spreading to only "around a couple dozen sailors". As a result of the pandemic, the ship's public commissioning ceremony originally planned to occur at NAS Pensacola in June was also cancelled. Subsequently, Tripoli was commissioned on 15 July 2020 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the ship was built. Ship's history In September 2020, Tripoli completed a homeport shift from Pascagoula, Mississippi to San Diego, California. On 2 May 2022, Tripoli departed Naval Station San Diego for the Western Pacific Ocean on her maiden deployment, taking on 20 F-35Bs at one point in a test of the "lightning carrier" concept. On 25 July 2022, she transitioned to an amphibious ready role by embarking the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit at Naval Base Okinawa, Japan, before transiting the South China Sea to make a port call at Singapore's Changi Naval Base on 31 Aug 2022. Etymology Tripoli is the third U.S. Navy ship named for the Battle of Derne in 1805. It was the decisive victory of a mercenary army led by a detachment of United States Marines and soldiers against the forces of Tripoli during the First Barbary War. It was the first recorded land battle of the United States fought overseas. Fallujah, after the Second Battle of Fallujah, was suggested as a name but was ultimately not chosen. This name was given to another America-class ship, . Gallery Notes References External links Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding: America-class of Amphibious Assault Ships Tripoli 2017 ships Naval ships involved in the COVID-19 pandemic