People lined the shore at Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth and Bug Light in South Portland Saturday morning to watch the USS Iwo Jima sail into Portland Harbor.

On July Fourth, hundreds lined-up along Commercial Street to get the chance to tour the boat.

Those that did were impressed with the ship’s sheer size.

Correction: The USS Iwo Jima displaces 40,000 tons.

Measuring 844 feet long and with a displacement of more than 40,000 pounds the Iwo Jima was one of the largest ships to dock in Portland.

The approximately 2,000 sailors on board were just as happy to be anchored in Portland Harbor and were eagerly looking forward to spending some time in Portland away from their duties.

This was especially true for 21-year-old Joey Decosta, an Old Orchard Beach native and crewmember on the Iwo Jima for a year and a half. He serves in the Deck Department, which is responsible for driving the ship.

Decosta has not been back to Maine since last winter and was looking forward to spending the holiday weekend back home visiting friends and getting reacquainted with his family.

“It’s the best weekend I can think of,” he said.

Another crewmember with Maine ties is Reva Mullet, who works as an electrician onboard. Mullet’s husband, Brain, who retired after 22 years in the Navy, is from the Augusta area and she has family in Windsor and Whitefield. She too was expecting to see a large turnout of family.

“I’m very excited to be here,” she said. “We don’t get a chance to come-up here very much.”

Speaking to sailors aboard the ship, one thing is clear, each one is proud of the ship’s history and for its namesake – the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

Many of the sailors who are stationed on the ship think about its history and those who fought during the battle.

“There’s a lot of pride in being named after something as important as Iwo Jima and we do a lot to support that pride,” said Mullet.

This is the second ship to be christened the Iwo Jima. The first was launched in 1960, commissioned in 1961 and made its first deployment in 1963. Among the ship’s highlights include serving as the primary recovery ship for the Apollo 13.

In 1990, the Iwo Jima was the first amphibious assault ship to deploy to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield. The ship was decommissioned three years later.

The new Iwo Jima made its maiden voyage in June 2001 and onboard were more than 2,000 World War II veterans. In 2003, the Iwo Jima inserted Marines into Northern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, patrolled the Gulf, conducted operations in and around Djibouti as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and spearheaded a peacekeeping mission off the coast of Liberia.

The crew continues to pay respect to the ship’s storied past. In February, during the 60th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima, the crew named the flight deck the “Jack Lucas Airfield” after the youngest man to ever receive the Medal of Honor. Lucas was given the award after he jumped on top of two grenades during the battle of Iwo Jima and survived the incident.

On the flight deck is a mural stating “Why We Are Here” and lists the month long battle of Iwo Jima. It also lists modern day attacks on American citizens and soldiers, starting with the 1983 attack on the US Embassy in Lebanon up to the attacks on the World Trade Center.

“You come up here and it’s really inspiring and motivation to a lot of (sailors),” said Mike Jones, public affairs officer with the Iwo Jima.

The USS Iwo Jima sailing out of the fog on Saturday morning near Portland Head light.While entering Portland Harbor some of the Iwo JimaIwo Jima crewmember Adermi Albert raising a