St. George native serves on a “city at sea” aboard Navy’s largest amphibious warfare ship
By Kayla Turnbow
St. George native and 2013 Snow Canyon High School graduate Allen McKelleb is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island.
Seaman McKelleb is a ship’s serviceman aboard the amphibious assault ship operating out of San Diego. A ship’s serviceman is responsible for cutting hair and ensuring that the ship’s store is fully stocked, vending machines are operational and stocked, and the crew is in a good mood.
McKelleb credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in St. George.
“I grew up in a smaller city, and I learned that the bigger cities are definitely different,” said McKelleb. “Staying in your hometown doesn’t always prepare you for the real world. The Navy is a more tight-knit community, and everyone is always willing to help.”
Makin Island, one of the Navy’s most advanced and largest amphibious ships, is designed to deliver Marines and their equipment where they are needed to support a variety of missions ranging from amphibious assaults to humanitarian relief efforts.
The ship, which resembles a small aircraft carrier, is longer than two football fields at 847 feet and 106 feet wide, and it weighs more than 41,000 tons fully loaded. It has gas turbine engines and two variable-speed electric motors that can push the ship through the water in excess of 20 knots. It can carry more than 12 helicopters and six fixed-wing aircraft.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard Makin Island. More than 1,000 men and women make up the ship’s crew, which keeps all parts of the ship running smoothly from handling weaponry to maintaining the engines. An additional 1,700 Marines can be embarked. It is capable of transporting Marines and landing them where they are needed via helicopters, vertical takeoff, and landing aircraft and landing craft.
“Makin Island is one of the most advanced warships on the waterfront, but she’s nothing without her crew,” said Capt. David Oden, commanding officer of Makin Island. “They’ve proved themselves time and time again, and their level of professionalism and dedication is second to none.”
These amphibious assault ships project power from the sea, serving as the cornerstone of the amphibious ready group. Makin Island was delivered to the Navy in April 2009 and is the first U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship to be equipped with both gas turbines and auxiliary propulsion system instead of steam boilers.
These ships support special operations and expeditionary warfare missions, transporting U.S. Marines from sea to shore through a combination of aircraft and water landing craft. Because of their inherent capabilities, these ships have been and will continue to be called upon to support humanitarian and other contingency missions on short notice.
McKelleb has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My brother is in the Army Reserve, my cousin is in the Marines, and I have another cousin who retired from the Navy,” said McKelleb. “They all influenced my decision to join. My cousin in the Marines is such an upstanding guy. I saw how the military turned my brother’s life around. He was homeless, and now he is set. My cousin that retired from the Navy was already a great guy, and the Navy just made him even better.”
McKelleb has found many great rewards in the Navy and is particularly proud of earning a Good Conduct Award, a Global War on Terrorism pin, and an Armed Forces Service Medal as well as being a part of the crew that earned a Battle E for the deployment in 2017.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, McKelleb and other Makin Island sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
“Serving in the Navy means not only can I serve my country and keep it free but also I can help other people who could be going through things,” added McKelleb. “It is a great way to get knowledge of other country’s culture and even about other places in the states.”
Kayla Turnbow works in the Navy Office of Community Outreach.
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