Hershel “Woody” Williams Departs for Inaugural Deployment

Photo By Max Lonzanida | The Military Sealift Command’s newest Expeditionary Mobile Base, USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams (T-ESB-4) docked behind the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. The ship is scheduled to be commissioned during the first week of March 2020. The ship bears the namesake of the only surviving WWII USMC Medal of Honor Recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima, then Corporal Hershel “Woody” Williams, whose actions while assigned to the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division on February 23, 1945 earned him the nations highest honor in October 1945. The Battle of Iwo Jima raged from February through March 1945, and was one of bloodiest amphibious operations during WWII resulting in 27 Medal of Honor Recipients many of whom were awarded posthumously. The panoramic image was captured from the fantail of the decommissioned Iowa-Class Battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64), which is moored permanently next to the Naval Museum as a museum ship. (US Navy Photo by Max Lonzanida/Released).  

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

07.27.2020

Courtesy Story

Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet   

The Blue Crew of the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) and the ship’s Military Sealift Command Civilian Mariners (CIVMARs) departed Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Jul. 27, on the ship’s inaugural deployment following its commissioning in March.

"As the commanding officer of the "Woody" Williams' Blue Crew, I can tell you that we are excited to embark on the ship's first deployment," said Capt. David Gray, commanding officer of the USS Hershel "Woody" Williams Blue Crew. "For the majority of our Sailors, this will be their first deployment, and I can't think of a more exciting area to operate in. We look forward to our deployment in U.S. Naval Forces Africa."

The ship is named for Marine Corps veteran, Hershel “Woody” Williams, known for his heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. On Oct. 5, 1945, President Harry S. Truman presented Williams with the Medal of Honor during a group ceremony at the White House.

The ship is designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging and command and control assets. It will primarily support a variety of aviation mine countermeasure and special operations missions freeing up amphibious warships and surface
combatant ships to be reassigned for more demanding operational missions.

“The Sailors and civilians assigned to the USS Hershel Williams will provide unique and valuable capabilities to the U.S. Naval Forces Africa commander,” said Rear Adm. Robert Katz, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2. “I have no doubt that this ship will make our Navy,
and its namesake, proud.”

The commissioning and deployment of Hershel “Woody” Williams follows USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3), which is forward deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Operations. The 784ft.-long vessel features a 52,000 square-foot flight deck, fuel and equipment storage, magazines, repair
and mission-planning spaces. Its features include a four spot flight deck, a mission deck and hangar, work and living spaces for a couple hundred staff and embarked personnel.

Williams will forward-deploy to the U.S. Naval Forces Africa area of operations. The crew will operate in a Blue/Gold rotation, similar to other Navy platforms, to meet Department of the Navy deployment policies.

Expeditionary Strike Group 2 provides an East Coast amphibious ready force that is manned, trained and equipped to fulfill amphibious requirements and to provide military commanders with a wide range of flexible capabilities including maritime security operations, expeditionary
power projection, forward naval presence and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

C2F exercises operational authorities over assigned ships, aircraft, and landing forces on the East Coast and the Atlantic.

For more news from U.S. 2nd Fleet, visit https://www.c2f.navy.mil/ and for more information visit http://www.facebook.com/US2ndFleet/ or http://twitter.com/US2ndFleet

• Date Taken: 07.27.2020
• Date Posted: 07.27.2020 14:30
• Story ID: 374649
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US