The US Navy christened its newest expeditionary sea base (ESB), the future USS John L. Canley, at General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, California, on Saturday, June 25.
The ship is named for Medal of Honor recipient, retired Sergeant Major John L. Canley. Canley, who served in the US Marine Corps for 28 years, was awarded the highest US military honour 50 years after his actions during the Vietnam War.
Once in service, the future John L. Canley will primarily support aviation mine countermeasure and special operations force missions. In addition to the flight deck, the ship has a hangar with two aviation operating spots capable of handling MH-53E Sea Dragon-equivalent helicopters.
The ship will also have accommodations, work spaces, and ordnance storage for an embarked force, enhanced command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence to support embarked force mission planning and execution, and a reconfigurable mission deck area to store equipment including mine sleds and rigid inflatable boats.
