Construction of US Navy’s 6th ESB nearing completion

The final block has been placed on the future USS John L. Canley (ESB 6), the sixth expeditionary sea base (ESB)  built for the US Navy, according to the shipbuilding company General Dynamics NASSCO.

The US defense department awarded General Dynamics NASSCO a $1.6 billion contract for the construction of the sixth and seventh ships of the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program in 2019. On 10 November 2020, Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite announced that ESB 6 will honor Medal of Honor Recipient Marine Corps Sergeant Major (Retired) John L. Canley.

US-based engine manufacturer Fairbanks Morse has been contracted to provide engines for the US Navy’s sixth ESB.

ESB class ships are used for a wide range of military operations and may support multiple operational phases. Among these are air mine countermeasures (AMCM), counter-piracy operations, maritime security operations, humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions and US Marine Corps crisis response.

“Once completed, the ship will provide the navy with a modular mobile operating base designed to support multiple maritime-based missions,” the company noted.

ESBs are commanded by a Navy O-6 with a hybrid-manned crew of military personnel and Military Sealift Command civilian mariners. This designation provides combatant commanders greater operational flexibility as to how the platform is employed.