“Your ship looks like a parking garage.”
While serving on board the USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3), one is bound to hear such comments from friends, family members, and passersby. The Navy’s expeditionary sea base ships do have a unique look—almost as if the Navy purchased an Alaskan oil tanker, cut out the middle section, built a parking garage, then stuck a 50,000-square-foot flight deck on top.
Essentially, that is what the Navy did.
General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company has built and delivered three ESBs to the Navy thus far: the Lewis B. Puller, Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4), and Miguel Keith (ESB-5). With three units operational, the Navy now must ask some key questions:
• Has the ESB delivered what was expected?
• Should the program be continued?
• Do the ESB’s mission and/or the ship’s configuration need to be changed or modified?
During a spring-summer 2021 deployment in the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean, the Lewis B. Puller participated in exercises and operations with multiple Fifth Fleet combined task forces, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG). As the Lewis B. Puller Blue Crew leadership team, we held many reflective sessions (formal and informal) to assess both our performance as a crew and the efficacy of the ESB. We identified multiple successes, as well as some opportunities for improvement.
Aviation Workhorse
The team first reflected on what the ESB does exceptionally well: aviation. As CSGs and ARGs spend less time in the Arabian Gulf, Fifth Fleet shore-based tilt-rotor and rotary-wing aviation elements have fewer opportunities to maintain their at-sea deck landing qualifications using traditional platforms. Throughout 2021, the Lewis B. Puller served nine different types/models/series of aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (H-60, CV-22, MV-22, AH-64, MH-53, UH-1Y, Puma, AH-1Z, and Scan-Eagle) from joint and coalition partners, totaling more than 1,200 takeoffs and landings.
During the Afghanistan drawdown, she conducted staging operations that provided critical contingency options in support of the State Department’s noncombatant evacuation operations.
We concluded that one of the best ways to demonstrate the Lewis B. Puller’s aviation capabilities to the fleet is through interoperability opportunities.
Evolving Missions
As the Lewis B. Puller continues to establish an operational cadence in the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, a mission set has begun to evolve beyond the airborne mine countermeasures (AMCM) and special operations missions that were broadly defined in initial planning documents. For example, Blue Crew completed more than 80 ScanEagle unmanned aerial system operations totaling 1,200-plus flight hours in support of Fifth Fleet and Central Command priority intelligence requirements. More than 1,000 hours of digital video and 500 images were collected across 20-plus named areas of interest. Thus, we recommend adding unmanned systems–based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance as a mission area in the ESB’s required operational capabilities and projected operational environment (ROC/POE) documents.
Similarly, although AMCM is listed as an intended capability in the vessel’s ROC/POE, underwater MCM (UMCM) is not. In June 2021, the Lewis B. Puller hosted a task unit responsible for UMCM operations in the Fifth Fleet area of operations. The team operated Mk 18 Mod 2 unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and circular synthetic aperture sonar. The mission deck was able to hold the UMCM team’s multiple boxes, boats, and trailers. Using the ship’s cranes and forklifts, the Lewis B. Puller crew safely and efficiently completed 18 rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) launches and more than 20 UUV and ROV launches. The team used the Lewis B. Puller’s spacious tactical operations center for off-ship communications and the forward house briefing room for daily debriefs and next-day planning.
Along with the accolades, the combined Lewis B. Puller/UMCM team also considered some possible drawbacks of the ESB—for example, whether the high freeboard constrains the vessel’s ability to launch and recover 7-meter and 11-meter RHIBs.
The Navy should consider adding UMCM and/or experimental MCM as a mission area in the ESB’s ROC/POE. We recommend Fifth Fleet conduct additional task force deployments to test the Lewis B. Puller’s full mine countermeasure capabilities and capacity. For example, how many UUVs and ROVs can be operated concurrently? What is the ESB’s production capacity (square miles per operational day)?
Challenges Of The Hybrid Model
The Lewis B. Puller is manned by a hybrid crew of civilian mariners and military personnel. While the hybrid model is time-tested and typical on a Military Sealift Command USNS vessel, it is less often applied on board a Navy combatant. When Blue Crew arrived on board the Lewis B. Puller, we learned: (1) On the bridge, the mate on watch (MOW) has responsibility for navigation and shiphandling; (2) also on the bridge, the ship’s antiterrorism tactical watch officer (ATTWO) has responsibility for close-in force protection; and (3) a mission watch officer (MWO) stands watch in the forward house briefing room, working less as a mission or battle watch captain and more as a communications watch. The MWO was largely manned by the ship’s five-member intelligence detachment.
As Blue Crew conducted multiple drills and evolutions in the Arabian Gulf, we noted that, unlike other ESBs, the Lewis B. Puller generally operates within 30 miles of a major adversary. She regularly encounters adversary aircraft, drones, and surface vessels. We discussed multiple instances in which internal tactical communications that would flow consistently within a traditional Navy combatant were constrained by the hybrid manning model, which does not necessarily include trained, warfare-minded watchstanders at every watchstation. We felt strongly that the Lewis B. Puller needed a more integrated and aligned watch team.
As a remedy, we moved the MWO from the forward house briefing room to the bridge, broadened and clarified the responsibilities of the MWO, and emphasized the MWO as a key third element in the bridge watch team. Together, the MOW, ATTWO, and MWO formed the commanding officer’s bridge leadership team, collaboratively responsible for the multitude of activities that on board most Navy vessels would be performed by surface warfare officers.
Our long-term recommendation is to change the ship’s manning and organization structure, adding sufficient military personnel to maintain a 24/7, combat-ready, battle-minded bridge watch. In addition, the Navy should modify the port side of the bridge to add a fully functional mission watch station. In the meantime, ESB commanding officers should put the MWO on the bridge, where he or she has greater visual situational awareness, can provide 24/7 mission oversight, and fills the “white space” between the MOW and ATTWO. In addition, ESB commanding officers should emphasize the “M” in MWO and make clear that, for an ESB to operate as a USS, the MWO must strive to think and work as much as possible, not like a “comms watch,” but as a warfighter.
Interoperability Concerns
During August and September 2021, the Lewis B. Puller was deployed with the Ronald Reagan CSG in support of contingency operations aligned to the Afghanistan drawdown. For the Lewis B. Puller, the operation provided an opportunity to showcase her original intent as an afloat forward staging base that can support a multitude of aircraft and embarked equipment and personnel. The ship also was prepared, if necessary, to act as a staging point for evacuees being transported to various shore locations.
However, the operation also highlighted gaps in the ESB’s command-and-control capabilities. While most vessels in the CSG or ARG were able to maintain their normal level of connectedness and battlespace awareness using Link 16, the Lewis B. Puller had to communicate positional information via Mako Chat or radio. Her battlespace awareness was limited because she operates Global Command and Control System–Joint (GCCS-J) rather than GCCS–Maritime (GCCS-M).
The ESB’s resource
sponsor should consider a robust command-and-control upgrade, including the Navy Multiband Terminal satellite communications system, Common User Digital Information Exchange System, or Automated Digital Network System tactical wide-area network. The Lewis B. Puller has racks and antennae for high-frequency communications, but there are no installed PRC-150 or -160 radios. With the third-largest flight deck in the fleet and the ability to land all rotary-wing and tiltrotor aircraft in the U.S. inventory, the ESB also should have a 3D radar, identification friend or foe, and Link to improve communication with airborne and embarked assets. The ship also would benefit from the addition of an installed combat systems suite with integrated fire-control capability, defensive systems such as SeaRAM and the Mk 38 Mod 3 gun system, and a conversion from GCCS-J to GCCS-M. In addition, the Navy should look at the placement of the Lewis B. Puller’s satellite antenna to assess masking by the ship’s topside infrastructure.
Extreme Operating Environment
The Lewis B. Puller is permanently forward deployed in an extremely hot and dirty environment. The ship’s power plant is constrained by both high air and seawater temperatures, especially in shallow operating areas. Electrical and electronic systems were a constant concern.
The extreme heat caused the failure of a main diesel generator breaker (Level 4 casualty report) and cancellation of a planned operation. The ship’s air-conditioning systems, especially in the forward house, were difficult to keep operational in the extreme conditions. Many forward house workspaces were difficult to use during daylight hours, and most living spaces were kept barely comfortable using portable commercial off-the-shelf air-conditioning units and fans.
Blue Crew recommends the resource sponsor consider fast-tracking a planned ship alteration to relocate the Lewis B. Puller’s main diesel generator control cabinets to an air-conditioned workspace. The Navy also should survey and assess heat risk on all other electrical/electronic systems in the main and auxiliary engineering spaces, as well as living accommodations and workspaces in the forward house.
Imagining ESB’s Capabilities
In our meetings with various Central Command task forces and elements, we often heard such things as, “I know about the Lewis B. Puller, but I don’t really know what you guys do.” We typically responded by extending invitations to tour the ship. Visitors then were better able to envision how the ESB’s expansive flight deck, mission deck, and workspaces might enable their various missions. They often departed the gangway remarking, “Wow, I had no idea.”
The ESB’s resource sponsors should invest more effort in marketing the ESB. As theater commanders develop exercise plans, they would benefit by having the ESB and its capabilities fresh in their minds. This will require some creative Navy-wide outreach.
For example, imagine a combatant command exercise in which an ESB operates in concert with a Navy hospital ship to respond to a large-scale complex disaster such as a tsunami in a developing country that requires an immense, multinational humanitarian assistance/disaster response effort. Significant deck space would be needed for a multitude of aircraft and small craft moving evacuees from the hazard areas; moving them to more permanent shelters; and moving relief supplies to the affected zones. A video of such an exercise would help advertise the ESB’s ability to function as a humanitarian assistance/disaster response command-and-control node while concurrently launching and recovering U.S. and partner-nation aircraft and small surface craft and providing temporary shelter for thousands of evacuees.
Final Thoughts
The ESB’s multimission capability means the ship is good at many things—but not necessarily the best at anything. For example, the ESB lacks hangar space when compared with an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship and lacks cargo mobility when compared with a Military Sealift Command roll-on/roll-off vessel. However, throughout 2021, the Lewis B. Puller demonstrated the ability to flex to a variety of air, surface, subsurface, and information warfare-based operations.
Blue Crew’s deployment with the Ronald Reagan CSG and Iwo Jima ARG clarified in many minds the initial intent of the ESB. As the security situation in Afghanistan evolved through late 2021, the Lewis B. Puller took station in a strategic location, staged equipment and resources as she was designed, and integrated effectively with vessels and aircraft from the CSG, ARG, and other task force elements.
Across a variety of missions, the ESB already is a winner. With a few tweaks to the ship and her manning, and some additional experimentation, these platforms will be even more valuable fleet assets.
ABOUT THE EXPEDITIONARY SEA BASE
The expeditionary sea base (ESB) is 785-feet long and has a 164-foot beam, 40-foot draft, 90,000-ton displacement, 15-knot speed, and range of 9,500 nautical miles.1 It is intended to serve as a sea-based platform for a multitude of missions, including airborne mine countermeasures and special operations; to serve as a transfer point between large ships and small landing craft; and to allow equipment and cargo to be delivered from ship to shore when a permissive shore base is not available.2
The ESB includes a large flight deck with four rotary-wing landing spots. Beneath the flight deck is a lower-level mission deck. The ship is manned by a hybrid civilian and military crew and commanded by an active-duty Navy captain.
ESB’s aft house contains crew berthing and functional workspaces for 44 Military Sealift Command civil-service mariners. This crew is responsible for ship’s navigation, maintenance of base ship systems, sustainment systems, cranes/davits, fueling at sea, and damage control.
The ship’s forward house carries 100 active-duty Navy sailors, accommodations for 250 mission support personnel, multiple mission C4I workspaces, a helicopter hangar, mission functional workspaces, and multiple armories and magazines. The military crew is responsible for air operations, ordnance handling and management, mission deck and boat operations, shipboard physical security and force protection, maintenance of military communication equipment, forward house messing, berthing, and laundry services for embarked personnel.3
The Lewis B. Puller’s military crew includes Norfolk-based Blue and Gold crews who rotate on and off hull every five months. The ship herself remains homeported in Manama, Bahrain.
1. U.S. Navy Fact Files, “Expeditionary Sea Base,” 21 January 2021.
2. U.S. Navy, “Expeditionary Staging Base (ESB) Required Operational Capabilities (ROC) and Projected Operational Environment (POE),” 2015.
3. General Dynamics NASSCO, “ESB Program,” 2021.
The Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) in the Arabian Gulf.
The expeditionary sea base (ESB) is 785-feet long and has a 164-foot beam, 40-foot draft, 90,000-ton displacement, 15-knot speed, and range of 9,500 nautical miles.1 It is intended to serve as a sea-based platform for a multitude of missions, including airborne mine countermeasures and special operations; to serve as a transfer point between large ships and small landing craft; and to allow equipment and cargo to be delivered from ship to shore when a permissive shore base is not available.2
The ESB includes a large flight deck with four rotary-wing landing spots. Beneath the flight deck is a lower-level mission deck. The ship is manned by a hybrid civilian and military crew and commanded by an active-duty Navy captain.
ESB’s aft house contains crew berthing and functional workspaces for 44 Military Sealift Command civil-service mariners. This crew is responsible for ship’s navigation, maintenance of base ship systems, sustainment systems, cranes/davits, fueling at sea, and damage control.
The ship’s forward house carries 100 active-duty Navy sailors, accommodations for 250 mission support personnel, multiple mission C4I workspaces, a helicopter hangar, mission functional workspaces, and multiple armories and magazines. The military crew is responsible for air operations, ordnance handling and management, mission deck and boat operations, shipboard physical security and force protection, maintenance of military communication equipment, forward house messing, berthing, and laundry services for embarked personnel.3
The Lewis B. Puller’s military crew includes Norfolk-based Blue and Gold crews who rotate on and off hull every five months. The ship herself remains homeported in Manama, Bahrain.
1. U.S. Navy Fact Files, “Expeditionary Sea Base,” 21 January 2021.
2. U.S. Navy, “Expeditionary Staging Base (ESB) Required Operational Capabilities (ROC) and Projected Operational Environment (POE),” 2015.
3. General Dynamics NASSCO, “ESB Program,” 2021.
