The USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), a 844-foot Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, served as a pivotal transport vessel for deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro following his capture by U.S. forces in 2025. Deployed as part of Operation Southern Spear, the warship’s unique capabilities made it the ideal platform for the high-profile mission to New York.
When a photo of a blindfolded Nicolás Maduro aboard a U.S. warship flashed across social media, it signaled the dramatic conclusion of a major international manhunt. The vessel in that historic image was the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), a floating Marine base that became an unlikely prison transport. This wasn’t a standard Navy mission; it was a deployment of one of the military’s most versatile “flat-top” ships in a role that highlighted its strategic value beyond amphibious assaults.
Deployed to the Caribbean in late August 2025 as part of Operation Southern Spear—a significant U.S. military buildup targeting Venezuelan drug cartels—the Iwo Jima was already on station. While its primary role is to deploy a United States Marine Corps Marine Expeditionary Unit via helicopters and landing craft, its secondary capabilities proved perfect for this sensitive task. At 844 feet long with a 106-foot beam, the ship is essentially a mobile, sovereign piece of U.S. territory, complete with secure holding areas, advanced communications, and robust medical facilities, making it a far more secure option than a standard transport aircraft for a high-value detainee.
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Don’t let its flat deck fool you; the Iwo Jima is not an aircraft carrier. It is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, a class born from the Tarawa-class of the 1970s but heavily modified. It’s a floating fortress, armed with a suite of defensive weapons including RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, 20 mm Phalanx CIWS close-in guns, and sophisticated electronic warfare suites like the AN/SLQ-32. This armament, combined with a crew of some 1,075 sailors, ensured Maduro’s transit was protected from any potential interference during its voyage from the Caribbean to New York.
The ship’s interior is designed for sustained operations. Beyond its massive vehicle and aircraft decks—capable of carrying up to forty Amphibious Assault Vehicles—it offers amenities and medical facilities fit for a small town. It has six operating rooms, a 64-bed patient ward, and can set up an additional 526 beds in an overflow casualty ward. For a mission transporting a world leader, these resources provided unparalleled flexibility and security.
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This USS Iwo Jima is the third warship to bear the name, honoring the Battle of Iwo Jima from World War II. Its motto, “Uncommon Valor,” quotes Admiral Chester W. Nimitz’s famous praise of the forces that fought there. The first ship to carry the name was the USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), the Navy’s first purpose-built helicopter carrier, which famously recovered the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970. The current vessel, commissioned in 2001, has now carved its own unique place in history.
By serving as the transport for Nicolás Maduro, the USS Iwo Jima demonstrated that its “assault” capabilities extend beyond landing Marines on a beach. It can project power, deliver humanitarian aid, and, as the world saw, execute complex national security missions with unparalleled self-sufficiency. It was the perfect embodiment of a mobile, sovereign command center—a “flating fortress” that delivered a former head of state to the doorstep of American justice.
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