About Us

How It All Started

USS WASP CV 18 christened in 1943 and commissioned in 1943 served in WWII, Korean War and the Vietnam War periods. She recovered several capsules at sea in the Gemini Program. Her home port was Boston Massachusetts before retirement in 1972.

The USS WASP LDH1

The new USS WASP LHD 1 christened in 1987 and commissioned in 1989 is an Amphibious Assault ship LHD – a multipurpose amphibious assault ship, the tenth to bear the name, the flagship of the Second Fleet and the lead ship in its class. She was built at the Ingalls Shipbuilding facility at Pascagoula, Mississippi and accommodates the full range of Navy and Marine Corps helicopters, conventional landing craft, and amphibious vehicles.

The Membership

Association membership consists of active duty and retired former crew members of these ship – whether ships company or attached, as well as their widows and supporters of the Association.

As of September 2011 membership stood at 1602 total, 1258 shipmates, 309 honorary members (widows), 5 full honorary and 30 associate members. Currently we have listed 222 members as missing and a search and rescue mission is in progress to find them. Since last count in September 2008 the association has stood at attention for Taps over 378 departed crewmembers.