USS Tarawa LHA-1 Reunion - tarawareunion.com

USS Tarawa LHA-1 Reunion

My Memories - 1985 to 1989

- PRECOMM to 1979

- 1980 to 1984

- 1985 to 1989

- 1990 to 1994

- 1995 to 1999

- 2000 to 2004

- 2005 to DECOMM

- USS Tarawa CVA-40

- Ben Morris - fleetlha1@yahoo.com - E DIV - Hello there! I have so many memories of the overgrown shoebox it will fill a 1000 pages! But my first seeing this ship was in boot camp in San Diego in Jan 1984. My company was at the Firefighting school. I remember when she was bow out at the piers. I think it was Pier 8, it always seem to be tied up there a lot. Anyways we all thought it was some kind of funny looking carrier. How soon will I know the difference! After school and more training courtesy of the Fireman's Apprentice school, I got my orders to report to the ship after a 2 week leave. That night, when I approached the brow, I had to look up, straight up and said, OMG!!!! What a huge ship. With that began a sort of affair with the overgrown shoebox!!!! That memory lives on to this day. I eventually did 2 Westpac's on her, then left in 87 when she went to the yards in Long Beach, CA. I left for the East coast to catch a destroyer.

- Ty Turner - ty@tytturner.com - MP - I remember walking up to her for the first time. Seeing that name, Tarawa, so high up. I just knew there was a terrible mistake that had been made. I didn't know men could build such things. It was the biggest thing I had ever seen.