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Amphib Nashville to be mothballed

The 39-year-old amphibious transport dock Nashville will be held as a “mobilization asset” after being decommissioned Sept. 30, according to a spokesman from Naval Surface Force, Atlantic.

Nashville returns to Norfolk, Va., on Friday after five months off the coast of western Africa serving as the “Africa Partnership Station,” a community outreach and maritime training mission.

Commissioned on Valentine’s Day 1970, Nashville helped evacuate U.S. citizens from Beirut in July 2006.

Paul Taylor, a spokesman at SurfLant, said the Nashville crew will decommission the ship over the coming months, eventually turning the ship over to Naval Sea Systems Command.

Trenton, also an Austin-class ship, was decommissioned in 2007, sold to the Indian Navy and renamed the Jalashwa.

Ponce, now on deployment with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, will be the sole remaining Austin-class ship based in Norfolk, Taylor said.