Named for the national monument in Baltimore, Maryland, USS Fort McHenry is the third Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Ship. The keel was laid on June 10, 1983, and the ship was launched on February 1, 1986. Her commissioning ceremony took place in Seattle on August 8, 1987.

October 31, 2001 USS Essex ARG and the 31st MEU, including USS Germantown (LSD 42) and USS Fort McHenry, arrived off the coast of Dili, East Timor, recently to assist the U.S. Support Group East Timor with humanitarian and civic assistance projects. Approximately 1,000 Sailors and Marines will support community relations projects, including medical and dental assistance, general engineering and construction, and transport and delivery of sports equipment and infrastructure materials in Dili, Suai and Oecussi in the Southeast Asian country. The forces were scheduled to remain on station for approximately three days before continuing their current underway training period.

April 10, 2002 USS Fort McHenry, commanded by Cmdr. Adrian J. Jansen, along with the USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group, participated in the first open-ocean Rolling Airframe Missile Exercise (RAMEX) on April 3. The closest designated test range to the forward deployed ships of Sasebo, Japan, is off the coast of Hawaii. That range is where RAMEXs have always been held until this week. In addition to being the only practical time for the ARG to conduct the exercise, the open-ocean exercise presented a more realistic atmosphere for Fort McHenry's first use of the RAM.

June 29, LSD 43 Sailors received the Battle Efficiency (“E”) award after arriving in Pusan, Republic of Korea, to participate in exercise Neptune Thunder. The award recognizes the crew’s hard work and accomplishments during 2001. During the past year, Fort McHenry completed several community service projects, successfully installed the Rolling Airframe Missile system, held ship tours for 7,000 Japanese civilians in Kagoshima, Japan, and also participated in the U. N. humanitarian assistance project in East Timor.

July 6, USS Fort McHenry and USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) made a port call in Vladivostock July 3-5 for a Independence Day celebration in Russia.

September 10, The dock landing ship departed the White Beach Naval Facility, as part of the USS Essex ARG, to conduct a semi-annual joint exercise designed to integrate the Navy/Marine Corps team into one cohesive combat force. The Fort McHenry and Juneau (LPD 10) arrived in White Beach with Essex after departing from their forward-deployed port of Sasebo, Japan, on Sept 6. The ARG will remain in the vicinity of Okinawa to conduct an exercise made up of three phases, referred to as Blue-Green Workups, ARG Exercise and Special Operations Capable (SOC) Exercise.

July 3, 2003 USS Fort McHenry and USS Lassen (DDG 82) pulled to Vladivostok, Russia, for a four-day port visit. Instead of celebrating Independence Day with barbecues and picnics, Lassen and Fort McHenry crew members took part in a wreath laying ceremony honoring Russian Sailors who were killed in action during World War II.

February 20, 2004 LSD 43 and II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) are in route to participate in Exercise Balikatan 2004 in Subic Bay, Philippines.

March 17, The dock landing ship is currently participating, with the USS Essex (LHD 2) ARG, in the joint U.S.-ROK naval exercises Reception, Staging, Onward-Movement and Integration (RSOI) and Foal Eagle (FE) 2004.

May 31, The Fort McHenry pulled to Singapore for a scheduled port visit during the Singapore phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT). The CARAT task group, consisting of USS Fort McHenry, Coast Guard High Endurance Cutter Mellon (WHEC 717), USS Russell (DDG 59), USS McCampbell (DDG 85) and USS Salvor (ARS 52), over the next few months, will be participating in similar events with their counterparts in Singapore, Republic of the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei and Malaysia.

December 10, USS Fort McHenry, commanded by Cmdr. Mark E. Weber, is in route to the Philippines in support of United States humanitarian assistance and relief efforts on the east coast of Luzon after a series of typhoons devastated the area.

March 19, 2005 LSD 43 returned to Sasebo, Japan, after spending nearly three months deployed of the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, in support of Operation Unified Assistance. The dock landing ship joined Combined Support Force (CSF) 536 in Operation Unified Assistance and delivered more than 1.2 million pounds of humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies to the area, which was devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunami. Assault Craft Unit 5’s Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 262 helicopter support delivered the much-needed supplies. The Fort McHenry also participated in activities marking the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima March 12.

May 6, Cmdr. Michael T. Talaga relieved Cmdr. Mark E. Weber as commanding officer of USS Fort McHenry.

May 17, LSD 43 departed Sasebo to take part in this year's Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise.

July 9, The dock landing ship will soon return to its homeport after participating in first two CARAT exercise. CARAT Singapore was conducted May 30-June 13, while in Thailand took place June 17-26.

October 22, USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 31st MEU are off the coast of Luzon, Republic of the Philipines, to participate in Amphibious Landing Exercise 2006. PHIBLEX is an annual bilateral Republic of the Philippines and United States exercise designed to improve interoperability, increase readiness and continue professional relationships between the United States and Philippine Armed Forces. Amphibious Squadron 11 and Forward Deployed ARG, are currently on their fall deployment conducting bilateral exercises, Talon Vision and PHIBLEX '06.

November 13, The Fort McHenry pulled to Hong Kong for a scheduled port visit. The Sasebo-based Amphibious Ready Group left White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 9 after unloading Marines and equipment of the 31st MEU.

November 21, USS Fort McHenry returned to Sasebo, Japan, after completing a successful seven-week fall deployment.

February 3, 2006 LSD 43 and Japanese Defense Ship (JDS) Ohsumi (LST 4001) will be conducting a second bilateral transport exercise Feb. 5-8. The transport exercise is designed to enhance the maritime transport proficiency and interoperability of the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in support of humanitarian relief missions. Ohsumi and Fort McHenry also conducted the first bilateral transport exercise off the coast of Kure, Japan, July 1999.

April 12, USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and USS Fort McHenry, commanded by Cmdr. Mark Scovill, completed an exchange-of-command process in Sasebo which officially welcomed Tortuga to the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF). Exchange of command is part of the Navy’s long-range plan to routinely replace older ships assigned to the Navy’s FDNF with newer or more-capable ships. Tortuga, the sixth Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship, commissioned in 1990, replaced Fort McHenry during an exchange-of-command process that was held on Tortuga’s flight deck. The Fort McHenry will depart Sasebo this month and return to Little Creek, Va., where it will then be homeported.

July 6, USS Fort McHenry arrived for the first time in NAB Little Creek. While deployed, it participated in Joint Caribbean Lion 2006, a Dutch-led exercise off the coast of Aruba and The Netherlands Antilles island of Curacao before transiting to Baltimore, and then heading to its new homeport.

October 16, 2007 USS Fort McHenry departed for a seven-month deployment to the Gulf of Guinea. The dock landing ship will serve as a platform for the Africa Partnership Station Initiative, which aims to work cooperatively with U.S. and international partners in promoting maritime security in western Africa.

October 30, The first Africa Partnership Station (APS) deployment kicks off with the departure of the Fort McHenry and the embarked Commander Task Group (CTG) 60.4, from Naples, Italy.

November 5, USS Fort McHenry, commanded by Cmdr. Martin L. Pompeo, pulled to Dakar, Senegal, for a scheduled port call.

November 18, LSD 43 arrived in Tema, Ghana, for the second port visit.

December 4, The dock landing ship arrived off the coast of Limbe, Cameroon, for a scheduled port visit.

January 2, 2008 Two U.S. Navy Sailors stationed aboard USS Fort McHenry, Engineman 1st Class Patrick Brendan Mack and Engineman Fireman Lonnie Lee Davis Jr., died Jan. 1 of unknown causes in a hotel room while on liberty in Tema, Ghana. The cause of death is unknown and is being investigated by host nation authorities in cooperation with U.S. Navy and NCIS officials.

January 7, USS Fort McHenry pulled to Libreville, Gabon, for a scheduled port visit.

January 11, LSD 43 arrived in Port Gentil, Gabon, for its seventh port call.

January 21, The Africa Partnership Station (APS) arrived in Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe.

January 31, USS Fort McHenry pulled to Malago, Equatorial Guinea, for the first port visit by a U.S. Navy ship in more than 15 years.

February 13, The dock landing ship recently arrived in Sekondi, Ghana, for a scheduled port call.

February 20, Africa Partnership Stations arrived in Limbe, Cameroon, for a return visit aboard USS Fort McHenry.

March 3, USS Fort McHenry arrived in Port Gentil for the second visit to this port.

March 10, APS returned to Sao Tome and Principe aboard the LSD 43.

March 20, The Fort McHenry arrived off the coast of Monrovia, Liberia, for a sea-basing exercise.

April 2, The dock landing ship pulled to Dakar, Senegal, for its second port call to this city.

April 23, USS Fort McHenry, commanded by Cmdr. Daniel P. Shaw, departed Rota, Spain, after its final port visit of deployment.

May 4, LSD 43 returned to Little Creek after a nearly seven-month deployment as the first platform for Africa Partnership Station (APS), an initiative working with countries from West and Central Africa promoting maritime safety and security. The ship visited 18 ports in 10 countries.

February 5, 2009 The Fort McHenry is currently participating in a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in preparation for the upcoming deployment.

May 13, USS Fort McHenry, commanded by Cmdr. Christopher M. Stopyra, departed homeport for a scheduled deployment, as part of USS Bataan (LHD 5) ARG, in the Central Command AoO.

June 2, The dock landing ship departed Split, Croatia, after a three-day port visit.

June 12, LSD 43 pulled to Souda Bay, Crete, for a routine port call.

July 7, The Fort McHenry recently arrived in Aqaba for a scheduled port call after concluding the bilateral training exercise Infinite Response '09, with the Jordanian forces.

September 23, USS Fort McHenry arrived in Salalah, Oman, for a rare port visit.

December 8, USS Fort McHenry returned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story after a seven-month deployment.

December 11, Cmdr. Christopher M. Stopyra has been relieved of duty due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command. The action came after an investigation found that he had fraternized with a subordinate on the ship. The XO Lt. Cmdr. Brian P. Goldschmidt, was also relieved because he had been made aware of the allegations but failed to take appropriate action.

January 14, 2010 USS Fort McHenry departed home, as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, to provide humanitarian assistance to Haiti after a magnitude-7.0 quake devastated the impoverished nation Tuesday afternoon.

February 13, The amphibious dock landing ship pulled to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay for a brief port visit to take on supplies and fuel in support of Operation Unified Response.

March 9, LSD 43 recently concluded its participation in OUR after 44 days of air operations, offloading 22 pallets of lumber and 215 pallets of food and water.

March 14, USS Fort McHenry returned to Little Creek after a two-month underway period.

May 28, U.S. Navy awarded Metro Machine Corp. in Norfolk a $114 million contract modification to exercise the US Navy’s multi-ship multi-option (MSMO) mid-life extension of the Fort McHenry.

May 20, 2011 Cmdr. G. Raymond Hartman relieved Cmdr. Nathan J. Moyer as CO of the LSD 43 during a change-of-command ceremony on board the ship at Metro Machine shipyard in Norfolk.

September 29, USS Fort McHenry returned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story after completing sea trials.