What is the name of the actual Navy ship in the movie Heartbreak Ridge?

Answer 1

The actual ship used in the filming of Heartbreak Ridge was the USS Guam, LPH 9. It was called the USS Iwo Jima(LPH-2) in the film. They were on Ocean Venture '86 operating in the Caribbean. The scenes on the aircraft elevator are on #2 elevator starboard side aft. All filming was done at night and the Hangar Deck was secured to ships company.

The ships depicted in the movie "Heartbreak Ridge" during the actual operation were those of the USS Independence(CV-62) Task Force.

The movie "Heartbreak Ridge" is based on the real events of October 25,1983 (2 days after the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut), when U.S. Navy and Marine forces were ordered to invade the small island nation of Grenada. Although in the movie the objective was just to rescue medical students at the St. Georges Medical School (many of whom were Americans that could not afford more pricey schools in the US), it was only one of several primary objectives.

The legal basis for the invasion came with a unanimous vote of member nations of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) , who, recognizing the Communist threat to the region, called on the United States to take action. Regardless, the Soviet Union and China, permanent members of the UN Security Council, were able to mount a condemnation of the action. Things were much different during the Cold War than they are today.

The primary threat at the time was that the after taking power in an armed coup, Maurice Bishop, self proclaimed "Prime Minister" of Grenada, quickly aligned himself with Cuban and Soviet interests. The Cuban government began utilizing the island as a place to stockpile weapons. The length and configuration of the Point Salines airport (9,000') under construction also raised U.S. Intelligence flags. While an airport might seem innocuous, the length of its runway is the key - and the one being built there was long enough to service Soviet military bombers and other aircraft requiring much longer takeoff distances.

The Castro government was extremely aware of Grenada's strategic importance as well, and had the longer runway been allowed to be completed, it would have likely served as a strategic striking point to threaten all of the small, poorly defended island nations in the Caribbean.

Grenada was then taken over by its military, and the Governor-General of the island (Paul Scoon of Britain) was placed under house arrest. The impending and serious threat of another possible hostage situation (this was just 4 years after the Embassy takeover in Iran) concerning the U.S. students there became the final straw. The green light was given, and the island was invaded on the morning of the 25th.

One error in the movie was that they encountered Cuban Army regulars - in fact, the only Cuban nationals on the island were construction workers building the airport, and they had been given orders by Castro on the 22nd not to intervene should American forces invade. Having said that, all Cuban males are required to serve in the military, so those working there had military experience. The official Cuban toll includes 24 killed, 59 wounded, 638 captured.

In point of fact, the soldiers who put up the most resistance were Grenadian military. Assault forces reported that the island was well defended with dug in positions, anti-aircraft batteries, and other Soviet hardware. In the end, the island was secured, and all students were rescued and evacuated to Charleston, S.C. Being stationed there at the time (my boat was in the shipyard or we would've participated), I remember well the comments and pictures of the students as they got off the plane. The movie's version of that is pretty close.

I remember one particular newspaper picture that showed an entire warehouse stacked to the ceiling with Soviet ammunition and weapons. It made the front page of every major newspaper.

Grenada was what also led to the joint operational success of today's U.S. military. During the invasion, interservice communication wasn't possible because of differing equipment and protocols - in fact, it was downright embarrassing. A lot of it was borne out of Carter-era military policies, and the fact that military commanders failed to realize the danger. The "lessons learned" from Grenada proved invaluable during Desert Storm and current military operations.

"Heartbreak Ridge" was the only major picture to be made concerning Grenada. While I know of one other that was in production (I actually assisted with sound on it) the plain fact is that the operational failures of Grenada aren't considered great Hollywood material. As George C. Scott says in "Patton", "Americans love a winner, and will not tolerate a loser."

The invasion of Grenada accomplished its goal, but the military shortcomings of the operation took years to rectify.