The last expeditionary sea base was delivered to the U.S Navy this week in San Diego, boosting the force’s maritime capabilities. General Dynamics NASSCO built the USS Hector A Cafferata Jr. (ESB-8), belonging to the Lewis B. Puller-class.
The USS Hector A Cafferata Jr. is 239 m long and displaces 90,000 tonnes when fully loaded. Its deck spans 52,000 square feet, and it can accommodate several fighter jets such as the MH-53E Sea Dragon, MH-60S Seahawk helicopters, MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and H-1 helicopters. The warship can reach 15 knots and has a range of 9500 nautical miles, with accommodations for 350 personnel.
The Navy has always forward-deployed these Expeditionary Sea Bases, which support the mine countermeasure ships and special operations forces. They provide logistics support from open waters to the shore for an array of military operations.
An official from the Navy said that everyone was happy to have another ESB in the US naval fleet. Three sea bases were put on extended maintenance periods in 2024 by
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