UNITED STATES SHIP

P O N C E L P D - 1 5

COMPILED BY MC1(AW/SW) NATHANAEL MILLER PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, AUG. 2010 – MARCH 2012

It was a mildly rainy Halloween Day in 1966 when thousands of pounds of otherwise unremarkable steel were laid out on the floor of the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company’s yards in Seattle, Wa. While shipbuilders scrambled over the neatly ordered pieces of steel and welding torches blazed, the metal was joined together, becoming the backbone of the 12th Austin-class amphibious transport dock. The sides rose higher and higher, the superstructure was built, a flight deck laid out, and a retractable hangar installed. It took nearly four years, but hull number LPD 15 began to look like a ship.

Finally, May 20, 1970, dawned over the shipyard. A bottle of fine “Don Q” rum, crafted and bottled in Ponce, Puerto Rico, had been brought to Seattle by the Honorable Juan H. Cintrón, mayor of the city of Ponce. The bottle was smashed against the nascent warship’s bow by Mrs. John J. Hyland (wife of former Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, Adm. John J. Hyland) as she christened the new ship Ponce, and the nearly 10,000 ton hull slid into the water for the very first time.

Slightly more than a year later, with the mast constructed, most systems in place, and her first crew mustered, USS Ponce (LPD 15), the last of the Austin-class LPDs, was formally accepted by the United States Navy June 25, 1971 by the Commandant, Thirteenth Naval District. From Ponce’s 1971 official command history:

PONCE departed Lockheed dead plant under tow at 1230 for Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington to prepare for commissioning and commence Fitting Out Availability [sic] Period, Captain FARRIS, on behalf of the Commandant, signed the acceptance papers on arrival of PONCE in Bremerton. Fifteen days later the newest ship in the American fleet was placed into commission July

10, 1971. Again, the Hon. Juan H. Cintrón journeyed from Puerto Rico to Seattle and attended the commissioning ceremony of the “Proud Lion.” The mayor presented the flag of the city of Ponce and the flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to Capt. Farris.

Pronounced “Pon-SAY,” LPD 15 is the first confirmed commissioned warship to be named for the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. A previous Ponce, hull number SP 364, was at least considered for service by the Navy during the First World War. Other than the name and hull number, no records of this ship are known to exist, not even whether it was a motorboat, fishing boat, etc.

The city of Ponce was named for Juan Ponce de Leon y Loayza, first governor of Puerto Rico and the great-grandson of the famous conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon. The city’s crest is graced by a lion, signifying the royal linage of Juan Ponce de Leon y Loayza; USS Ponce’s crest employs a purple rampant lion to acknowledge the ship’s link to her namesake city.

With Capt. George W. Farris in command, Ponce sailed south to transit the Panama Canal and join the Atlantic Fleet as part of Amphibious Group Two under Amphibious Squadron Four. Her permanent homeport would be Naval Station Norfolk, Va. According to plank owner Daniel Andersen, a former Hull Technician Fireman, Ponce transported several private vehicles and a boat for the Smithsonian Institution. Andersen remembers the ship lightly scraping her sides going through the canal.

Ponce would never touch the waters of the Pacific Ocean again; her destiny lay in the great waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern areas.

USS Ponce’s 1971 official history covers the canal transit and a very significant port visit in one terse sentence:

USS PONCE transited the Panama Canal on 15 September and then proceeded to Ponce, Puerto Rico arriving 18 September 1971. Among the events of Ponce’s first visit to Ponce covered by this single sentence was the

presentation of a casket containing the smashed remains of the “Don Q” rum bottle from the 1970 christening to Mayor Cintrón on behalf of Mrs. Hyland.

The ship spent the rest of 1971 and most of 1972 training in the Atlantic and Caribbean. In March of 1972 Ponce acted as “hotel accommodations” for various military units participating in New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebrations. The warship also participated in her first international exercises during major bilateral training with the Netherlands Navy in September 1972’s Exercise Doria Salute IV.

The Proud Lion finally began her first operational deployment in January 1973 with Amphibious Squadron Two. During the deployment, Ponce was selected as the test bed for a unique Reduced Watch Personnel experiment aimed at paring down the number of Sailors on the bridge. From the ship’s official 1973 Command History:

In addition to the voice log recorder installed on the bridge, an automatic bell logger, and an additional small EOT Engine Order Telegraph) were installed on the bridge during the port visit in Taranto, Italy 1 to 6 March. The bell logger recorded course and speed information previously kept in the quartermaster's log, shaft RPMs previously kept in the engineer's bell log, and magnetic heading information previously kept in the magnetic log, The small EOT allowed one man to perform both the helmsman and lee helmsman's duties.

The experiment was terminated July 1, 1973 and Ponce’s crew resumed the traditional underway watches. Exercise Alien Gold off the coast of Ireland in October 1974 witnessed A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair aircraft from USS America (CV 66) “attacking” Ponce and other ships. The point of the exercise was to evaluate the effectiveness of the AV-8 Harrier as a primary means of amphibious aerial defense against surface, air, and missile attacks.

January 30, 1976, was a red-letter day for the Snipes in Engineering. The Secretary of the Navy, the Hon. J. J. William Middendorf II, came aboard and presented Ponce’s Engineering Department with the Order of the Golden Snipe. Former Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Richard Othmer, a Proud Lion from 1976 – 1980, recalls a number of event among the crew during that four-year period:

The guys in my time 1976-80 had a good boxing team & we beat the hell out of the [Marines] in 1977 while underway (7-3). Mr. Partridge & Mr. Owens the Refs. Jim Ferla was the time keeper & rang the bell on a 3”, .50 artillery shell with a hammer. While in port we had a bad episode when a [sic]air-dale named Bob Humfries flipped a crane while bringing cargo on board and lost his arm. We lost a [Marine] helicopter pilot off of Sardinia and we buried him at sea.

As the United States prepared to celebrate its Bicentennial in 1976, Ponce’s Sailors found themselves thrust into the ship’s first real-world contingency operation. American citizens and third-party nationals were being evacuated from war-torn Lebanon, and the Proud Lion was designated as the alternate evacuee transport. USS Coronado (LPD 11, later AGF 11), the primary evacuee ship, was able to take on all the refugees on July 27th, and Ponce was not required to embark anyone. 1977 opened with the proverbial “bang” for the Proud Lion and her crew. Leaving the icy cold of a Virginia winter behind, the ship headed south for several weeks of operations and port calls in Puerto Rico. From the 1977 official command history:

Upon arrival off the coast of Puerto Rico on the 22nd of January, PONCE went to anchorage and conducted amphibious operations until the afternoon of the 25th when she weighed anchor and set sail for her namesake city. On the morning of January 26th the "Proud Lion" arrived at Ponce, Puerto Rico, with a welcoming crowd of six hundred well wishers looking on. During the following four days, the residents of Ponce, Puerto Rico, opened their city to the officers and men of USS PONCE and her embarked Marines from BLT 2/8. The Marines set up a static display on the flight deck and the PONCE conducted general visiting. In excess of twelve thousand residents of Ponce, Puerto Rico visited their ship and a good time was had by all .

USS Ponce went to Philadelphia and for her first drydock availability period in July

1977. With her crew moved to live in APL 45, this period lasted into 1978, as quoted by her 1978 official Command History:

With the ringing in of the new year, PONCE, the Proud Lion, gallantly rests upon her blocks while in drydock at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania, braving the snow and winds of a winter blizzard. Half of the crew are enjoying a holiday leave period while a detail from the duty section shovels a path from APL 45, to the dining hall.

A new decade dawned over the United States with 1980, and Ponce’s career carried on. The Sailors of the Proud Lion sailed to New York City in May. They were treated to a gala reception, spent time touring the sites, and were featured on ABC TV’s “Good Morning America.” Returning to Norfolk, the Proud Lion was again thrust into the reality of international operations when she was ordered to sail to the Straits of Florida and rescued more than 640 Cuban refugees. The ship was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for the effort. 1981 brought some milestones for USS Ponce. Again, to quote the 1981 official Command History:

On 10 July, while at sea, PONCE celebrated its 10th anniversary as a commissioned vessel. The ceremony was highlighted by a smoker on the flight deck and a cake cutting ceremony attended by VADM Rowden , COMSIXTHFLT and CAET E.W. Foote, COMPHIB SIX. While in the Med PONCE also marked the following milestones and celebrations: -Invasion of southern France by allied forces in WW I1 (15 August) -18,000th safe aircraft landing (8 Oct) -15th anniversary of the ship's keel-laying (16 Oct)

Ponce’s luck finally ran out when the ship collided with USS Fort Snelling (LSD 30)

Feb. 2, 1982. The ships were engaged in a towing exercise, and the collision caused minor damage to Ponce’s port side catwalk and accommodation ladder.

The Proud Lion’s armament received an unexpected alteration in Dec. 1983 when one 3” gun mount was replaced by a new technology—a Vulcan Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS). Eventually the radar-controlled CIWS would replace all the 3” mounts, with the last 3” mount being removed from the Proud Lion’s deck in 1992. Ponce would carry the CIWS system until her decommissioning nearly 30 years later in 2012.

Two years later, February began to look like an unlucky month for the Officers and men of USS Ponce. From her official 1984 Command History:

PONCE returned to Morehead City on 14 February. During attempts to move assault craft to Radio Island in a heavy sea state, PONCE suffered a major casualty when her sterngate was damaged and eventually lost. PONCE was ordered into the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for voyage repairs where she was repaired and fitted with the sterngate from the USS CORONADO (AGF 11) in a herculean effort by the ship yard and ship's force. PONCE was able to return to Morehead City on 7 March to on-load the waiting elements of MAU Service Support Group 26 after a brief stop at Lynnhaven anchorage off Virginia Beach, Virginia where she loaded two LCM-8 Assault Craft and equipment for Seal Team TWO and Beachmaster Unit TWO.

Ponce would carry Coronado’s sterngate until the end of her career 28 years later. A major aviation milestone was achieved on April 14, 1984. The Proud Lion’s Air

Department clocked their 20,000 safe landing as a UH-1N Huey from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 263 touched down on the well-worn non-skid of the flight deck.

Later that month, on April 27, Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo (LARC) 20 of the Beachmaster detachment embarked aboard threw a shaft and sank in 900 fathoms of water. Thankfully, there were no personnel casualties.

1984 continued to be a very, very active year. Again, the 1984 official Command History:

On 9 May, the DOD Shows group Windsong gave a concert on the flight deck for all hands. A variety of evolutions followed including underway replenishments and special warfare training. A unique training evolution took place when the Reconnaissance Platoon demonstrated the Special Purpose Insertion and Extraction (SPIE) rig on 17 May. Aboard again were the CATF [Commander, Amphibious Task Force] and CLF [Combat Logistics Force] and their staffs and the helicopter detachment. On 18 May, the American Ambassador to Lebanon, Mister Bartholomew visited PONCE. On 21 May PONCE embarked the first of four groups of midshipmen for their summer training. On 23 May PONCE provided the movie Snow White to the British Embassy in Beirut. This mission developed into a full combat evolution as the CATF dispatched two fully armed UH-1N aircraft to transport the movie to the beach past hostile, anti-Disney elements. On 4 June, PONCE arrived at Antalya, Turkey for a port visit that ended on 9 June. After a two week tour off Beirut, PONCE returned to Haifa, Israel for another port visit. Talk about hot-tempered movie critics! 1984 continued at a hot and heavy pace as the Proud Lion became involved in the

planning and execution of the final withdrawal of the U.S. Marines from Beirut, Lebanon. The Sailors and Marines aboard Ponce showed the benevolent attitude of the United

States during Operation Handclasp in January, 1985. The ship was instrumental in providing humanitarian relief to poverty-stricken Haiti and Honduras.

In 1987, Ponce’s crew began leaving a mark in the local community. The U.S. Navy had begun placing greater emphasis on integrating its Sailors into the communities in which they resided. From the 1987 official Command History:

The Proud Lion, commissioned in 1971, has always taken an active role in community affairs. The most recent ongoing project is being a participant in the Norfolk City School's "Adopt-A-School" program, Several PONCE crew members voluntarily donate their time and talent as tutors at the Northside Middle School two days a week. They assist certain

teachers in nearly every academic subject from reading to mathematics. The program not only enriches the students' educational curriculum, but also provides a positive image for the Navy and a good role model for the youngsters. The Proud Lion received an extensive overhaul and maintenance period from April

through August of 1987. The ship’s Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) firefighting system was upgraded, resulting in the system now drawing AFFF from 600 gallon tanks, which were considerably larger than the ship’s original AFFF tanks.

The Sailors of Ponce’s Air Department had much to celebrate on May 1, 1988, as they conducted the 30,000th safe landing aboard the ship. Ponce had further reason to rejoice when the ship learned that she was awarded the Battle “E” award and the CNO’s Ship Safety Award.

Operation Sharp Edge, a 1990 Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO), required the efforts of Ponce and other ships to get U.S. citizens out of Liberia during that nation’s civil war. Following the conclusion of the NEO, Ponce deployed U.S. Marines to reinforce the security of the U.S. embassy in Monrovia.

The Proud Lion did not participate in 1991’s Operation Desert Storm, but the ship did mark her 20th anniversary by conducting a rescue at sea in July. Racing to intercept the USNS Cape Hudson (T-AKR 5066), Ponce took on an injured crew member, and successfully transferred him to a CH-53, which got the man to medical attention in Sicily.

The 1992 hurricane season was quiet and uneventful until a giant category 5 hurricane named Andrew schwacked the Florida peninsula in August, making landfall directly on Homestead, Fla, just south of Miami. Andrew fairly wiped Homestead, Homestead AFB, and large portions of south Florida off the map, causing more than $26 billion in damage. USS Ponce and her Proud Lions promptly responded, bringing food, water, and medical supplies to the devastated communities in Florida. Sailors aboard Ponce put in more than 10,000 man hours of work during the relief.

The Proud Lion’s Sailors then went on to support operations in Europe when she, USS Saipan (LHA 2), and USS Pensacola (LSD 38) supported 1993’s Operation Deny Flight, the NATO effort to establish and maintain a no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Operation Provide Promise, the humanitarian relief effort for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Operation Assured Response was undertaken by the Proud Lion in mid-1996 when she replaced the other ships already manning the waters off Monrovia, Liberia. This operation was unique in that for the duration, USS Ponce was the only surface asset in support of the work. Operation Assured Response was a NEO that removed more than 2,444 U.S. and foreign citizens from Liberia.

Ponce’s Sailors melded into a unit with Spanish, Greek, and Italian forces during 1997’s Operation Link Seas. Later that year yet another NEO was conducted, this time with midshipmen aboard for their summer training cruise. Operation Silver Wake got nearly 900 people out of Albania while also providing security for the elections.

1999 was an extremely busy year for the Proud Lion and her Sailors. From the official Command History:

PONCE was directly involved in combat operations in the Balkans (Operations Allied Force and Noble Anvil), humanitarian assistance building refugee camps in Albania (Operation Shining Hope), peacekeeping

operations that provided a Marine Expeditionary Unit initial enabling force in Kosovo (Operation Joint Guardian), humanitarian assistance providing earthquake disaster relief in northwest Turkey (Operation Avid Response), and a complex tri-lateral NATO amphibious exercise in Turkey (Exercise Northern Approaches).

Ponce’s Sailors again demonstrating the best of the American serviceman in 2001 by

volunteering their limited liberty time in community relations projects during their deployment. From the 2001 official Command History:

The next stop for PONCE was Valetta, Malta, from 23-26 July. On the final day, sailors visited the Jesus of Nazareth Institute, where they sanded, primed and painted the orphanage's entire playground. At the same time, embarked Marines chipped and painted an immense trellis and a number of doors at the Urseline Crech Orphanage. On 27 June, the ship transited to Rijeka, Croatia … On 10 August, sailors from PONCE and EMORY S LAND refurbished a large fence and several classrooms at Kindergarten Belvedere. More good times followed as the volunteers played the home team of Basketball Club Kantrida. A reception at the club house followed. Back at sea, PONCE … visited Palma de Mallorca, Spain from 17-20 August. Here, volunteers scraped, spackled, and painted the kitchen and dining room at Servi de Acolidla, a shelter for abused women and their children. Two pallets of Project Handclasp toys and clothing were also donated. PONCE got underway again on 27 August, and arrived two days later in Catania, Italy. The next port visit was 3-6 September in Limassol, Cyprus. Here PONCE sailors painted offices and hallways at Limassol Foundation St. Stefanos, a home for mentally challenged adults.

Of course, the time of “peace” was rapidly drawing to a close. USS Ponce was at sea alongside the combat stores ship USNS Sirius (T-AFS 8) taking on fuel when word of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks reached her stunned crew. The Proud Lion was already scheduled to rotate home, and so was heading to Morehead City to off-load MSSG-24 when Operation Enduring Freedom began on Oct. 7, 2001. Ponce would not be on the sidelines of the new War on Terror for long. Ponce put to sea from Norfolk in January 2003 to embark Marine Corps and other assets for deployment in the March 19, 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Sailors of Ponce would again act as a test bed for new technologies with the deployment of a new gas mask. From the 2004 official Command History:

In cooperation with the U.S. Army, NAVSEA, and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, Ponce’s Damage Control Assistant and 35 members of the crew participated in an extensive twelve-day operational test of a new

and improved gas mask. The gas mask at sea and chemical protective suit were worn during a myriad of events while performing events underway to determine the comfort and functionality of the mask …PONCE’s effort in this endeavor helped to shape the improvements needed for maximum protection in a CBR environment which will benefit sailors in the years to come.

In 2005, the Proud Lion again broke new ground (in a sea-going sort of way) by

becoming the first U.S. Navy ship to refuel the new Iraqi Patrol boat in support of the defense of the critical Khawr Abd All Oil Terminal and Al Basrah Oil Terminal.

Ponce’s Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team conducted blue light patrols in vicinity of Iraqi oil terminals, collected intelligence on piracy, distributed psychological operations material, and even responded to a medical emergency aboard a local dhow.

The Proud Lion had the distinct pleasure of hosting Adm. Gary Roughead, 29th Chief of Naval Operations, at a reception held aboard the venerable old ship Nov. 12, 2009, during her port call to Santorini. The CNO took the time to reenlist 14 of the Proud Lions on the ship’s mess deck that evening.

In 2010 USS Ponce entered her 39th year of service, and was in desperate need of a long upkeep period. However, such was not to be the case. A back-to-back deployment was looming, despite the mechanical problems the old ship was facing. From the 2010 official Command History:

After a few fail to sails, PON got underway on 13JAN under her own power, on single boiler operations, to transit to Naval Weapons Station Yorktown for an ammunition offload. With the Coleman Bridge in sight, PON had to pull fires Number 1 Boiler. Luckily, PON was being escorted by two tugs. The tugs made up off her port and starboard quarter and provided propulsion until PON was safely pierside in Yorktown. Once complete with the ammunition offload, PON was underway again to Naval Station Norfolk on 18JAN. On 20JAN, PON deadsticked to Metro Machine Shipyard in Norfolk, VA for a five month CNO availability and five yer boiler inspection. A total of 248 jobs were completed in what became a four month availability.

Severe maintenance issues the put another ship in the yards necessitated Ponce’s return to sea in the autumn of 2010 even though she had just returned from deployment the previous December. When an earthquake struck Pakistan in August, the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), made up of USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), and Ponce received only six days’ notice to departed Norfolk on Aug. 27, 2010 to render humanitarian aid to the beleaguered country. For this final deployment, Ponce embarked Uniform 61, a Landing Craft, Utility (LCU) from Assault Craft Unit Two, a detachment from Beach Master Unit Two, the combat logistics battalion and battalion landing team of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and, eventually, elements of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. While steaming across the Atlantic, word reached the ARG that its services were not going to be needed after all, so the Proud Lion and her Sailors ended up with a nine-month deployment in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.

Oct. 24, 2010 dawned bright and hot in the Arabian Sea as Cmdr. Timothy Crone, Ponce’s 25th commanding officer, turned his duties over to Cmdr. Etta “C.J.” Jones, and departed via a USMC V-22 Osprey for his next assignment. Shortly after the V-22 departed, a tiny Indian scops owl alighted in the middle of the starboard ladder from the flight deck to the O1 Level. The small bird refused to budge from its perch for over an hour. Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman Morgan Butkus remembers everyone having to detour to the portside ladder until the owl decided to be on its way again. During the deployment, the Proud Lion conducted extended exercises with the Kenyan military in Exercise Edged Mallet, and saw the arrival of King Neptune as the ship crossed the Equator Dec. 1, 2010. With the rites of the Crossing the Line ceremony completed and the ship “cleansed” of all Pollywogs, Ponce returned to operations in the Arabian Sea. Christmas Day 2010 dawned with the Proud Lion deploying the Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit ashore in Kuwait for transport to support Operation New Dawn in Afghanistan. Another bright moment in the long deployment was a highly surprising but welcome visit from members of the Green Bay Packers, champions of Super Bowl XLV. The team came aboard the ship in February and spent several hours mingling with the crew, telling stories, and signing autographs. In early 2011, a series of upheavals and revolutions throughout the Middle East began reshaping the political map of the region. When Libya began experiencing revolutionary unrest, the Kearsarge ARG steamed north through the Suez Canal back to the Mediterranean. Ponce embarked a detachment of the U.S. Air Force’s 56th Rescue Squadron and took up station off Libya as Operation Odyssey Dawn, the United Nations effort to establish and maintain a no-fly zone over Libya, began on March 19, 2011. Ponce and the 56th RQS’ job was to recover any allied aviator who went down over Libya during the initial stages of the operation. Once the ship pulled into Naval Station Rota, Spain, on Apr. 23, a very difficult and painful chapter of Ponce’s story was closed when the ship’s commanding officer and executive officer were relieved by Vice Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr, Commander 6th Fleet. The admiral sited poor leadership, failure to prosecute multiple incidents of hazing, and the commanding officer’s having improperly handled a loaded firearm, thereby hazarding the safety of two Sailors. Capt. John “Brad” Skillman, Deputy Commander of Amphibious Group 4, assumed command of Ponce, and his first order of business was to muster the crew and assure them the commodore and “big Navy” did not look upon the venerable old ship or her crew with disfavor. Instead, he passed on the admiral’s commendations to them for their professionalism during a very difficult time. With the crew’s morale restored, CAPT Skillman brought the Ponce home, arriving back at Naval Station Norfolk, Pier 12, on May 16, 2011 to a huge welcome. CAPT Skillman’s command would be brief—he handed responsibility for the ship and crew over to the ship’s 28th and final commanding officer, Cmdr. Cole Hayes, on May 31. 2011 continued to be a busy year for the now 40-year-old warship. Scheduled to appear in Boston for Fleet Week, Ponce suffered a major engine casualty and failed to sail. USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), originally scheduled to go to Bristol, R.I., for Independence Day, took over Ponce’s spot in Boston. The Proud Lion then took on Oak Hill’s commitment in Bristol. The Sailors had the honor of marching in Bristol’s parade, which is the oldest continuous celebration of the Fourth of July in the U.S. (the formal civic events date back to 1785).

Despite being back from a long deployment, Ponce kept up a hectic pace, again “carrying the water” for other ships sidelined by maintenance issues. Summer training cruises were conducted for midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy and several university ROTC programs. The ship continued to sail for week-long training availabilities off North Carolina, allowing Marines the opportunity to hone their amphibious warfare skills. A sortie to avoid Hurricane Irene added to the accelerated pace of the ship when she and the fleet headed to sea for several days Aug. 28, 2011. Ponce finally began what Cmdr. Hayes termed her “victory lap” Nov. 1, 2011. Taking on fuel from USNS Arctic (T-AO 8) during her final scheduled UNREP, Ponce headed south to the U.S. “Space Coast.”

The ship called at Port Canaveral, Fla., as part of a Navy outreach hosted by Naval Ordnance Test Unit. During the five days in port, the Sailors of the Proud Lion tirelessly gave tours to more than 8,930 members of the general public, which was well over three times the number expected during the planning phase of the visit. The ship’s color guard presented the colors at the University of Central Florida prior to UCF’s game against the University of Tulsa Nov. 3. Tulsa won the game 24-17. Following the Port Canaveral visit, the Sailors of Ponce got a quick, but welcome, two-day liberty stop at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The visit started out with an inauspicious arrival as the ship was backed toward its pier in the shadow of the giant cruise liner MV Ruby Princess. The assigned tug was not obeying orders form the harbor pilot. Tension rose sharply as the tug pushed Ponce’s starboard side toward a concrete dolphin at the end of the pier. Quick thinking and fast action on the bridge got Ponce underway and clear of the threats. Ponce departed the harbor, turned around, and came in under her own power, the tug under orders now to stand off.

Finally it was time for the gray old lady to make her final port call—a nostalgic and deeply emotional visit to her namesake city, Ponce, Puerto Rico. USS Ponce’s arrival in the Bay of Ponce Nov. 13, 2011, marked the first time the ship had touched the waters of her namesake city since her visit 1977 visit nearly 34 years earlier. The ship was visited by the city’s mayor, the Honorable Maria Melendez. Cmdr. Cole Hayes and Lt. Cmdr. Ethan Mitchell (commanding officer and executive officer, respectively) presented the mayor with a solid brass plaque representing the USS Ponce’s crest. They explained that it had been one of three given to Capt. Farris as well as to the first executive officer and first navigator upon the ship’s commissioning in 1971. This plaque, the only one known to still exist, had been the navigator’s and he requested it be given as a gift to the city of Ponce. Continuing her tradition of community service, the Proud Lion sent a small group of Sailors from the ship and the embarked Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) from Assault Craft Unit Four to paint street markings in the city’s neighborhood. This final community relations project was the last service project the Proud Lion undertook. While the citizen of Ponce opened their city to “their” ship again for the first time in more than three decades, the Sailors and Marines of USS Ponce reciprocated in kind. Opening the ship for general visits, more than 526 Ponce residents boarded the Ponce and got a look at the vessel that had carried the name of their city around the world for more than 40 years. A very special moment for the grand old lady unexpectedly occurred early in the afternoon of Nov. 15. Senora Ileana Cintrón, daughter of former Ponce Mayor Juan H. Cintrón, came aboard the ship to meet the crew and share some very special mementos with them. She

explained that her father was still alive but, at 92, while clear of mind was unfortunately very infirm of body and unable to travel from his Ponce home. In his stead, she brought copies of Ponce’s christening and commissioning programs, four-decade old photographs of her father in Seattle at both ceremonies, and a wooden box containing a piece of Ponce history that stunned everyone who got to see it. Opening the long, slim box Senora Cintrón revealed a jumble of faded red, white, and blue ribbons along with the shattered remains of a glass bottle. The “Don Q” rum bottle that had been smashed against the ship’s bow in 1970 and presented to Senor Cintrón in 1971 was reunited with USS Ponce 40 years later.

Senora Cintrón explained that her father had asked her to donate the bottle to the Museo de la Historia de Ponce (Museum of the History of Ponce). Before doing that, she had wanted to share it with the final crew of the Ponce and, to make a gesture of keeping the spirit of USS Ponce alive on the high seas, she gave one small fragment of the bottle to a Ponce Sailor. The Proud Lion returned home Nov. 21, just in time for Thanksgiving. Even though the tropical sunny skies and waters of the Caribbean were missed, the cool of the Virginia autumn was warmed by the greetings of family and friends after a month apart. Despite having a spectacular “retirement party” in her victory lap around Florida and the Caribbean, Ponce still had one more service to render to the Navy-Marine Corps team. Turning her bow to the cold Atlantic waters Nov. 28th, she spent one more week providing a platform for Marines in North Carolina to hone their vital skills. The Proud Lion conducted her final flight operations Dec. 1, 2011. Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handler) Airman Michael Babers recovered and launched the last aircraft to operation from the ship’s flight deck: “Legacy 12,” a V-22 Osprey attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron out of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. Babers, who was planning on moving on from the Navy, said this was a memory and a part of history he will always treasure. Following this final week at sea, the ship went into what was supposed to be her final holiday stand down. Sporting two Christmas trees on her stern, a lighted figure of “Snoopy” as a WWI Flying Ace, two snowmen, and her up-and-over lights (colored red and green for the season), the Proud Lion’s crew celebrated the 2011 holidays at home. USS Ponce (LPD 15) was scheduled to be decommissioned during a ceremony to be held on March 30, 2012, at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., and then towed to the Philadelphia “bone yard” for storage. However, in December 2011 the whole shebang was put on hold as the Navy and Military Sealift Command began considering Ponce for conversion to an afloat forward staging base. The shift in plans was set in stone in January 2012, and the ship got underway in February 2012 for a brief period of sea trials to allow the MSC personnel a chance to see her perform. According to HT1 Matt Graham, however, some of the operations for certification did not go off smoothly. For instance, the ship was unable to ballast down far enough to easily conduct well deck operations due to being 200,000 lbs underweight. The ship had not been fueled sufficiently to ensure she could ballast down while not carrying a full load of combat vehicles. The Proud Lion was “dead-sticked” from Naval Station Norfolk to MHI Ship Repair & Services’ midtown shipyard on the Elizabeth River on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. The Military Sealift Command officially took possession of the vessel on that day, but Ponce will remain a “United States Ship” instead of becoming a “United States Naval Ship.” If Ponce took on the “USNS” designation, the ship could run afoul of various international laws in regards to her

carrying weapons and performing various missions. Even so, it is planned to change the ship’s hull number to AFSB(I) 15 for Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) 15, until new, purpose-built ships come off the ways and join the fleet. After a few years as AFSB, Ponce’s future is unclear. It is possible the ship might stay in service long enough to earn the venerable distinction of the oldest serving warship in the fleet (this side of the USS Constitution, of course!). In nearly 41 years of service as an LPD, between July 10, 1971 and March 30, 2012, USS Ponce steamed more than 1,601,130 nautical miles. She has been crewed by more than 18,400 Sailors, and embarked more than 24,500 Marines. The ship’s flight deck has seen more than 39,000 safe landings and launches. Ponce’s galley cranked out more than 58,400 meals and the ship’s barbers have provided more than 70,000 haircuts over nearly 41 years. The number of well deck operations cannot be measured. Uncountable thousands of amphibious operations have been launched and recovered from the wooden deck of Ponce’s vast well. From small Special Forces combat raiding craft, to Marine amphibious assault vehicles, to massive LCUs and LCACs, Ponce’s 41 years of well deck operations have certainly justified the more than $400 million spent building the warship in the late 1960s. This history was compiled as part of the intended decommissioning program of USS Ponce in 2012. However, after the decision was made to convert the ship and keep her in service, I extended it through the events of March 2012. I transfer from the Proud Lion this month and will be reporting for duty at the Navy Public Affairs Support Element East. --MC1(AW/SW) Nathanael Miller March 2012

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EMBLEM AND CALL SIGN

USS Ponce’s Insignia Is Comprised Of Four Major Elements: Rampant Lion Signifying the high spiritedness of the Navy-Marine Corps team that serves on her and is the coat of arms of Juan Ponce de Leon which is a continuing reminder of our bond with the people of our namesake city Trident Emblematic of U.S. Naval power and supremacy Anchor Chain Links the ship’s name and its designator symbols Commissioning Pennant Distinguishes a ship in active service and serves as the Commanding Officer’s personal pennant. It is flown as long as the ship is in commission. USS Ponce’s international call sign is:

November - Sierra - Bravo - Juliet NSBJ

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COMMANDING OFFICERS

01 CAPT. George W. Farris. 10 July 1971 - 9 May 1973 02 CAPT. William B. Warwick 9 May 1973 - 16 May 1974 03 CAPT. David L. Glunt Jr. 16 May 1974 - 11 July 1975 04 CAPT. Paul J. Mulloy 11 July 1975 - 16 September 1976 05 CAPT. Jame R. Allingham 16 September 1976 - 12 January 1978 06 CAPT. Richard G. Murphy 12 January 1978 - 17 May 1979 07 CAPT. Charles G. Felkins 17 May 1979 - 18 April 1981 08 CAPT. Daniel P. March 18 April 1981 - 3 December 1982 09 CAPT. Emory P. Zimmer 3 December 1982 - 4 January 1985 10 CAPT. Robert P. Lucas 4 January 1985 - 31 January 1986 11 CAPT. Doyle J. Borchers II 31 January 1986 - 25 March 1988 12 CAPT. Alan B.Moser 25 March 1988 - 6 January 1990 13 CAPT. Stanley W. Bryant 6 January 1990 - 29 July 1991 14 CAPT. Charles P. Vion 29 July 1991 - 5 March 1993 15 CAPT. Daniel T. Sherrange 5 March 1993 - 14 February 1995 16 CAPT. Leon F. Mahoney 14 February 1995 - 5 December 1996 17 CDR. William V. Scardina Jr. 5 December 1996 - 5 June 1998 18 CDR. Christopher B. Chase 5 June 1998 - 14 January 2000 19 CDR. Mark J. Murphy, Mark 14 January 2000 - 13 October 2000 20 CDR. Thomas J. Chassee 13 October 2000 - 14 June 2002 21 CDR. Anthony J. Pachuta 14 June 2002 - 6 February 2004 22 CDR. William H. Jacob 6 February 2004 - 14 October 200 23 CDR. William A. Brown 14 October 2005 - 13 April 2007 24 CDR. Richard A. Frey 13 April 2007 - 7 November 2008 25 CDR. Timothy A. Crone 7 November 2008 – 24 October 2010 26 CDR. Etta C. Jones 24 October 2010 - 23 April 201 27 CAPT. John B. Skillman 23 April 2011 – 31 May 2011 28 CDR Cole Hayes 31 May 2011 – 30 March 2012

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STATISTICS

Hull Designation: Amphibious Transport Dock (LPD) Length: 570 feet Beam: 100 feet Displacement: 17,000 tones (fully loaded) Top speed: 20+ knots Ship’s Company: Nov. 2011: 28 officers, 332 enlisted Sailors Troop capacity: 700 maximum Ordered: 17 May 1965 Builder: Lockheed Shipbuilding Laid down: 31 October 1966 Launched: 20 May 1970 Commissioned: 10 July 1971 Homeport: Norfolk, Virginia

CONFIRMED VISITS TO HER NAMESAKE CITY

● September 18 – 22, 1971

● January 26 – 30, 1977

● November 13 – 16, 2011

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CONFIRMED MAJOR OPERATIONS

● Flood relief with USS Forrestal (CV 59) - 1973 and USS Sampson (DDG 10) ● Operation Solid Shield (exercise) - 1975 ● Lebanon NEO with Task Force 61 - 1976 ● Cuban refugee rescue, Florida Straits - 1980 ● Support of air operations off Beirut, Lebanon - 1984 ● Withdrawal of U.S. Marines from Beirut, Lebanon- 1984 ● Operation Handclasp - 1985 ● Classified tracking operations of Beirut, Lebanon - 1986 ● Operation Dragon Hammer (NATO exercise) - 1988 ● Law Enforcement Operations with the U.S. - 1989 Coast Guard, Gulf of Mexico ● Operation Dragon Hammer (NATO exercise) - 1990 ● Operation Sharp Edge - 1990 ● Operation Hammerlock (exercise) - 1991 ● Hurricane Andrew relief operations - 1992 ● Caribbean counter drug operations with USCG - 1992 ● Operation Deny Flight - 1993 ● Operation Provide Promise - 1993

● Spanish PHIBEX (exercise) - 1995 ● Operation Assured Response - 1996 ● Operation Link Seas (exercise) - 1997 ● Operation Silver Wake - 1997 ● Operation Humidor - 1997 ● Operation Allied Force - 1999 ● Operation Noble Anvil - 1999 ● Operation Shining Hope - 1999 ● Operation Joint Guardian - 1999 ● Operation Avid Response - 1999 ● Operation Northern Approaches - 1999 ● Operation Iraqi Freedom - 2003 ● Operation New Dawn - 2010 ● Operation Odyssey Dawn - 2011

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CONFIRMED UNIT AWARDS

Joint Meritorious Unit Award

Navy Unit Commendation

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (3)

Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (7)

Navy Expeditionary Service Medal

National Defense Service Medal (2)

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

Southwest Asia Service Medal

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Armed Forces Service Medal

Humanitarian Service Medal (2)

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SELECT PHOTOGRAPHS

Pre-Commissioning Unite Ponce floated out after being christened. U.S. Navy photo. 1970.

USS Ponce in her original configuration. U.S. Navy Photo. 1971.

USS Ponce off San Juan, Puerto Rico. U.S. Navy photo. 1973.

USS Ponce in 1990 with only one forward 3” gun turret left. Photo by Fabio Peña.

USS Ponce in the Arabian Sea, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by MC1(AW/SW) Nathanael Miller.

USS Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2011. U.S. Navy photo by MC1(AW/SW) Nathanael Miller.

USS Ponce and USS Ross (DDG 71) at the MHI Shipyard, Feb. 15, 2012.