Nichols Martin
The U.S. Navy and General Dynamics’ NASSCO subsidiary will christen the military branch’s second expeditionary sea base vessel Saturday at a company shipyard in San Diego.
Maj. Gen. Eric M. Smith, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, will be the principal speaker at the christening ceremony for the future USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams the Navy said Thursday.
The ship, dubbed ESB 4, is named after Chief Warrant Officer Hershel Woodrow Williams, who received a Medal of Honor for his efforts during World War II’s Battle of Iwo Jima.
His daughters Tracie Jean Ross and Travie Jane Ross will serve as the ship’s sponsors and will perform the bottle-breaking ceremony.
ESB 4 is designed with aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support and command-and-control systems that are built to aid maritime-based missions.
It is part of the Navy’s Montford Point class and scheduled to enter service in 2018.
