ESB Miguel Keith completes acceptance trials
The US Navy’s newest Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB), Miguel Keith (ESB 5), has completed acceptance trials with the navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey.
The week of trials took place off the coast of California following the vessel’s departure from the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co shipyard in San Diego.
According to the navy, all the ship’s major systems were successfully demonstrated and evaluated.
The navy’s ESBs are designed as highly flexible, modular platforms that are optimised to support a variety of maritime based missions including special operations forces and airborne mine counter measures support operations, along with humanitarian support and sustainment of traditional military missions.
Miguel Keith is the third platform of the ESB variant, and is scheduled for delivery in early fiscal 2020.
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