The U.S. Navy took delivery of its newest Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship, the future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7), named after the Korean war hero.
The addition to the fleet marks a significant enhancement in the Navy’s maritime “sea base” capabilities.
Named after Private First Class Robert Ernest Simanek, a Korean War hero awarded the Medal of Honor, the ship pays tribute to his valor. Simanek received the nation’s highest military decoration from President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953 for shielding fellow Marines from a grenade during the Battle of Bunker Hill.
“From christening in May 2024 to delivery, it has been an exciting time for those who spend each day preparing this ship to support our fleet. The ESB ship class is a highly flexible platform used across various military operations,” said Tim Roberts, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager at Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships.
At 785 feet in length and 90,000 tons fully loaded, the ESB ships, a variant of the mobile landing platform, are designed to support a wide range of maritime missions. These include air mine countermeasures, special warfare operations, counter-piracy efforts, maritime security, and humanitarian and disaster relief. The platform also supports various rotary-wing aircraft. The vessels boast a four-spot flight deck that can accommodate V-22 Osprey aircraft, complemented by mission decks and hangars.
The ESB ships were initially called the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) and the MLP Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB), respectively. However, in August 2017, upon arrival in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility, ESB 3, USS Lewis B. Puller, was re-designated from USNS and commissioned as a USS.
The delivery of the USS Robert E. Simanek by General Dynamics NASSCO represents the ongoing modernization of the U.S. Navy’s fleet. Previous ships in the ESB class include the USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3), USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4), USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5), and USS John L. Canley (ESB 6).
With the USS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB 8) already under construction, the Navy continues to expand its ESB fleet.
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