Navy Receives its Final Expeditionary Sea Base
The U.S. Navy received its final Lewis B. Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base this week as Military Sealift Command prepares for the return of three sidelined ships. General Dynamics NASSCO delivered the future USS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB-8) to the Navy on Tuesday in San Diego following sea trials earlier this summer. Expeditionary Sea Bases have historically been forward deployed and used as a host for both mine countermeasures and special operations forces. “Our ESBs are critical to maritime operations, providing logistics support from sea to shore for a broad range of military operations,” said Jon Thomas, acting program manager,
The christening of the future USS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB-8) at General Dynamic NASSCO in San Diego on March 7, 2026. General Dynamics photo The U.S. Navy received its final Lewis B. Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base this week as Military Sealift Command prepares for the return of three sidelined ships.
General Dynamics NASSCO delivered the future USS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB-8) to the Navy on Tuesday in San Diego following sea trials earlier this summer. Expeditionary Sea Bases have historically been forward deployed and used as a host for both mine countermeasures and special operations forces.
“Our ESBs are critical to maritime operations, providing logistics support from sea to shore for a broad range of military operations,” said Jon Thomas, acting program manager, Strategic and Theater Sealift. “ESB-8 capabilities demonstrated during sea trials highlighted the power and flexibility of this ship and we are excited to have another ESB in the fleet. This delivery demonstrates the unwavering commitment to provide superior quality to the warfighter.”
Lewis B. Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams (ESB-4) returns to Naval Station Norfolk, April 10, 2025. US Navy photo In 2024, Military Sealift Command sidelined support ships due to a civilian mariner shortage, USNI News previously reported. USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) and USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4) – forward deployed to Bahrain and Greece, respectively – and USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB-7) were put into extended maintenance periods.
“Due to critical Civilian Mariner (CIVMAR) shortages, several vessels, including [three] ESB-class vessels, were placed in extended maintenance/[end-of-Force Generation Risk Reduction]. This effectively ensured that more critical MSC vessels could remain manned appropriately during this critical manning shortage,” an MSC spokesperson recently told USNI News.
Now, Hector A. Cafferata Jr. is joining the fleet as MSC prepares for the return of the three sidelined ships.
Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base USS John L. Canley (ESB-6), front, Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4), right, San Antonio-class transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD-27), left, and Bob Hope-class vehicle cargo ship USNS Pililaau (T-AKR 304) sail in formation in the Indian Ocean, June 24, 2026. US Navy photo Lewis B. Puller is undergoing a maintenance period in Croatia while Hershel “Woody” Williams is being overhauled at East Coast Repair & Fabrication Shipyard in Newport News, Va. Both overhauls are expected to be completed in the coming months, the MSC spokesperson said. The crews will be trained and certified for operations in late 2026 or early 2027, at which time Lewis B. Puller and Hershel “Woody” Williams will be considered “ready for tasking.”
Robert E. Simanek began its own period on April 17 – less than one year after the new ship arrived at Naval Station Norfolk fresh from its delivery to the fleet. Robert E. Simanek is undergoing its extended maintenance at Alabama Shipyard in Mobile, Ala., where it will remain until September 2027, according to the MSC spokesperson. The crew is expected to be trained and certified for operations by November 2027, at which time Robert E. Simanek will be considered “ready for tasking.”
Meanwhile, the other two ESBs – USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5) and USS John L. Canley (ESB-6) – have remained in theater, and were spotted in recent months in the U.S. 5th and 7th fleets, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.
