The Navy’s forward-deployed European and African sea base is again within the U.S. after virtually 5 years and set for a upkeep interval in Newport Information, USNI Information has realized.
USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4) returned to the East Coast on Thursday after being stationed in Souda Bay, Greece, since 2020 and is ready to start a upkeep interval, a Navy Sealift Command spokesperson advised USNI Information on Monday.
“Williams returns to Norfolk’s waters with a hybrid-manned crew of 44 Navy Sealift Command civil service mariners who operated, navigated, and maintained the vessel and 85 U.S Navy sailors,” reads an announcement from the service.
USNI Information beforehand reported that Williams and the U.S. Central Command-based USS Lewis Puller (ESB-3) have been two ships MSC recognized for potential layup to ease the stress on the civilian mariner drive. Based mostly on the design of an Alaska-class oiler, the ESBs are designed to function floating bases for each mine countermeasures and particular operations forces. Able to supporting helicopters as giant because the CH-53E and the MV-22B tiltrotor, the ships have been in excessive demand each in CENTCOM and AFRICOM for a wide range of missions.
Throughout its final patrol, Williams grounded off the coast of Gabon, which resulted within the removing of the ship’s commander.
The ESB usually sailed off the coast of Africa, beginning shortly after its preliminary deployment to the area, working with smaller regional navies and coast guards that might in any other case not work together with a U.S. warship. The ship operated from Souda Bay with a hybrid crew of each Navy sailors and civilian mariners utilizing alternating blue-gold crews like ballistic missile submarines, the place two crews function the identical vessel to maximise operational time underway.
“Williams will spend every week at Naval Station Norfolk, offloading her gas earlier than shifting to the East Coast Restore and Fabrication Shipyard in Newport Information, Va., the place she will probably be in lay berth awaiting her subsequent tasking,” reads an announcement from the Navy
The Navy has not introduced a alternative for Williams.
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