USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44)

Gunston Hall deployed as part of the USS Kearsarge (KSG) amphibious ready group (ARG) on 14 April, 1999 and returned to Hampton Roads 14 October, 1999, following a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean. The other ships of the ARG were KSG (LHD 3), and USS Ponce (LPD 15) (PON), with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Special Operations Capable (26 MEU(SOC)) and Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 6 embarked. On 15 April, 1999, Gunston Hall embarked K Company of 3/8 Marines with their Assault Amphibious Vehicles (AAVs) in Morehead City, NC.

Upon arrival on station in the Adriatic Sea to participate in OPERATION ALLIED FORCE and JOINT TASK FORCE (JTF) SHINING HOPE, the ARG deployed Marines from the 26 MEU(SOC) into Albania to construct a camp for refugees fleeing the fighting in Kosovo. Gunston Hall Sailors conducted a pre-landing survey of the proposed landing beaches to assist in selection of the best landing sites.

As the Serbs withdrew from Kosovo, the ARG conducted a rapid withdrawal of the MEU(SOC), and conducted a high speed transit to Greece in order to again deploy the Marines ashore. An unopposed landing was conducted in Litokhoron, Greece to position the MEU(SOC) to enter Kosovo overland to provide an initial peacekeeping presence in the region, along with other NATO forces in OPERATION JOINT GUARDIAN. 26 MEU(SOC) spent 40 days in-country before the initial military technical agreements were finalized and more permanent security forces arrived. The ARG ships pulled into Thessaloniki, Greece, to backload the Marines and held a 'steel beach' cookout to celebrate their return. After enjoying liberty in several Mediterranean ports, the ARG/MEU team was once again called into action, this time to provide relief and assistance to Turkey in OPERATION AVID RESPONSE in the wake of a devastating earthquake. Gunston Hall Sailors participated in constructing a "tent city" to house thousands left homeless by the quake, and in the ARG/MEU deliveries of water and humanitarian supplies to many hard-to-reach sites within the country.

Even after the heavy real world workload, Gunston Hall still participated in EXERCISE ATLAS HINGE to enhance at-sea and Marine interoperability with Tunisian forces.

During the deployment Gunston Hall and K Co traveled more than 15 thousand miles, and visited ports such as Siracusa, Sicily; Haifa, Israel; Marmaris, Turkey; Ibiza, Spain; Taormina, Sicily; and Rota, Spain.

It was announced on 9 October 2006 in the Halifax Herald in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada that the Canadian Navy will borrow the 186-meter amphibious assault ship for a brief period, and will pull it into CFB Halifax in early November, 2006. About 150 Canadian soldiers from CFB Valcartier, along with their light armored vehicles and G-wagons, will board the vessel and start training to storm beaches in landing craft, much like troops did in the Second World War. The U.S. military is providing mentoring and support during the operation.[1]

While on deployment Gunston Hall engaged and gave chase to the tanker Golden Nori which had been hijacked by Somalian pirates. After days of chasing, Golden Nori was cornered in a Somali bay where USS Whidbey Island assisted with the extraction of the hostages.

In July 2008, Gunston Hall underwent a midlife modernization availability at Metro Machine Corp. in Norfolk, VA, which included major upgrades to the ship's control system, local area network and machinery control system, propulsion systems, HVAC, as well as replacement of the ship's boilers and evaporators with an all-electric services system. The refit extended her expected service life which could be up until 2038. She completed subsequent sea trials 21 May 2009.[2]

Gunston Hall was deployed in January 2010, as part of rescue efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[3] On 18 January 2010, she anchored off Killick Navy Base and started relief operations.[4]

In August 2010, her Commanding Officer, Commander Fred R. Wilhelm, was relieved of his command by Rear Admiral Dave Thomas, commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and reassigned to administrative duties ashore after allegations surfaced of sexual harassment and simple assault among the ship's crew. Wilhelm was replaced by Captain Mark H. Scovill. The ship's executive officer, Commander Kevin Rafferty, and former Command Master Chief Wayne Owings, were given non-judicial actions over the same incident.[5]

In 2011 Gunston Hall participated in "Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station (A-SPS) 2011", during on a 2-month deployment to the SOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR), with stops in Belize, Colombia, Guatemala and Jamaica. Embarked with Gunston Hall was a USMC Theater Security Cooperation Task Force (TSCTF), composed of multiple Marine Corps units, and the staff element of Destroyer Squadron 40. The sailors and marines conducted subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) with partner nations and gave out gifts to needy children at their port visits.[6]

Gunston Hall experienced an onboard fire on 3 March 2015, while the ship was undergoing a maintenance availability at NASSCO/Earl Industries shipyard in Portsmouth, VA. The Portsmouth Fire Department responded and the fire was extinguished approximately 3 hours later.

After completing the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) in May, Gunston Hall departed Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story on 18 June 2018 to participate in naval exercises Southern Seas 2018 and UNITAS 2018. The ship completed multiple port calls to Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, Roatán, Honduras, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Santa Marta, Colombia and Cartagena, Colombia. After a brief return to Little Creek–Fort Story in order to resupply and embark the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, she departed for Reykjavik, Iceland to participate with New York and Iwo Jima, to participate in Exercise Trident Juncture 2018. After a port call in Portsmouth, England, the ship returned on 4 December 2018.

In December 2020 the U.S. Navy's Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels stated that the ship was planned to be placed Out of Commission in Reserve in 2023.[7]