2000s
Cleveland was once again called upon to perform outside her normal realm of operations while participating in recovery and salvage efforts of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 in February 2000, receiving the Coast Guard Unit Commendation with Operational Distinguishing Device. Following a Fleet Week visit to San Francisco, California, Cleveland completed her training cycle and deployed for the seventeenth time in March 2001.
USS Cleveland (LPD 7) arrived in San Diego, 4 August 2011, returning from Pacific Partnership 2011, concluding the ship's final mission prior to its decommissioning. During the course of the ship's final mission, the medical contingent treated 38,696 patients at medical and dental civic action projects, or MEDCAPs and DENCAPs.
Both governments of the U.S. and Mexico could not come to an agreement regarding the sale of the vessel; therefore the ship continued on active duty until its decommissioning on 30 September 2011. USS Cleveland will transit to Hawaii, where the ship will be in an inactive reserve status.
Read more about this topic: USS Cleveland (LPD-7)