USS Saipan LHA-2 Wood Display Model Ship
This is not a mass-produced model. Each museum-quality replica is handcrafted by master modelers and will make a perfect gift or memento for the sailor, ship or military enthusiast. As such it is shipped to the customer in a heavy-duty carton box; the model itself is encased in a secure wood frame which will require some disassembly.
Find more about this product here: Model Ships
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
USS Saipan (LHA-2) is a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship, the second United States Navy ship named in honor of the World War II Battle of Saipan.
Saipan was laid down on July 21, 1972 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Litton Industries, Pascagoula, Mississippi; launched on July 20, 1974; sponsored by Mrs. J. William Middendorf II, wife of Secretary of the Navy Middendorf.
Saipans operational career began in July 1979 when she was diverted from Fleet Refresher Training to Special Contingency Operations for possible non-combatant evacuation of American personnel from Nicaragua during that countrys civil war.
In May 1980, Saipan was underway to augment U.S. Coast Guard efforts to assist Cuban refugees crossing the Straits of Florida to the United States. On August 25, 1980, Saipan departed Norfolk for the first Mediterranean deployment by an LHA.
On September 3, 1981, Saipan deployed for her second tour in the Mediterranean Sea. During that deployment, Saipan visited or operated in seven different countries on three continents.
From August 1982 through July 1983, Saipan was in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for her first scheduled complex overhaul. In September 1983, while undergoing Refresher Training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Saipan was diverted to participate in Operation Urgent Fury off Grenada.