In 1970, Denver played a key role in the SS Columbia Eagle incident. When Columbia Eagle was commandeered by two mutinous crew members on 14 March 1970, Denver was immediately dispatched to intercept and recapture Columbia Eagle.[citation needed]Denver never really caught up with Columbian Eagle, and sat outside the 12-mile (19 km) limits of Cambodia (to where Columbia Eagle had been diverted) for a few days then departed the area.
On 13 July 2000, the ship was participating in a refueling exercise near the end of a deployment. Denver, off the coast of Oahu, collided with its refueling vessel, USNS Yukon. Denver's bow was seriously damaged.[3] It remained in port at Pearl Harbor undergoing repairs for two weeks.[4]
Typhoon Morakot
Beginning on 17 August 2009 Denver started rendering humanitarian assistance to Taiwan due to the destruction caused by Typhoon Morakot. Denver was tasked independently to render aid with two embarked squadrons, HM-14 and HSC-25.
Cooperating closely with Taiwan Army and Air Force, they were supporting efforts by airlifting food, medical supplies, and providing heavy lift support for earth moving equipment to assist with recovery efforts.[5] Due to the sensitive nature surrounding Taiwan, especially with the One China policy, the Department of Defense did not publicly announce relief efforts. Denver was planned to be in the vicinity of Taiwan until 22 August 2009 to render aid to the people of Taiwan. Denver had just completed the exercise Talisman Saber 2009 and was on her way to her homeport when she was directly tasked with this humanitarian mission.
2008 hull swap
In 2008 Denver replaced USS Juneau. The crew from Juneau took all relevant gear and documents from Juneau and transferred them to Denver. Denver was then home-ported at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, where it would remain until being decommissioned.[citation needed]
2009 Sumatra earthquakes
Denver was sent to Sumatra to assist in the recovery efforts following the earthquakes there in September 2009.[6]
2010
During the 2010 Fall Patrol, from 1 September to 25 November 2010, Denver accompanied USS Essex and USS Harpers Ferry on a tour of Southeast Asia. During the patrol, Denver took part in the 60th anniversary of the invasion of Incheon, Korea and assisted the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Megi. On 17 November, Denver and Essex became the first U.S. warships to visit Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour in more than two years.
2011
The ship departed Sasebo in September 2011 for a patrol of the western Pacific. Accompanying the ship were USS Germantown and USS Essex.[7]
2012
In fall 2012, Denver departed for the 31st MEU fall patrol. During certification exercises around Guam, Denver's boilers suffered severe damage. After three weeks of repair at Guam, Denver left to continue patrol. Denver finished the patrol with limited power.
^Sanders, Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelby (15 August 2014). "Blue Ridge Now 2nd Oldest Behind Constitution". USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) Facebook page. US Navy. Retrieved 15 August 2014. U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) now holds the honor of being the oldest ship in the U.S. Navy's active duty fleet, next to USS Constitution, after the decommissioning of the USS Denver (LPD 9) 14 Aug.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)