January 12, 2003 USS Gunston Hall departed Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, 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, USS Gunston Hall, commanded by Cmdr. Johnny Walker, returned to homeport after a five-and-a-half month combat deployment in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

June 2005, LSD 44 deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism, with the USS Saipan Expeditionary Strike Group. The Gunston Hall will remain deployed longer than three months to meet previously scheduled commitments overseas.

July 17, USS Gunston Hall is currently off the coast of Saudi Arabia participating in Exercise Nautical Union, a joint exercise between U.S. and coalition forces in the Persian Gulf. Nautical Union operations include Maritime Security Operations (MSO) training, air defense, anti submarine warfare, surface warfare, mine counter measures, electronic warfare, replenishment at sea (RAS) and command and control.

September 30, U.S. Sailors and Marines and service members from NATO partners Italy and Spain will embark aboard the dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) and the high-speed vessel Swift (HSV 2) to participate in the West African Training Cruise 2006 (WATC 06) Sept. 27-Dec. 3. The purpose of the exercise is to enhance security cooperation and foster new partnerships between the United States, NATO partners and participating West African nations through real-world training and engagement opportunities. Concurrent with the WATC deployment, Sailors and Marines will participate in Exercise Green Osprey, a U.K.-led amphibious-based exercise off the coast of Senegal.

October 20, USS Gunston Hall pulled to Takoradi, Ghana, during the West African Training Cruise 2006.

April 30, 2007 The dock landing ship arrived in Port Everglades, Florida, for Fleet Week South 2007.

May 21, LSD 44 is currently conducting Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), in the Atlantic Ocean, with the Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group and the 22nd MEU.

July 30, USS Gunston Hall departed NAB Little Creek for a scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations.

December 20, The Gunston Hall and embarked elements of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit completed bilateral exercise Image Nautilus 2007 with the Djibouti Navy, Dec. 18.

January 27, 2008 LSD 44 returned to homeport after a six-month underway period in the 5th Fleet Area of Operations.

May 29, 2009 USS Gunston Hall successfully completed sea trials May 21 and became the Navy's first dock landing ship to complete its comprehensive midlife modernization availability. The work began in July 2008 at Metro Machine Corp. in Norfolk and included major upgrades to the ship's control system, local area network and machinery control system, propulsion systems, HVAC, as well as replacement of the ship's boilers and evaporators with an all-electric services system.

January 15, 2010 USS Gunston Hall, commanded by Cmdr. Fred R. Wilhelm, departed Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story en route to Haiti to provide humanitarian assistance. The dock landing ship was already scheduled to deploy today in support of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) and will continue on to that deployment once the humanitarian mission is complete.

January 18, LSD 44 arrived off the coast of Port-au-Prince to begin humanitarian relief operations.

February 11, The Gunston Hall departed Haiti after completing its participation in support of Operation Unified Response.

February 22, The dock landing ship pulled to Rota, Spain, for a scheduled port call.

March 10, USS Gunston Hall arrived in Sekondi, Ghana, for its first port visit as part of Africa Partnership Station West. The ship anchored off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria, March 8 for a half-day stop to bring students aboard and also anchored offshore from the Ghanaian city of Tema on March 9 to deliver Project Handclasp supplies and to disembark Marines assigned to Security Cooperation Marine Air-Ground Task Force and Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 who will conduct training and a disaster relief exercise with the Ghana Army.