USS Pearl Harbor

USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52)Commissioned in 1998, the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) is the last of the U.S. Navy's Harper's Ferry Class of landing dock ships. As a vital component of the Navy's amphibious fleet, this formidable ship enhances the Navy's ability to respond quickly and decisively to emerging threats anywhere in the world. The primary mission of the USS Pearl Harbor is to dock, transport, and launch embarked Marines and their associated combat equipment, including amphibious assault landing craft. Stretching 600-feet in length and displacing 17,000 tons, the USS Pearl Harbor is capable of carrying 400 Marines and can travel at a top speed of 20 knots. This coin is dedicated to the USS Pearl Harbor and all those who serve this great Navy ship. The obverse features a detailed rendering of the ship in three-quarter profile. A CH-53E helicopter hovers above its flight deck. The reverse bears the ship's official crest and shield above the motto "Freedom is Not Free." Minted in brass and finished in antique bronze, this coin was struck using special "splash" dies for a deep relief design of exceptional texture and quality.