USS Pearl Harbor
"Nations Battle Cry"


The USS Pearl Harbor is a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship. It is named after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.

The name Pearl Harbor was awarded on October 12th, 1993, and the ship was laid down on January 27th, 1995 in Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, LA.

She was launched on February 24, 1996 and officially commissioned on May 30th, 1998. The Pearl Harbor is currently stationed out of Naval Station San Diego, California.


USS Pearl Harbor Crest



SHIELD: Per fess Celeste and Azure a stylized rendition of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor superimposed by two traditional Polynesian spears saltirewise Proper in chief five mullets chevronwise above five mullets chevronwise above three chevronwise all Argent, in base a cross paty convex Or all within a bordure of plates.

CREST: From a wreath Argent and Celeste a Phoenix.

MOTTO: A scroll Argent fimbriated Gules inscribed NATIONS BATTLE CRY Azure.

SUPPORTERS: A United States Navy and a United States Marine Officer’s swords saltirewise points down Proper.


The arms as blazoned in full color upon a white oval enclosed by a dark blue collar edged on the outside with a gold rope and bearing the name USS PEARL HARBOR at top and LSD 52 in base all gold.


SHIELD: Dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally used by the Navy and symbolize the sea and excellence. The ship is named for Pearl Harbor, the site of the Japanese attack from which our nation’s battle cry “Remember Pearl Harbor” originated. This ship commemorates the heroic actions of both the armed forces and citizens of Oahu on December 7, 1941. The border of plates, which suggest pearls, the horizontal division of the shield, and the USS Arizona Memorial symbolize Pearl Harbor. The white stars on the light blue field (adapted from the Medal of Honor) honor the sixteen Medal of Honor awardees, while the gold cross on the dark blue commemorate the fifty-two Navy cross awardees, the largest number of awards for any single engagement in U.S. history. The Polynesian spears suggest a ready defense and attack capabilities while recalling the heritage of Hawaii. The anchor highlights Pearl Harbor, Oahu is one of the most important harbors and naval bases in the Pacific; it is the homeport of the US Pacific Command and the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

CREST: The Phoenix, the mythical bird that rose renewed from its own ashes, symbolizes the United States response to the Japanese surprise attack, raising this nation to arms and victory.

SUPPORTERS: The crossed Navy and Marine swords denote strength, cooperation and the ship’s mission to protect power ashore by transporting and launching amphibious craft and vehicles to embark Marines in an amphibious assault.




"The Day that Will Live in Infamy"

The attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was the famous surprise attack which caused the entrance of the United States into World War II. The attack was planned by Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who based it off several other successful surprise Naval attacks, including one by US Admiral Harry Yarnell. The actual scale and attack plans were officially planned by Commander Minoru Genda.

The main purpose of the plan was to take away or significantly cripple the American forces in the Pacific, allowing Japan access to much needed resources in Southeast Asia and the Dutch East Indies. They believed a successful attack on the isolated islands would cause the U.S Pacific Fleet to retreat to the bases in California. This would allow the time and space necessary to secure their access and erect a "barrier" defense to protect their control over it.

On November 26, 1941, the carrier battle group Kido Butai (Striking Force) left Hitokappu Wan in the Kuril Islands. Under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, the group was under strict radio silence and the pilots onboard had been training for months, preparing for the battle ahead.

Before the attack was started, the minesweeper USS Condor spotted one of the Japanese fleet's "midget submarines", a two-man submarine sent out to stop ships from leaving or entering the port when the attack started, as well as to do reconnaissance on the damage done, outside the harbor of the bay at 0342. The Condor alerted the USN destroyer Ward, who carried out an unsuccessful search, though later on they attacked and sank a midget submarine, possibly the same one, at 0637. It was one of five midget submarines sent out; of those five, none returned, and of the ten sailors aboard (two for each submarine), only one survived to be the first Japanese prisoner-of-war.

On the morning of December 7th, the Army's Opana Point station detected the first wave of Japanese plans by radar, and called in a warning. The untrained and new officer in charge at the time believed it was the six scheduled B-17 bombers, due to the fact that those planes would come in a few degrees away from the blips, and dismissed it as the operators having not seen a formation as large as US bombers on radar.

The attack began at 7:48 Hawaiian Time, with the Japanese planes hitting Hickam and Wheeler Field, as well as shooting down soem planes already in the air. The second wave hit Bellows Field and Ford Island, the Marine and Naval air station in the middle of Pearl Harbor. Men aboard the US ships awoke to the sounds of bombs exploding and calls for General Quarters. Despite the lack of preparation, including locked ammunition lockers, aircrafts parked wing-to-wing to prevent sabatoge, and no heightened alert status, many American military personnel served with distinction during the battle. Both Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd and Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh, commander of the USS Arizona, rushed to the bridge to direct her defense until killed when the ship was hit by an armor-piercing bomb that exploded the forward ammunition. Ensign Joe Taussig got the Nevadaunderway from cold start during the attack. Another ship, the destroyer Aylwin, got underway with only four officers, all Ensigns with hardly a year's sea duty, onboard, and operated for four days before her commanding officer caught up to her. Captain Mervyn Bennion, commander of the West Virginia, led his men until cut down by fragments from a bomb that hit the Tennessee, moored alongside. The most famous of them all, however, was Doris "Dorie" Miller, an African-American cook aboard the West Virginia, who manned an anti-aircraft gun he had no training in, went beyond his call of duty, and helped to bring his hurt commanding officer to safety. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor.

Ninety minutes later, the attack was over and the damage done. 2403 Americans, 68 of which were civilians, were dead, and another 1178 wounded. Eighteen ships, including five battleships, were sunk, and nearly half of the fatalities were caused by the explosion and sinking of the Arizona. The Nevada, which tried to exit, was beached to avoid blocking the harbor entrance. The Oklahomahad capsized, while many other ships had sustained heavy damage from various torpedoes, some looking worse for wear due to the burning oil from nearby ships. Almost all of the 188 American aircrafts in Hawaii were destroyed.

On December 8th, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the joint session of Congress, calling December 7th "a day that will live in infamy". Congress declared war on Japan, who had cut off relations with the US only a few hours after the attack, and thus entered into World War II with Germany and Italy declaring war on the United States on December 11th, 1941. In 1980, the memorial for the USS Arizona opened, allowing visitors historical information about the attack, boat access to the memorial, and other such services.

ABOUT THE SHIP:   Dock Landing Ships support amphibious operations including landings via Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), conventional landing craft and helicopters, onto hostile shores. These ships transport and launch amphibious craft and vehicles with their crews and embarked personnel in amphibious assault operations.




610 Feet


84 Feet

Draft Maximum

20 Feet 6 Inches (full load) 

Draft Ballasted 21.48 Feet FWD/20.16 Feet AFT (no cargo - 22.76 Feet FWD/34 Feet AFT)
Freeboard to Main Deck 44.5 Feet
Freeboard to Flight Deck 58 Feet


11,251 Tons (light), 16,088 Tons (full)


20 plus Knots

Fuel 813,430 Gallons F-76, 53,097 Gallons JP-5

Landing Craft

2 Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC)


4 Colt Industries 16 Cylinder Diesels; 2 shafts, 33,000 shaft horsepower (25 MW)


Ships Compliment: 22 officers, 397 enlisted; Marine Detachment: 402 plus 102 surge

Flight Deck

2 Helo Spots

Crane One 30 ton (STBD side, AFT)


Two 25mm MK 38 Machine Guns, Two 20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts and Six .50 cal. machine guns, two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) mounts.


