SAN DIEGO – The keel for the longer term USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB 8), a Lewis B. Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base, was laid at GD NASSCO shipyard April 25.
The ship will likely be named for U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Personal Hector A. Cafferata Jr., who served with distinction throughout the Korean Conflict. Surviving the Battle of Chosin Reservoir amongst those that could be referred to as, “the Chosin Few,” Cafferata acquired the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for his life-saving heroism throughout that battle.
The modern keel laying ceremony represents the becoming a member of collectively of a ship’s modular elements on the land degree. As a part of the ceremony, the keel is authenticated when the sponsors etch their initials right into a ceremonial keel plate. The namesake’s daughter, Heather Cafferata, and granddaughter, Jessica Cafferata, attended the keel laying ceremony because the ship sponsors. The ceremony represents the connection between a ship and its sponsors, all through the ship’s life.
“We’re honored that the late Hector A. Cafferata’s Jr.’s legacy will stay on by means of this ship, and the keel laying is a primary step of many milestones to come back for this ship,” stated Tim Roberts, Strategic and Theater Sealift program supervisor, Program Government Workplace Ships. “ESBs present a crucial functionality to the fleet and supply elevated flexibility to our Sailors and Marines.”
Expeditionary Sea Base ships are extremely versatile platforms used throughout a broad vary of navy operations, supporting a number of operational phases. Performing as a cellular sea base, they’re part of the crucial entry infrastructure that helps deploying forces and provides to supply prepositioned gear and sustainment with adaptable distribution functionality.
These ships assist Aviation Mine Countermeasure and Particular Operations Drive missions. Along with the flight deck, the ESB options 4 aviation working spots and a hangar able to supporting MH-53E-equivalent helicopters; lodging, workspaces, and ordnance storage for embarked forces; and enhanced command, management, communications, computer systems, and intelligence (C4I). These ships assist embarked pressure mission planning and execution and have a reconfigurable mission deck space to retailer embarked pressure gear, together with mine sleds and Inflexible Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs).
GD NASSCO can also be at the moment establishing the longer term USNS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7) and John Lewis-class Fleet Replenishment Oilers Robert F. Kennedy (T-AO 208), Lucy Stone (T-AO 209), Sojourner Reality (T-AO 210) and Thurgood Marshall (T-AO 211).
As one of many Protection Division’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is chargeable for executing the event and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships and craft, auxiliary ships, particular mission ships, sealift ships and assist ships.
