August 19, 2006 The newest and last ship in the Wasp-class of amphibious assault ships, Makin Island, was christened during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss. The Makin Island (LHD 8) is the Navy’s first amphibious assault ship equipped with a hybrid electric-drive propulsion system, a 4,160 volt electrical distribution system and an advanced machinery control system (MCS). The ship is commanded by Capt. Robert G. Kopas.

The Makin Island is named for the daring raid carried out by Marine Corps Companies Alpha and Bravo, Second Raider Battalion, on Japanese-held Makin Island, in the Gilbert Islands, Aug. 17-18, 1942. The raid was launched from the submarines USS Nautilus (SS 168) and USS Argonaut (SS 166) and succeeded in routing the enemy forces based there, gaining valuable intelligence. Twenty-three Navy Crosses were awarded for actions during the raid, including to the raid’s leader, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, and executive officer, Marine Corps Maj. James Roosevelt (son of President Franklin Roosevelt). Marine Corps Sgt. Clyde Thomason was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for heroism during the raid and was the first enlisted Marine to be so honored during World War II.

March 7, 2008 The Pre Commissioning Unit (PCU) Makin Island reached milestone Feb. 26 when became the first Navy vessel with a 35,000 horsepower LM2500+ gas turbine engine to successfully complete forward main engine light off (MELO). This successful light-off paves the way for an aft MELO scheduled for March that will allow all necessary tests to the ship's propulsion system prior to builder's trials in June and acceptance trials in August.

December 19, The Makin Island successfully underwent Builder's Trials Dec. 13 in the Gulf of Mexico. The trials mark the first time this amphibious assault ship has gone to sea on its own power. The ship is scheduled to begin acceptance trials in February 2009 and is expected to deliver to the fleet later that year.

March 19, 2009 LHD 8 successfully completed a third series of trials and may be on its way to a spring delivery date to the Navy. The ship was damaged in August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, and last April, Northrop announced the company would take a charge of about $320 million to fix faulty wiring and other workmanship problems.

April 16, Northrop Grumman delivered the Makin Island to the U.S. Navy during a short ceremony held on the ship's flight deck at Pascagoula, Miss.

June 13, More than 10,000 Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Gulf Coast employees and their families came aboard the Makin Island for a Family Day.

July 10, PCU Makin Island departed NGSB in Pascagoula, Miss., for its future homeport of San Diego, where it will be commissioned in October. During the transit, the amphibious assault ship is scheduled to conduct theater security cooperation (TSC) activities with Brazil, Chile and Peru.

August 3, LHD 8 arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a scheduled port visit.

August 15, The Makin Island departed Punta Arenas, Chile, after a brief port call.

August 20, The amphibious assault ship arrived in Valparaiso for a joint exercise with the Chilean Navy.

August 29, PCU Makin Island pulled to Callao, Peru, for a goodwill port visit.

September 14, LHD 8 arrived in Naval Base San Diego for the first time after a two-month circumnavigation of the South America.

October 16, The Makin Island returned to port after a three-day certification period off the coast of southern California.

October 24, USS Makin Island was commissioned during a 10 a.m. ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado, Calif.

December 10, The amphibious assault ship returned to San Diego after an 11-day underway period conducting its first Harrier flight operations, first operations with Amphibious Assault Vehicles and Combat Systems Ships Qualification Trials (CSSQT).

January 25, 2010 USS Makin Island is currently off the West Coast conducting acoustic trials.

February 24, LHD 8 returned to homeport after a week-long underway that focused on Ship Self Defense System (SSDS) operational testing and evaluation.