Navy accepts final ship in the Expeditionary Sea Base class

Seventy-six years after Medal of Honor recipient Pfc. Hector A. Cafferata Jr. saved fellow Marines during the Korean War by tossing away a live grenade, the Navy accepted the delivery of his namesake ship.

The USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. was delivered to the Navy on Tuesday in San Diego, according to a Navy news release. The shipbuilder, General Dynamics NASSCO, began construction in 2023 and delivered the ship to the Navy after successful integrated sea trials in July.

The Cafferata Jr. is an Expeditionary Sea Base, or ESB, that supports deployed forces and can carry equipment and supplies, according to the release.

“USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. will provide critical access infrastructure and logistics capability, supporting a variety of maritime based missions, including SOF, Airborne MCM, Crisis Response Force Sea Basing, ISR and Unmanned Aviation Systems,” the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy wrote in a post on X.

An undated photo of Pfc. Hector A. Cafferata, Jr. wearing his Medal of Honor. (U.S. Marine Corps)

The ship was christened during a ceremony on March 7 at the General Dynamics shipyard by the namesake’s daughter, Heather, and granddaughter, Jessica.

The Cafferata Jr. is the last ship in this class that was slated to be built. Preceding it were the USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3), USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams (ESB 4), USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5), John L. Canley (ESB 6) and the Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7).

The operational area of the Cafferata Jr. has not yet been announced.