I was an Electronics Technician, ET2, stationed aboard the U.S.S. Tripoli (LPH-10) from 1984-1986, home port in San Diego, California. These pictures are from that time.
"Click" on most images for a larger view.

Docked at Broadway Pier San Diego for public tours of the ship

This is me going aloft to repair some antennas on the mast

"USS Tripoli, departing" - Leaving San Diego for a cruise

Signalman sending a message to another ship using a signal light - a spotlight with a shutter he flips open and shut.

Leaving San Diego - We'll be back soon enough

No turning back now - looking forward to the adventure which lies ahead

Yours truly watching flight operations

Out for a stroll on the flight deck.

Windy day at sea!

This is our "Huey"

"Bye! Have a nice flight!"

CH-46 Sea Knight

CH-53 Sea Stallion

CH-53 leaving

Marines!

Load 'em up!

The Marines are leaving to go kill some people

Approaching San Francisco - we will spend a few days on shore leave in this strange land

Docked at Pier 35, near Fisherman's Wharf

Spent all of my money, time to go back to sea and save up!

Approaching Vancouver, Canada

Parking sure is tight here. We're in the middle of the bay!

How do we go on shore leave? Libertyboat, of course!

  

Ship's busted! Entering dry dock in San Diego

We made it! We're not going anywhere for a while...

High and dry

What a whale!

I wonder how long we'll be stuck here...

Me under the ships bow

I hope it doesn't tip over while I'm away...

Remember the Exxon Valdez, which in 1989 flooded the Alaskan coast line with crude oil? In this view from the top of the Tripoli, you can see it being built in 1986.

UPDATE: U.S.S. Tripoli found!

August 05, 2000: Medical student SKS sent me these pictures of the U.S.S. Tripoli moored at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The base has subsequently been closed and transferred to the city of Vallejo, CA and other entities.



The ol' girl isn't what she used to be. Decommissioned in 1995, she is still afloat, but her fate is uncertain...




Roger Cain sent this excellent photo taken from his airplane!

Photo of the USS Tripoli at Mare Island, taken from satellite sometime in the year 2000.

UPDATE: U.S.S. Tripoli - a new life!

The USS Tripoli is now under the control of - the US Army! They are converting her into an experimental floating missile platform. Every once in a while, they tow her out to sea for who knows what evil purposes!

The Army says:

     The purpose of the Mobile Launch Platform is to provide a Sea Launch Option for Short To Medium Range Targets and provide a Seaborne Launch Platform for MDA (Missile Defense Agency) Sensors.

     The Mobile Launch Platform uses the former USS Tripoli as its launch platform. It is being utilized to provide the ability to present threat azimuth diversity for BMDS (Ballistic Missile Defense System) element Tests and it provides the ability to place Surface Sensors in remote ocean areas.

     Recent accomplishments for the MLP are successfully Launching 2 Lance Missiles from the deck, completed Operational and Maintenance Modifications, and developed site plan for the Transportable Telemetry System (TTS).



Poor Tripoli, can't even keep herself upright. Here's how she looked in June 2004.
Photo courtesy of Mark Mathews.

Some more recent pics (December 2004) from Garry Dorff !






September 2005: More adventure - the Tripoli is being readied for some U.S. Army experiments, apparently involved in missile tracking operations.



August 27, 2006: Going to sea, under tow... (Thanks Todd)



January 2007 - Happy New Year!
Sara L. sends a photo of the Tripoli arriving at the Pearl Harbor Naval Station in Hawaii.


July 2007 - James Cabezola spies the Tripoli, still in Hawaii.

Not sure when this photo was taken, but Bing imagery has captured the Tripoli in Hawaii,
but at a different pier than the previous photos.

October 2008 - The Tripoli returns to San Francisco!     Photo by Myra and Richard Zinser.

November 2008
With another long voyage over, the Tripoli is once again back home at Mare Island.
Joi Ann Dawa spots the Tripoli in a deep slumber.

February 2009
To sea once again, with a little help.

April 27, 2010: Catching the Tripoli sitting in San Francisco, Tom Hall takes some quick shots with his cellphone.

Roger Cain photographs the Tripoli heading out to sea the very same week,
heading to the Pacific Missile Range Facility (Hawaii), to launch Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Missiles.




Michael Rogers send report of the Tripoli being being towed into Pearl Harbor on August 20, 2012.
She's looking good! Definitely got a new paint job.

UPDATE: U.S.S. Tripoli - end of mission.

On April 2015, the USS Tripoli was mothballed and towed to the Beaumont Reserve Fleet, in Beaumont Texas.
She has been marked for disposal, which can mean domestic recycling, artificial reefing, ship donations, or SINKEX - the Navy’s sink at-sea live-fire training exercise.





UPDATE: U.S.S. Tripoli - final voyage.

On July 2018, the USS Tripoli was towed to Brownsville, Texas, where she will be dismantled and recycled.


Michael Smith sends
this fine Zippo!

Other U.S.S. Tripoli Links:
USS Tripoli (LPH 10) from http://navysite.de/
Haze Gray Photo Feature - Ships of Mare Island
NavSource - Photographic History Of The U.S. Navy
Official U.S.S Tripoli pictures from the Defense Imagery