On February 9, 1981, the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Shipbuilding Company of Seattle, Washington, a contract to construct LSD 41, first of a new class of Dock Landing Ship to replace the aging Thomaston Class LSDs. At the August 4, 1981 keel laying ceremony, the Honorable John F. Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, affixed his signature to the keel: the first keel of an amphibious ship to be laid in more than five years. During the ceremony, Secretary Lehman announced that the ship would be named Whidbey Island and the ship's sponsor was to be Mrs. Sally Gorton, wife of Senator Slade Gorton from the state of Washington. Although this ship is the first to carry that name, there was at one time a ship on the Navy's rolls called USS Whidbey (AG 141). USS Whidbey Island is the first ship in a class designed specifically to interface with the Navy's newest amphibious assault landing craft, the Landing Craft Air Cushion, or LCAC.

September 20, 2001 USS Whidbey Island departed Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled deployment, with the USS Bataan (LHD 5) Amphibious Ready Group and the 26th MEU, in support of the Operation Enduring Freedom in Arabian Gulf. ARG returned home in Feb. 2002.

June 8, 2003 The dock landing ship returned to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek from a five-day underway period, bringing back with it 72 Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Midshipmen who cruised with the crew to learn firsthand what happens aboard a ship.

December 23, USS Wasp ESG 2, returned home for the holidays after a successful ESG exercise off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The other ships in ESG-2 are USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), USS Yorktown (CG 48), USS Shreveport (LPD 12), USS Whidbey Island, and USS McFaul (DDG 74). The entire Expeditionary Strike Group participated in the exercise, which ran from Dec. 1-17 from the Virginia Capes to the Fort Walton Beach, Fla., operating areas.

February 17, 2004 USS Whidbey Island departed homeport for a scheduled deployment, with the Wasp ESG and the 22nd MEU, in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

March 10, U.S. Sailors and Marines assigned to ESG 2 are currently participating in exercise PHIBLEX 04-5 off the coast of Albania March 8-12. LSD 41 recently visited Dubrovnik, Croatia.

September 18, USS Whidbey Island returned to Little Creek after a seven-month underway period in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

September 1, 2005 LSD 41 and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) are making preparations to get underway today for areas off the U.S. Gulf Coast in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief operations associated with Hurricane Katrina. The dock landing ship will bring with it the capability to employ a movable causeway to the region.

September 22, The dock landing ship returned to homeport after deployed off the coast of Biloxi, Miss., with 35 members of Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 2 and more than 200 Marines of Marine Expeditionary Unit Service Support Group 24 Joint Task Force (MEUSSG-24 JTF).

June 6, USS Whidbey Island departed Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, with the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Expeditionary Strike Group and the 24th MEU, for six months to conduct maritime security operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

July 21, The Whidbey Island joined USS Nashville (LPD 13) off the coast of Lebanon to assist in the authorized departure of American citizens from that country. The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon has requested military assistance to help American citizens who wish to depart Lebanon to leave in a secure and orderly manner.

September 15, The dock landing ship is currently operating in the Persian Gulf in support of maritime security operations and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

November 21, LSD 41 departed Tunis, Tunisia, after a four-day port visit. Whidbey Island's visit marked the first port call of a major U.S. Navy ship in Tunisia since 2001.

December 6, USS Whidbey Island returned to homeport after a scheduled six-month deployment.

December 4, 2007 USS Whidbey Island provided assistance to the crew of a pirated cargo ship Dec. 2, ending six weeks the 18 crew members spent as hostages. Comoran-flagged merchant vessel Al Marjan was seized by Somalia-based pirates Oct. 17 and held in Somali territorial waters. Whidbey Island was on hand to provide aid to other recently released pirated vessels. She also provided food, water and fuel to motor vessels Mavuno I and Manuvo II, both released from pirates Nov. 4. The dock landing ship is currently deployed to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO).

December 12, LSD 41 provided assistance to Merchant vessel Golden Nori after pirates released the Japanese chemical tanker. The pirates seized the ship off the coast of Somalia in late October. The release of Golden Nori marks the first time in more than a year that no ships are held by Somali pirates.

April 30, 2009 The U.S. Navy began installing stern flaps this month on the Whidbey Island, during a scheduled maintenance availability in Norfolk, to make it more fuel efficient and save up to $450,000 in fuel costs per ship annually. The ship is expected to head back to sea in late November.