USS Green Bay

USS Green Bay (LPD-20) is a . She is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city and bay of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The contract to build her was awarded to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of New Orleans, Louisiana, on 30 May 2000 and her keel was laid down on 11 August 2003. Green Bay was christened on 15 July 2006 and commissioned on 24 January 2009. Rose Magnus, the wife of Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert Magnus, served as the ship's sponsor. Green Bay is assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and her home port was Naval Base San Diego, until 2015 when she was forward deployed to United States Fleet Activities Sasebo in Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan. The ship's name has resulted in a close connection to the people of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and their professional football team, the Green Bay Packers. The ship's flight deck is named "Lambeau Field" after the name of the Packers' stadium. Green Bay businesses and residents presented the ship with a truckload of Packerland memorabilia for her 2009 commissioning. AV-8B Harrier testing In 2009, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31) and Green Bay tested the feasibility of using the San Antonio-class LPDs for AV-8B Harrier IIs V/STOL attack aircraft in emergency situations. The AV-8Bs were used in numerous tests for the San Antonio-class's aviation certification, as well testing the effect of exhaust heat on the flight deck.