Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams arrived at the Gulf of Souda in Crete early Tuesday morning. The US Navy’s newest helicopter carrier docked at the K-14 quay of the port in Marathi at the Naval Base of Souda, local media report.
The ship arrived form Italy where it refueled in the previous days.
The ship makes its first voyage since launching last March. It is 230 meters long and belong the the 6th Fleet of the US Navy.
The USS Hershel “Woody” Williams kicked off its first deployment on July 27, leaving Virginia for an extended deployment primarily to U.S. Africa Command (AFRCOM).
The ship of the second-in-class ESB, features a flight deck with four helicopter spots and a large reconfigurable mission deck for launching small craft, unmanned vehicles or other tools that embarked crews may bring with them.
The 100 sailors and 44 civilian mariners will conduct missions that include counter-piracy and partner-training operations – two of the key missions the Navy typically conducts in the AFRCOM area of operations – and special operations forces support, one of the two missions the ESB platform was originally built for.
More on the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams here.
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