Japanese shipbuilding company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has completed a five-month regular overhaul (ROH) of the US Navy’s Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5).
The ROH marks the first time a Japanese shipyard has bid on and won an ROH contract of this scale for a U.S. Navy Vessel. The ROH is a much larger work than voyage repairs (VRs), which have been conducted at the shipyard previously.
The US Ship Repair Facility and Regional Maintenance Center’s (SRF-JRMC) Singapore Detachment, which usually supports the ship’s maintenance availabilities, planned the $12 million project executed by MHI.
During the availability, 56,000 square feet of nonskid decking was replaced on the flight deck and mission deck. In twenty-nine spaces, including the galley, scullery, laundry, and berthing areas, deck replacement and preservation were accomplished, according to the navy.
Over 10,000 square feet of the forward deckhouse superstructure and MOGAS deck and associated equipment were also preserved. MHI also fabricated, welded, and replaced over 300 feet of flight deck catwalk safety handrails. Additionally, four galley ovens were replaced, and the entire exterior of the ship was painted bow to stern.
This was the first ROH for the Singapore Detachment, according to Douglas Cabacungan , the Project Manager.
“Usually, we provide shorter emergent and continuous maintenance repairs outside of Japan,” said Cabacungan.
“So, we were able to expand our skill set, work outside of our comfort zone, and work with a contractor we normally do not work with which will pay dividends when we need to start operating in places we aren’t currently.”
“The ability to use Mitsubishi Heavy Industry’s shipyard to conduct this level of maintenance availability has allowed SRF-JRMC’s organic workforce in Yokosuka to focus their efforts on the three other warship maintenance availabilities being conducted simultaneously,” said Capt. Wendel Penetrante , Commander of SRF-JRMC.
“We were even able to complete one of those availabilities 3 days early and respond to two unplanned voyage repairs.”
The USS Miguel Keith is a 240-meter-long vessel designed to be a customizable floating command base that can launch helicopters and small boats, provide living quarters for troops, and command-and-control facilities.
Its large open decks can accommodate a variety of other capabilities, including berthing for special operations troops, laundry facilities, or cold storage.
The ship has been operating in the US 7th Fleet area of operations since September 2020 with a mixed crew of sailors and civilian mariners from Military Sealift Command (MSC).
Last year, the US Navy christened USNS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7), the fifth ship in the Expeditionary Sea Base program .