and .[9]

On 6 May 2016, it was reported that the U.S. staged Boxer, supported by the destroyers and off the coast of Yemen with 2,000 to 4,500 U.S. Marines of the 13th MEU in the flotilla to provide support to coalition forces in Yemen fighting AQAP militants.[10] [11] [12] On 16 June 2016, Boxer, supported by amphibious warfare ships and took part in Operation Inherent Resolve; AV-8BII Harriers of the 13th MEU flying off the ship began airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, making it the first time the U.S. Navy used ship-based aircraft from both the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf at the same time during the Operation[13] (aircraft from the aircraft carrier began airstrikes on ISIL targets from the Mediterranean on 3 June).[14]

On 18 July 2019, President Donald Trump stated that the ship shot down and destroyed an Iranian drone over the Strait of Hormuz.[15] According to a statement by the President, the drone was downed after "ignoring multiple stand down calls." Iranian officials rejected Trump's statement on downing an Iranian drone[16] and the IRGC released a video and claimed it was monitoring the ship and some other American military vessels including USS Harpers Ferry,, and by the drone on the morning of 18 July.

On 15 March 2020, it was reported that a sailor aboard, two days prior, had tested presumptive positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the first case of a coronavirus case aboard an American warship.[17] [18] The sailor subsequently quarantined at home. A second sailor tested positive on 17 March 2020 and also quarantined at home.[19]

Modernization and maintenance

On 7 April 2020, it was reported that BAE systems had been awarded a contract from the US Navy to perform extensive modernization and maintenance to the USS Boxer, with work scheduled to commence in June 2020, and complete in around 18 months' time in December 2021.[20] Notably, as a part of this work, the USS Boxer was updated to be able to operate with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. [21] As of 21 July 2023, ongoing maintenance issues have prevented the ship from returning to sea.[22] As of 25 March 2024, the Boxer was seen departing San Diego, California.[23] The ship returned to San Diego ten days later due to mechanical problems.[24]

Deployments

Awards

USS Boxer has been awarded the Navy Battle "E" numerous times;

2013 awards[33]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fact File: Amphibious Assault Ships - LHD/LHA(R) . U.S. Navy . 13 April 2016 . 11 November 2016 . 19 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161019033201/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=400&ct=4 . dead .
  2. Web site: LHD-1 Wasp class . . 9 May 2000 . 8 April 2011.
  3. Web site: USS Boxer Supports 'Continuing Promise' in El Salvador. Cragg. Jennifer. 23 May 2008. DefenseLink. https://web.archive.org/web/20080608153316/http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49996. 8 June 2008. dead. dmy.
  4. News: More pirates searching for lifeboat, official says. 10 April 2009. CNN. 27 May 2010.
  5. News: Hostage captain rescued; Navy snipers kill 3 pirates. 12 April 2009. CNN. 9 October 2015.
  6. News: US captain rescued from pirates. 13 April 2009. BBC News. 9 October 2015.
  7. Web site: Mission Impossible: German Elite Troop Abandons Plan to Free Pirate Hostages. 4 May 2009. Spiegel Online.
  8. Web site: Boxer ARG returns this week. 29 July 2009. Military Times. subscription. 9 October 2015.
  9. Web site: Boxer ARG, 13th MEU leave on deployment. Fuentes. Gidget. 22 February 2011. Military Times. 9 October 2015.
  10. News: U.S. forces now on the ground supporting combat operations in Yemen, Pentagon says . . 6 May 2016.
  11. Web site: Pentagon: US forces in Yemen to aid fight against Al Qaeda affiliate. Fox News. 6 May 2016.
  12. Web site: U.S. reveals troops on the ground in Yemen. Military times. 6 May 2016.
  13. Web site: Harriers from USS Boxer begin airstrikes against Islamic State. stars and stripes. 17 June 2016.
  14. Web site: USS Harry Truman launches airstrikes against ISIS from Mediterranean Sea. fox news. 4 June 2016.
  15. Web site: I want to apprise everyone of an incident in the Strait of Hormuz today, involving #USSBoxer, a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship. The BOXER took defensive action against an Iranian drone....pic.twitter.com/Zql6nAUGxF. Trump. Donald J.. 2019-07-18. @realDonaldTrump. en. 2019-07-23.
  16. News: Iranian Armed Forces Reject Trump's Claim on Downing Drone . Tasnim News Agency . 19 July 2019 . 20 July 2019.
  17. Web site: USS Boxer Sailor Tests 'Presumptive Positive' for Coronavirus, First Case Found on a Ship's Crew . USNI News . LaGrone . Sam . 17 March 2020 . 25 March 2020.
  18. Web site: Sailor assigned to USS Boxer (LHD 4) Tests Presumptive Positive for COVID-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20200729005745/https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=112364. 2020-07-29. navy.mil.
  19. Web site: Second Sailor assigned to USS Boxer (LHD 4) Tests Positive for COVID-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200729031001/https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=112387. 2020-07-29. navy.mil.
  20. News: US Navy Awards BAE Systems $200m Contract to Upgrade USS Boxer . UK Defence Journal . Allison . George . 7 April 2020 . 8 April 2020.
  21. News: US Navy upgrades more ships for the F-35 as the future of carriers remains in flux. Defense News. Larter. David. 1 June 2020. 3 June 2020.
  22. Web site: Toropin . Konstantin . After 2-Year Overhaul, Navy Confirms USS Boxer Can't Get Underway . Military.com . 31 July 2023 . en . 28 July 2023.
  23. Web site: March 25, 2024 . USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: March 25, 2024 . March 28, 2024 . USNI News.
  24. Web site: Troubled USS Boxer Returns Home 10 Days into Deployment Due to Maintenance Issue Military.com . 2024-04-13 . www.military.com.
  25. Web site: Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, 11th MEU Deploy. 1 May 2019. 19 July 2019.
  26. Web site: Boxer Amphibious Ready Group returns home from deployment. MC2 Justin Daniel. Rankins. www.cpf.navy.mil. 10 January 2020. 29 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200329202122/https://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/110894. dead.
  27. Web site: Toropin . Konstantin . 2024-04-02 . After Months of Delay, USS Boxer Finally Leaves San Diego and Sets Sail on Deployment . 2024-04-29 . Military.com . en.
  28. Web site: USS Boxer makes U-turn for repairs on long-delayed, short-lived Indo-Pacific tour . 2024-04-29 . Stars and Stripes . en.
  29. Web site: 2024-04-23 . The Navy isn't sure when its badly-needed 'mini' carrier USS Boxer will get repaired . 2024-04-29 . San Diego Union-Tribune . en-US.
  30. Web site: Lagrone . Sam . 17 July 2024 . USS Boxer Back on Deployment After Repairs . live . 19 August 2024 . USNI News.
  31. COMNAVSURFOR Announces Winners of Battle "E" . United States Navy . Elena . Velazquez . NNS080304-08 . 9 October 2015.
  32. Web site: USS Boxer Earns Battle E Award . navaltoday.com . 31 March 2014 . 9 October 2015.
  33. Web site: Boxer Makes One-two-three Punch with Battle 'E' . United States Navy . 31 March 2014 . Biller . Brian P. . 9 October 2015 . 17 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151017075854/http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/lhd4/Pages/Boxer-Makes-One-two-three-Punch-with-Battle-E.aspx . dead .

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