RARE LPD - 15 1980 s US NAVY Ship USS PONCE Challenge Coin - City in PUERTO RICO

Description

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ANA, TNA, NTCA, ECI, CC>CC, NGC, USNS
-
U.S.S. PONCE
-
Honoring the City of Ponce
PUERTO RICO
Medalla Conmemorativa
DATA DE LOS 1980's
Previo a la r
ededicación, y cambio
de nomenclatura de Abril 17,2012.
OLD ORIGINAL CHALLENGE
COIN FROM THE 1980's
PRIOR TO THE 2012
NAME / SERIAL # CHANGE!
OBSOLETE!
SPANISH
:
Esta subasta es por una (
1
) hermosa y limitadísima medalla del barco (Ciudad de) Ponce, de la Marina de Guerra Norteamericana. El Navy sigue la tradición de ponerle nombres de ciudades a buques medianos (los portaaviones tienen nombres de presidentes, los acorazados: nombres de estados, etc) El Ponce (botado en 1971)
honra la ciudad americana de Ponce del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, honrado posteriormente con el submarino nuclear San Juan (1986) y anteriormente Crucero de Guerra San Juan en 1941, el USS Culebra Island, y el super famoso carguero USS Mayaguez, por estar en la última batalla de la guerra de Vietnam
. La medalla del Ponce consiste en 1oz de bronce esmaltado y bimetálico con niquel cromado, 38mm diámetro y 3mm de grueso.
El Ponce, con 40 años de servicio, estaba destinado a ser decomisionado y desmantelado en el 2011, pero debido a sus multiples capacidades como transporte de equipo y tropas de asalto a gran velocidad, porta helicópteros, y barre minas, ademas de su valiosa aportación a los rebeldes de Libia, transportando equipos a Iraq, y manteniendo el Golfo Pérsico limpio de las minas de Irán, sumado a la crisis económica americana, se decide: no sólo que sale mas barato remodelarle que hacer un barco nuevo, sino que tambien se le convierte en la primera "base de operaciones" flotante de la armada americana.
Así que con pintura y capota, a sus 42 años el barco de nombre Boricua sigue vacilando por el mundo...
Esta medalla DATA DE ENTRE 1971 Y 2011, POSIBLEMENTE TIRADA DE 1980's. Ya que en el 2012 se hace para la ceremonia de re-dedicación, luego de un año de reparaciones, en abril del 2012 su nombre antiguo de LPD 15 cambia a AFSB(1)-15, en vez de AFSB(I)-15. ESTA ES LA MEDALLA MAS ANTIGUA DE LA SERIE, POSIBLEMENTE POR ESO TAN DIFICIL DE CONSEGUIR.
ANVERSO:
Muestra al León rugiente (símbolo de Ponce, ciudad cuyo nombre existe en homenaje a Ponce de León), común en la heráldica española, simbolizando fuerza y coraje. Sus pezuñas significan que anda listo para atacar.
Le flanquean 2 banderines con 7 estrellas que son los 7 mares, y
un
tridente
de
Neptuno, el dios mitológico griego que reina los mares. El nombre
U
nited
S
tates
S
hip PONCE está encadenado a las letras iniciales de su propósito
LPD - 15 (QUE EN 2012 CAMBIO A: AFSB(I)-15.
Todo simboliza el deseo
de Estados Unidos en
dominar los mares manteniendo la paz (color blanco) y la mision del Ponce el ayudarle hacer esto.
REVERSO:
Bella composición bimetálica EN PLATA SOBRE BRONCE donde el barco, que sobresale por su brillo, aparece tridimencional, como casi saliendo de entre las aguas, sujetado por un león feroz que le protege en todo momento. La frase "el león orgulloso" es la que usan sus 500 tripulantes cada vez que representan a su barco en actividades atléticas contra equipos de otros barcos de la armada.
ENGLISH :
Howdy!
This auction is for one (1) RARE LONG OBSOLETE Naval military medal THOUGHT TO BE FROM THE 1980's and prior to the 2012 finished refurbishment and consequent re-dedication ceremony of the UP TO THEN CALLED LPD-15 Amphibious Transport Dock, FROM 2012 ONWARDS KNOWN AS Afloat Forward Staging Base USS Ponce 15. The medal is dollar sized 38mm and is made of a bronze core, enameled on one side and bimetal with SILVER plate on the other. THERE ARE OVER A DOZEN USS PONCE CHALLENGE COINS PRODUCED OVER MANY YEARS. THIS ONE IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST AND RAREST, OBSOLETE AFTER THE 2012 NAME CHANGE FROM LPD15 TO AFSB(I)-15
HISTORY IN ENGLISH
:
(From Wikipedia)
USS
Ponce
(LPD-15), an
Austin
-class
amphibious transport dock
, is the only ship of the United States Navy that is named for
Ponce
in the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico
, which in turn was named after the Spanish explorer
Juan Ponce de Leon
, the first governor of Puerto Rico and European discoverer of Florida.
Her Keel was laid down on 31 October 1966 by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington. She was launched on 20 May 1970 sponsored by Mrs.
John J. Hyland
, and commisioned on 10 July 1971
Name:
USS
Ponce
Namesake:
Ponce, Puerto Rico
, City In The Commonwealth Of Puerto Rico
Ordered:
17 May 1965
Builder:
Lockheed Shipbuilding
Laid down:
31 October 1966
Launched:
20 May 1970
Commissioned:
10 July 1971
Homeport:
Norfolk, Virginia
Status:
Deployed
Badge:
Class & type:
Austin
-class
amphibious transport dock
Displacement:
8883 tons light, 16591 tons full, 7708 tons
dead
Length:
173.7 meters (570 ft) overall, 167 meters (548 ft) waterline
Beam:
30.4 meters (100 ft) extreme, 25.6 meters (84 ft) waterline
Draft:
6.7 meters (22 ft) maximum, 7 meters (23 ft) limit
Speed:
20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement:
29 officers, 487 men
Armament:
• 8 × .50
caliber
gun mounts
• 2 x 20 mm Phalanx CIWS
2 x 25 mm
[
1
]
1980s and 1990s
On 2 February 1982 during a towing exercise while en route to Portsmouth, England,
Ponce
collided with USS Fort Snelling (LDS-30), causing minor damage to
Ponce'
s port side, mainly to the accommodation ladder and flight deck catwalk.
On 14 February 1984, while attempting to move an assault craft to Radio Island, near Moorhead City, North Carolina,
Ponce
suffered a major casualty when her stern gate  was damaged and eventually lost. She was later repaired in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
On 5 August 1990 as part of Operation Sharp Edge to remove US citizens caught in civil war in Liberia,
Ponce
, together with other 3 ships, inserted a United States Marine Corps reinforced rifle company into the U.S. Embassy compound in Monrovia for increased security.
In 1991 June -December
Ponce
completed a six month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, and was part of Operation Desert Shield and supported Operation Desert Storm.
In the first half of 1992,
Ponce
completed a four month maintenance availability in Norfolk. In June she took on midshipmen for a training cruise off the Virginia Capes, which earned her the "
CORTRAMID
'92 Surface Warrior of the Week". In September she arrived in Miami for Hurricane Andrew relief efforts. In October she commenced counter drug operations in the Caribbean with a USCG Law Enforcement Detachment on board.
On 17 March 1993 the
Ponce
departed on a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of Operations “Deny Flight” and “Provide Promise”. She was accompanied by the USS Saipan and USS Pensacola. During the deployment she operated bilaterally with Greek units in exercise "Alexandros '93" and conducted amphibious landing exercises with the Tunisians in "Phiblex '93".
2000s
On 29 August 2001
Ponce
crewmembers boarded two derelict Italian boats, a 19-foot motorboat and a 12-foot sailboat, in the Straits of Messina, between Sicily and Calabria. The civilian vessels were adrift, creating a navigational hazard. A boarding party in a rigid hull inflatable boat found both derelicts unmanned, though the motorboat was well stocked. They towed both boats back to
Ponce
, which flooded her welldeck, brought the boats aboard, carried them into Catania, and turned them over to the Italian Coast Guard.
On 10 January 2003
Ponce
received orders to depart Norfolk, VA., and take on Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. That duty kept
Ponce
at sea through February. At the end of February, she became the flagship of the Commander of Mine Countermeasure Squadron Three, designated as Commander, Task Group 55.4. The Task Group included a US Navy special clearance team, two explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) units, a detachment of MH53E Sea Dragon helicopters from Helicopters Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14, a United Kingdom unit and an Australian team. The ships involved included the mine coastal hunters USS Cardinal (MHC-60) and Raven (MHC-61), mine counter measure ships Ardent  (MCM-12) and Dextrous (MCM-13), and Dock Landing Ship Gunston Hall (LSD-44).
After breaking the Squadron's pennant at her yardarm,
Ponce
'
s crew (and
Gunston Hall
'
s) enjoyed liberty ashore in Manama, Bahrain, beginning on 28 February. On 5 March, however, the amphibious ships got underway again. Humanitarian aid to Iraq was being blocked by naval mines in the Khawr Abd Allah river and the port of Umm Qasr. The weeks-long minesweeping operation was directed from
Ponce
, the flagship of the Task Group.
The Group used a variety of methods, including MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters
towing magnetic minesweeping sleds, trained marine mammals, unmanned underwater vehicles and EOD divers. On 28 March a 200-yard-wide channel was declared safe, and RFA Sir Galahad (L3005) docked at Umm Qasr Port and began offloading hundreds of tons of food and water. Work continued for weeks after that, widening the channel.
On 25 March 2005,
Ponce
again departed Norfolk, deploying with the
Kearsarge
Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) for six months. Following a port visit to Augusta Bay, Sicily,
Ponce
spent three months in the Persian Gulf conducting operations in support of the global War on Terrorism. While in the Gulf, she made port visits to Bahrain and Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates.
Ponce
departed the Gulf in August 2005. On 19 August,
Ponce
was in the Gulf of Aqaba awaiting the underway movement of the USS Ashland to allow the USS
Ponce
to dock pier side. While the USS Ashland was in the process the Katyusha rocket attack occurred on the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and Ashland
.
Ponce
remained in the Gulf for over a week in response to the attack.
Ponce
conducted port visits to Malta and Rota, Spain before returning to Norfolk on 27 September.
2010s
On 2 March 2011,
Ponce
, along with Kearsarge, traveled through the Suez Canal in response to the 2011 Libyan civil war.
Later, the U.S. Sixth Fleet commander (C6F) relieved the commanding officer and executive officer of
Ponce
. As a result of a hazing inquiry, Vice Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., relieved Cmdr. Etta Jones,
Ponce
'
s commanding officer, due to demonstrated poor leadership, and failure to appropriately investigate, report, and hold accountable sailors found involved in hazing incidents. Additionally, she failed to properly handle a loaded weapon during a security alert which endangered some of her ship's crew. The relief of the executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Kurt Boenisch, was attributed to failure to provide support to the command and to his commanding officer.
On 26 October 2011,
Ponce
began a three week tour which would take her to Port Canaveral, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and her namesake
City of Ponce, Puerto Rico
. Upon her return to Norfolk, in December 2011, she was to begin the process of decommissioning.
On 2 December 2011,
Ponce
came home to await decommissioning on 30 March 2012, when she would be towed to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Naval Shipyard and be placed with the mothball fleet,
likely to await being sold for scrap in consideration of her age and accumulation of rust; however a contract was let for a rush retrofit for the ship to be re-deployed as the first of a planned series of mine-countermeasures warships for use in keeping open strategic sea lanes.
On 17 April 2012,
Ponce
received a new commanding officer when Capt. Jon P. Rodgers relieved Cmdr. Cole Hayes.
On 1 June 2012,
Ponce
deployed to the Fifth Fleet area in the Middle East.
She arrived in Bahrain on 5 July.
Ponce
participated in International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2012 (IMCMEX 2012) between 16 and 27 September 2012,
demonstrating the capabilities her
"stop-gap"
role was intended to fill.
On 29 October 2012,
Ponce
rescued seven Bahraini fishermen whose vessel was foundering in a hailstorm.
Afloat Forward Staging Base
On 24 January 2012, the Military Sealift Command posted a bid request to retrofit the USS
Ponce
on a rush-order basis. In response to requests from United States Central Command, the ship was converted to a staging base for mine countermeasures helicopters and ships/boats.
The ship was expected to be completely transformed in an estimated four to five months,
and the target date for re-deployment to her new role was met
. The ship is operated jointly by active-duty Navy officers and sailors, as well as being crewed by government civilian mariners from Military Sealift Command --- some of whom, on her initial cruise in her new role, were more than 60 years old.
The USS
Ponce
was modified as an
Afloat Forward Staging Base
(AFSB) to support mine-sweeping MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopters and small
mine-clearance
vessels.
MSC issued requests for proposal to upgrade and refit the ship. The work included upgrading the ship’s navigation systems, bringing habitability up to MSC standards and general refurbishment.
The
Ponce
was designated as AFSB(I) 15
("I" for the interim nature of the ship in this role, until purpose-built vessels come on line in 2015).
The ship is now in the Persian Gulf to serve as the Pentagon's first floating staging base for military operations or humanitarian assistance.
"
PONCE UPON A TIME
"
November
23, 2011
Posted in:
Christenings
&
Commissionings
,
ship
The
following
blog post
was
written
by
Aviation
Boatswain’s
Mate (
Fuels
) 2
nd
Class
Robert De Soto,
assigned
to
USS Ponce (LPD 15).
Over
its
nearly
41-year
history
,
the
ship
has
made
numerous
visits
to
Puerto Rico,
but
only
three
to
the
namesake
city
of Ponce.
This
particular
visit
to
the
warship’s
namesake
city
holds
special
significance
because
it’s
the
ship’s
last
port
call
before
beginning
its
decommissioning
process
in
December
and final
relief
of
duty
in
early
2012.
Heading
to
our
ship’s
namesake
city
of Ponce, Puerto Rico,
we
sailed
on
to
the
horizon
as
small
shapes
of
mountainous
landscape
appeared
in
the
distance
. I
shifted
from
the
port
to
starboard
catwalk
to
see
which
offered
the
best
view
as
the
land
masses
grew
bigger
.
At
first
look, Ponce
was
not
what
I
had
imagined
a “pueblo” of
the
“Island of
Enchantment
”
to
look
like
. Cargo cranes
filled
the
skyline
as a
small
city
lay
scattered
around
a
beautiful
backdrop
of
green
slopes
.
We
were
greeted
by
a
group
of local
dancers
and
musicians
playing
and
dancing
to
music
on
the
pier
.
My
first
place
to
visit
was
called
“La
Guancha
”
where
small
restaurants and cantinas
filled
a
boardwalk
. I
tried
a
beef
steak
called
a “
churasco
”
which
reminded
me of a
Mexican
dish
I’ve
had
before
called
“carne asada,” a
nice
reminder
of my home in Los
Angeles
.
The
locals
were
polite
and
friendly
although
I
feel
military
personnel
seem
to
get
this
sort
of
quiet
acknowledgement
everywhere
we
go
.
The
weather
was
very
temperate
considering
the
time of
year
. I
was
told
by
family
that
the
weather
back in Norfolk
was
already
dropping
down
to
the
low
40’s
while
I
was
lounging
in 80
degree
weather
down
at
the
Hilton hotel.
Here
,
there
was
a pool
surrounded
by
palm
trees
. A
small
private
beach
lay
on
the
outskirts
of
the
hotel
providing
an
area
to
lie
out
on
the
sand
and
soak
up
the
sun
.
This
was
beginning
to
feel
like
the
island
experience
I
had
imagined
.
My
second
day
out
confirmed
what
I
had
imagined
. At
first
I
was
reluctant
to
go
out
because
I
was
exhausted
just
having
come off
duty
. A
couple
of
shipmates
had
asked
me
to
go
with
them
to
San Juan (I am
able
to
speak
a
little
Spanish
).
We
drove
around
the
city
of Ponce and
saw
all
the
local
favorite
restaurants and
attractions
.
Then
it
was
off
to
San Juan.
Our
first
stop
was
San
Cristobal
Castle
. I
looked
up in
amazement
at
the
aging
towers
looming
over
the
Northern
Coast
. I
imagined
how
soldiers
must
have
once
felt
looking
out
at
the
same
ocean
hundreds
of
years
before
.
We
drove
through
downtown
which
blended
the
small
streets
of a
Spanish
village
with
the
shops of a
major
city
. My
trip
was
complete.
On
our
way
back
to
the
ship
I
couldn’t
help
but
think
of
how
fortunate
I
was
to
have
the
opportunity
to
not
only
see
the
namesake
city
of
our
ship
but
the
island
on
which
it
is
on
as a
whole
. A
feeling
of
pride
enveloped
me as I
felt
that
I
was
helping
to
carry
this
name
around
the
world
in
support
of a
better
way
of
life
and
the
freedom
that
I
was
getting
to
enjoy
.  I
will
remember
this
visit
for
the
rest
of my
life
.
ENVIO / SHIPPING :
EMPAQUE /
PACKAGING
Enviamos dentro de mica, cartón, cápsula, o protector acrílico, envuelto entre cartón grueso o burbuja, dentro de sobre o caja sellado con cinta adhesiva a los 4 lados. Haremos todo lo posible por resolver su problema y ganar su satisfacción. Algunas medalla o moneda quizá sea enviada en cápsula de acrílico como cortesía nuestra. Debido a que usted pagó por la medalla o moneda, y no por la cápsula, nosotros no somos responsables de reemplazar cápsulas recibidas rotas. Debido a que las medallas vienen con alguna que otra imperfección de fábrica, es normal que una medalla contenga algún rayacito o cantacito mínimo de lo cual no somos responsables. Las antiguedades que vendemos tienen imperfecciones por vejez, uso y desgaste, que pudieran no reflejarse en las fotos. Por eso sólo reemplazaremos o devolveremos dinero en caso de mercancía recibida gravemente dañada. Clientes que abusen con reclamaciones exageradas e infundadas serán bloqueados en el futuro.
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st
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(unless otherwise noted)
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