USS Ponce (LPD 15) is the 12th and last ship in the Austin-class of Amphibious Transport Docks. The contract to build the Ponce was awarded on May 17, 1965, the keel was laid on October 31, 1966, and she was launched on May 20, 1970. The ship was delivered to the Navy by Lockheed on June 25, 1971, and commissioned on July 10, 1971.

August 24, 1996 USS Ponce returned to Norfolk after a two-and-a-half month mission of providing security and other assistance to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia. Deploying with only 10 days notice, Ponce carried a crew of more than 300 Sailors and 700 Marines from Special Purpose Marine-Air-Ground Task Force 8, from Camp Lejuene, N.C.

October 29, 1997 USS Ponce returned to Naval Station Norfolk after its thirteenth deployment in the 6th Fleet AoR, with the 22nd MEU. During the underway period she visited Malaga, Spain; Almeria, Spain; Volos Bay, Greece; Corfu, Greece; Ukraine; Rhodes, Greece; and Rota, Spain.

October 14, 1999 USS Ponce returned to Norfolk after a six-month Mediterranean deployment, as part of USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Amphibious Ready Group. The ship visited several ports including Taranto, Italy; Haifa, Israel; Thessaloniki, Greece; Rota, Spain; and Malaga, Spain.

January 31, 2001 The Ponce departed St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, after a four-day port visit. The amphibious transport dock is ciurrently conducting Group Sail as part of the Kearsarge ARG.

March 28, LPD 15 departed homeport for a Friends and Family Day Cruise.

April 25, USS Ponce departed Norfolk for a scheduled deployment.

May 12, The Ponce arrived in Tangier, Morocco, for a three-day port call before participating in Exercise Mediterranean Shark.

May 28, The amphibious transport dock departed Gaeta, Italy, after a three-day port visit.

June 1, USS Ponce pulled into Dubrovnik, Croatia, for a scheduled port visit.

June 10, LPD 15 anchored off the coast of Poti, Georgia, for exercise Cooperative Partner.

July 4, The Ponce departed Brindisi, Italy, after a two-day port call.

July 16, USS Ponce arrived in Marmaris, Turkey, for a three-day port visit.

July 26, The amphibious transport dock departed Valetta, Malta, after a three-day port call.

August 2, The Ponce pulled into Rijeka, Croatia, for Intermediate Maintenance Availability with the USS Emory S. Land (AS 39).

August 20, LPD 15 departed Palma de Mallorca, Spain, after a three-day port call.

August 22, USS Ponce arrived in Tarragona, Spain, for a four-day port visit.

September 3, USS Ponce arrived in Limassol, Cyprus, for a three-day port visit. The ship departed Catania, Italy, Aug. 30 after a brief port call.

September 22, The amphibious transport dock pulled into Rota, Spain, for a routine port call.

October 15, USS Ponce returned to homeport after a six-month deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility.

January 12, 2003 USS Ponce departed Naval Station Norfolk, with the Amphibious Task Force (ATF) East, for possible service in the Central Command area of operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

June 25, LPD 15 returned to homeport after five-and-a-half month combat deployment in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

March 25, 2005 USS Ponce departed Norfolk for a scheduled deployment, as part of the Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group, in support of the global war on terrorism.

August 30, The amphibious transport dock transited the Suez Canal after concluding operations in the 5th Fleet AoR.

September 27, USS Ponce returned to Norfolk Naval Station after a six-month underway period.

April 30, 2007 LPD 15 pulled to Port Everglades, Florida, for Fleet Week South 2007.

May 21, The Ponce is currently conducting Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) with the Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group and the 22nd MEU.

July 30, USS Ponce departed Norfolk for a scheduled underway period in the 5th Fleet AoO.

January 1, 2008 The amphibious transport dock transited the Suez Canal after supporting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Central Command Area of Responsibility.

January 27, 2008 USS Ponce, commanded by Cmdr. Richard Frey, returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a six-month deployment. After the first port call to Ash Shuayba, Kuwait, the ship supported Operation Sea Dragon and her visit, board, search and seizure team conducted approaches on more than 100 fishing and cargo dhows in the Central and Southern Persian Gulf. She also visited Manama, Bahrain; Jebel Ali, U.A.E.; Valletta, Malta; and Rota, Spain.

September 14, LPD 15 departed homeport for a station in the Gulf of Mexico to provide assistance to civilian authorities in the wake of Hurricane Ike. The storm stuck the Texas Gulf Coast Sept. 13 as a major hurricane, causing major flooding and leaving millions without power.

October 28, The Ponce is currently off the East Coast participating in group sail training, as part of the Bataan (LHD 5) ESG.

May 13, 2009 USS Ponce departed Norfolk for a scheduled deployment with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 22nd MEU.

June 12, The amphibious transport dock recently arrived in Cyprus after a port visit to Thessaloniki, Greece.

June 22, USS Ponce and USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) transited the Suez Canal to conduct a bilateral training exercise Infinite Response '09 in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

November 16, LPD 15 recently pulled to Santorini, Greece, for a scheduled port visit.

December 8, USS Ponce returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a seven-month underway period.

July 8, 2010 The Ponce is currently off the East Coast participating in a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), as part of USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) ARG.

August 27, USS Ponce departed Norfolk for a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet AoR.

November 11, The amphibious transport dock departed Victoria, Seychelles, after a goodwill port call.

March 2, 2011 USS Ponce transited the Suez Canal to provide the capability for evacuation or humanitarian aid as response to the unrest in Libya.

March 4, LPD 15 pulled into Souda Bay, Greece, for a brief port call.

April 23, Vice Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, relieved USS Ponce CO, Cmdr. Etta Jones, "due to demonstrated poor leadership, and failure to appropriately investigate, report, and hold accountable Sailors found involved in hazing incidents." Additionally, she failed to properly handle a loaded weapon during a security alert which endangered some of her crew. The XO Lt. Cmdr. Kurt Boenisch, was also fired "due to his failure to provide support to the command and commanding officer." Capt. Brad Skillman, deputy commander of Amphibious Squadron 4, assumed temporary command of the Ponce. The amphibious transport dock arrived today at Naval Base Rota, Spain, for a routine port call.

May 16, USS Ponce returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a nearly nine-month deployment. This is the ship's last deployment before being decommissioned next year.

July 1, The Ponce arrived in Bristol, Rhode Island, to participate in the Fourth of July celebration.

August 25, LPD 15 departed Naval Station Norfolk to avoid the approaching Hurricane Irene.

October 11, USS Ponce began a two-month of training with the Marine Corps and is scheduled to visit Port Canaveral, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the ship's namesake city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, before returning to Norfolk to begin the long decommissioning process.

November 1, USS Ponce moored at Cruise Terminal 4 for a week-long visit to Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship departed homeport Oct. 25.

November 10, The amphibious transport dock arrived pierside at the Monsanto Marine Terminal for a scheduled port visit to Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands.

November 13, The Ponce pulled into Ponce, Puerto Rico, for a three-day port call.

December 2, USS Ponce returned to homeport for the last time after a four-day underway period for deck landing qualifications with Marines from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Air-Ground Task Force, II MEF. The ship was led by 28 commanding officers, crewed by more than 18,400 sailors, and has transported more than 24,500 marines. It was involved in 31 major operations.

February 1, 2012 U.S. Navy recently cancelled the plans to decommission USS Ponce and will transfer the 40 year old ship to Military Sealift Command (MSC) to serve as an Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB). Instead of having a USNS designation and being commanded by a civilian master, the Ponce will operate as a commissioned ship with a U.S. Navy captain in charge of the hybrid crew. The ship will be redesignated as AFSB(I) 15.