We interview the Commanding Officer of Expeditionary Sea Base 6. Capt. Thomas Mays, as he takes us around his very large ship.
USS John L. Canley (ESB 6) was commissioned at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California, Feb. 17, 2024.
Expeditionary Sea Base ships are highly flexible platforms used across a broad range of military operations supporting multiple operational phases. Acting as a mobile sea base, they are a part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces and supplies to provide prepositioned equipment and sustainment with adaptable distribution capability.
These Expeditionary Sea Base vessels typically support Aviation Mine Countermeasure and Special Operations Force missions. In addition to the flight deck, the ESB has a hangar with two aviation operating spots capable of handling MH-53E equivalent helicopters, accommodations, workspaces, and ordnance storage for embarked force, enhanced command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I). These ships support embarked force mission planning and execution and has a reconfigurable mission deck area to store embarked force equipment, including mine sleds and Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs).
In 2020, Former Secretary of the Navy, Kenneth J. Braithwaite, declared that the fourth ship in the ESB program be named after Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. Maj. John L. Canley. Canley rescued more than 20 fellow Marines under enemy fire in Vietnam during the Battle of Huế City in 1968. In addition to the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest honor, Canley also receive the Bronze Star with Combat “V,” and the Purple Heart.
to launch and recover the boats and UxVs.
Lewis B. Puller-class ESB characteristics
Builder: GD NASSCO
Propulsion: Diesel Electric
Length: 239.3 meters (785 feet)
Beam: 50 meters (164 feet)
Draft: 10.5 meters (fully loaded)
Displacement: 90,000 tons (fully loaded)
Speed: 15 knots
Range: 9,500 nautical miles
Crew: 44 Military Sealift Command personnel + 101 military crew (accommodations for 250)