USS Mesa Verde

USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) is the third San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock of the United States Navy. She is the first U.S. Navy warship to be named after the Mesa Verde National Park in the U.S. state of Colorado.

USS Mesa Verde in December 2007
History
United States
Name	Mesa Verde
Namesake	Mesa Verde
Awarded	29 February 2000
Builder	Northrop Grumman Ship Systems
Laid down	25 February 2003
Launched	19 November 2004
Christened	15 January 2005
Commissioned	15 December 2007
Homeport	Norfolk
Identification	MMSI number: 369970397 Callsign: NMVD Pennant number: LPD-19
Motto	Courage Teamwork Tradition
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class & type	San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock
Displacement	24,433 tons (full)
Length	208.4 meters (684 ft) overall, 201.4 meters (661 ft) waterline
Beam	32 meters (105 ft) extreme, 29.5 meters (97 ft) waterline
Draft	7 meters (23 ft)
Propulsion	Four Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 40,000 hp (30 MW)
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h)
Boats & landing craft carried	Two LCACs (air cushion) or one LCU (conventional)
Capacity	699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total.
Complement	28 officers, 83 enlisted (including 550 marines)[1]
Armament	1 × 16 cell MK 41 VLS (capable, but not currently installed) 2 × RIM-116 RAM launchers for air defense; 2 × 30 mm Bushmaster II cannons, for surface threat defense; 2 × 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns for close protection
Aircraft carried	Four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or two MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously.

History

The contract to build Mesa Verde was awarded on 29 February 2000 to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and her keel was laid down on 25 February 2003. She was launched on 19 November 2004, and christened on 15 January 2005 with Linda Price Campbell, wife of former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, serving as the ship's sponsor. The ship was commissioned on 15 December 2007 in Panama City, Florida.^[2]