BREAKING-USS DUBUQUE QUARANTINED

San Diego, California-The USS Dubuque (LPD 8) an Austin-class amphibious transport dock,has been quarantined, two crew members have been tested positive for H1N1 Flu Virus and are ashore. There are 400 sailors aboard the ship who are to receive vacinations as they become available, the Dubuque was to have set sail shortly..

The department of defense said there were 13 other "probable" cases among Dubuque personnel.

Influenza A(H1N1) – update 16

5 May 2009 — As of 16:00 GMT, 5 May 2009, 21 countries have officially reported 1490 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.Mexico has reported 822 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 29 deaths. The United States has reported 403 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.

     USS Dubuque (LPD-8)

From 1968 until 1975, Dubuque made five Western Pacific deployments that saw extensive duty in Vietnam. In a highly publicized event in October 1968, the ship returned 14 repatriated prisoners of war to North Vietnam. From 1969 until 1971 the ship conducted ten "Keystone Cardinal" troop lifts to Okinawa as part of the "Vietnamization" of the war. From February to June of 1973 the ship operated helicopters that conducted naval mine clearance operations in Haiphong Harbor as part of Operation End Sweep. In April 1975 the ship participated in the evacuation of Saigon and the rescue of refugees fleeing South Vietnam.

On 15 August 1985 Dubuque departed San Diego for its new homeport of Sasebo, Japan, where she arrived 4 September 1985. There, she joined the Seventh Fleet Overseas Family Residency Program, her primary mission to support the Marine Corps in the Western Pacific.

In May 1988 Dubuque deployed to the Persian Gulf and served as the control ship for mine sweeping operations to protect US-flagged tankers during the Iran–Iraq War. For its participation in this operation, the ship was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation. In 1989 the ship participated in the contingency operation to evacuate American personnel from the Philippines during a failed coup attempt.

Immediately following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, Dubuque received deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield. The ship functioned as the leading element of Amphibious Ready Group Bravo, which transported Marine Regimental Landing Team Four to Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia during the critical early stages of the multi-national build up.

In November 1998 Dubuque again deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of the Belleau Wood Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) on support of Operation Desert Fox.

Need information from 1992 to present.

On 30 July 1999, Dubuque was relieved by USS Juneau (LPD-10) as part of the forward-deployed naval forces. Since then, she has been once again homeported in San Diego, California.

From June to September 1999, Dubuque participated in the first SHIP-SWAP with her sister-ship Juneau, where each ship’s crew remained in their original home ports, allowing Dubuque to return to the homeport of San Diego.

From September 2006 to May 2007 Dubuque was deployed with the USS Boxer (LHD-4) and the USS Comstock (LSD-19), transporting the 15th MEU to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where among other missions the ship served as a holding facility for Iraqi POW’s.

Dubuque deployed again in 2008 with the Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group and participated in rescuing six mariners from a sinking vessel[1]. The event was an exemplary incident, which proved the flexibility of U.S. Maritime Strategy in time of crisis or emergency