The US Navy has completed the first significant maintenance on the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) Puller-class expeditionary sea base vessel in Malta.
The regular overhaul is a periodic, depot-level refitting effort to sustain a ship’s mission capability and technical capacity throughout its service life.
Some regular overhauls are facilitated in a forward-deployed environment in partnership with the host nation where the vessel is located.
For the USS Williams, Palumbo Shipyards Malta provided the maintenance workforce and a site capable of docking the 71,000-ton ship.
Repairs were conducted according to the American Bureau of Shipping standards and ensured that the ship could accommodate a hybrid crew of military personnel and civil service mariners.
“Even though it was our first ROH in the European theater, our project team together with our industry partner deftly executed maintenance on critical areas of Hershel Woody Williams,” US Navy Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Commander Capt. Brian Karosich explained.
“With the ship continually deployed, keeping areas such as its expansive flight deck and mission deck safe and fully functional is paramount to its diverse operations throughout Africa.”
The USS Williams
The US Navy considers the Williams critical access infrastructure supporting international force and supply deployments.
The vessel has a 52,000 square-foot (4,800 square-meter) flight deck and a 25,000 square-foot (2,300 square-meter) foot mission deck.
The Williams is forward-deployed at Souda Bay in Greece and is the first vessel assigned to the US Naval Africa Command area of responsibility.
Alongside expeditionary missions, the ship undertakes maritime security, counter-piracy, and humanitarian tasks.