The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of USNS John L. Canley (ESB 6), March 1. ESB-class ships are highly flexible platforms that support various military operations such as Airborne Mine Counter Measures (AMCM), Special Operations Force (SOF) operations, Crisis Response Sea-basing (e.g., Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force), Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Unmanned Aviation Systems (UAS) operations. The ships are part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces. The ESDs are operated by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command with predominantly civilian crews, while the ESBs, owing to the nature of their operations, have been commissioned and are operated directly by the Navy with military personnel.
USS John L. Canley (ESB-6) is the fourth Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base (ESB) of the United States Navy, and the first ship to be named for Medal of Honor recipient John L. Canley. John L. Canley was constructed in San Diego, California by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO). Like her sister ships, she is also a sub-variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer dock (ESD). Although without any ceremony at the time, the keel for the ship was laid at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego on 16 November 2020.[7] On 30 April 2022, an official ceremony was held. The ship was christened at the shipyard by Canley’s daughter and ship’s sponsor Patricia Sargent on 25 June 2022, just five weeks after Canley’s death.
“Today’s delivery highlights the strengths of the Navy and our industry partners, working together to bring ESB 6 and its range of capabilities to the fleet,” said Tim Roberts, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager, Program Executive Office, Ships. “Sergeant Major Canley nobly served his country, and his namesake ship will help provide the warfighter with capability and access.”
The ESB ship class has a flight deck with four aviation operating spots capable of supporting MH-53E helicopters; accommodations; workspaces; and ordnance storage for embarked forces, enhanced command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence. These ships also feature a reconfigurable mission deck area to store equipment, including mine sleds and Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats. Construction of the future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7) is ongoing at General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, Program Executive Office, Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, and boats and craft.
