U.S. Navy to Commission Expeditionary Mobile Base USS Miguel Keith

The U.S. Navy will commission its newest expeditionary mobile base, the future USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5), on May 8, at Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado, California.

The ship can accommodate roughly 100 military officers and crew, alongside 44 Military Sealift Civil Service Mariners. It is 785 feet in length, has a beam of 164 feet, and a navigational draft of approximately 39 feet.

The ship was built in San Diego by General Dynamics NASSCO and was delivered to the Navy on November 15, 2019.

USS Miguel Keith is the third Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB). ESB was previously known as Afloat Forward Staging Base. These vessels are flexible platforms that provide logistics movement from sea to shore supporting a broad range of military operations. The ESB is designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging area, and command and control.

USS Miguel Keith will be part of the Forward Deployed Naval Force operating from Saipan.