Ships for the Corps
The Marines’ 250th anniversary will be celebrated by gathering in the Delaware River ships with a special connection to the Marine Corps.
These special ships include the replica of the USS Providence, which helped carry the Marines on their first amphibious operation to the Bahamas in 1776. The Marines of the USS Olympia saved the casket of the Unknown Soldier from being swept overboard in a storm. The USS New Jersey supported every major Marine amphibious invasion after 1943 – in the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana Islands, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa – and was the only battleship to give fire support to the Marines in the Vietnam War and the conflict in Lebanon.
In addition, amphibious vessels of the modern Navy will attend the Marines’ 250th celebration. An LPD of the San Antonio class or an LSD of the Whidbey Island class will join the other Navy ships already assembled off the bank of the Delaware from which the first Marine amphibious operation was launched. At the Philadelphia Navy Yard, we can host the larger amphibious assault ships which carry Marine aviation, such as the LHA America class or LHD Wasp class.