[7] Makin Island has two 35,000 shaft horsepower (26,000 kW) General Electric LM 2500+ gas turbines each connected to a separate 20:1 ratio main reduction gear, which then drive two 16-foot-6-inch (5.03 m) diameter Rolls-Royce controllable pitch propellers.

Below 12 knots, ship propulsion is provided by two 5,000-shaft-horsepower (3,700 kW) AC electric motors connected to a second input shaft on the main reduction gears.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Navy officials announced that several ships under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding had been damaged by the storm, including Makin Island and two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

[10] Makin Island was delivered to the U.S. Navy on 16 April 2009 and was commissioned at Pascagoula, Mississippi, without ceremony on 26 June 2009 with Captain Bob Kopas in command.

[3] Makin Island deployed 10 July 2009 and sailed around South America via the Strait of Magellan, in which the crew continued to train, obtaining underway certifications in preparation for her arrival in San Diego.

During the deployment, Makin Island conducted theater security cooperation activities with Brazil, Chile, and Peru, focusing on working closely with partner nation civilian and maritime forces to share methods and training.

Captain Kopas stated in an interview on local radio that Makin Island had saved about US$2 million in fuel, compared with a conventional propulsion system, on her voyage from Mississippi around South America to San Diego.

Her formal commissioning ceremony took place on 24 October 2009 at Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado, near San Diego.

The pilot was ultimately able to regain control and land, while other aircraft, watercraft, and ships from the task force began search and rescue efforts.

[21][22] In October 2016 Makin Island was deployed alongside the US Coast Guard to search for missing Chinese sailor Guo Chuan, who was attempting to break the world record for solo sailing from San Francisco to Shanghai.

[23] Makin Island reached his yacht, Qingdao China, on 27 October, but found her adrift with no sign of the sailor, roughly 620 miles (1,000 km) northwest of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.

[24][25] After searching an area of 4,600 square miles (12,000 km2) without locating the missing sailor, Makin Island's crew recovered his personal items and left the yacht for later salvage.