# US Navy Expeditionary Sea Base program completion

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-navy-expeditionary-sea-base-program-completion
> Updated: 2026-08-31T09:22:29.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2.

The US Navy has officially taken delivery of the USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr., a 784-foot, 90,000-ton expeditionary sea base (ESB) built by General Dynamics NASSCO. The vessel’s arrival marks the completion of the strategic ESB program, bringing the total number of ships in this fleet to six.

Named after a Korean War Medal of Honor recipient, the ship is designed to support maritime missions including special operations, airborne mine countermeasures, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as humanitarian assistance. The vessel features a mission deck and a flight deck capable of accommodating V-22 Osprey aircraft and heavy-lift helicopters.

Following its delivery, the ship will undergo post-delivery testing, system certification, and operational evaluations to validate its command-and-control infrastructure and air operations capabilities prior to full deployment.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-31: US Navy receives USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. logistics ship

The US Navy has received the USNS ‘Hector A. Cafferata Jr.’, completing its fleet of six Expeditionary Sea Base ships designed for remote logistics and power projection.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-navy-receives-usns-hector-a-cafferata-jr-logistics-ship

### 2026-08-26: US Navy accepts delivery of final expeditionary sea base

The US Navy has accepted delivery of the USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr., its final expeditionary sea base, in San Diego to support diverse maritime and special operations missions.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-navy-accepts-delivery-of-final-expeditionary-sea-base

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Cite as: US Navy Expeditionary Sea Base program completion. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-navy-expeditionary-sea-base-program-completion