ESB Williams completes first-ever integrated trials for an expeditionary sea base

The Expeditionary Sea Base Hershel "Woody" Williams (T-ESB-4) completed the first-ever integrated trials for the ship class, according to the Navy.

Integrated trials combine both builder's and acceptance trails, which allow General Dynamics NASSCO to demonstrate to the service's Board of Inspection and Survey the ship's operational capability and mission readiness of its combat systems during a single underway period.

"During the trials we were able to conduct a number of tests including full power propulsion, steering and anchoring," Capt. Scot Searles, strategic and theater sealift program manager at the program executive office for ships, said in a statement. "ESBs are versatile platforms, and the ship handled extremely well, demonstrating its readiness for delivery."

Williams is the second platform of the ESB variant and has a maximum speed of 15 knots and a range of 9,500 nautical miles. The ship can hold 100,000 gallons of potable water and 350,000 gallons of JP-5 jet fuel.

"Acting as an expeditionary sea base, ESB-4 is optimized to support a variety of maritime-based missions including special operations force and airborne mine countermeasures," according to the Navy. "The ESBs include a four-spot flight deck and hangar and are designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support, and command and control assets."