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USS Hershel “Woody” Williams Arrives in Nigeria for Maritime Security Engagement

210807-N-LK647-0202 LAGOS, Nigeria (Aug. 7, 2021) Capt. Chad Graham, commanding officer, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams, left, meets with a Nigerian Navy commodore aboard the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4), Aug. 7, 2021. Hershel "Woody" Williams is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national interests and security in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Malachi Lakey/Released)

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Photo by: Petty Officer 3rd Class Malachi  

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USS Hershel “Woody” Williams Arrives in Nigeria for Maritime Security Engagement

210807-N-LK647-0202 LAGOS, Nigeria (Aug. 7, 2021) Capt. Chad Graham, commanding officer, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams, second from right, and Nigerian Navy leadership salute as the Nigerian Navy band plays the United States national anthem on the pier beside the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4), Aug. 7, 2021. Hershel "Woody" Williams is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national interests and security in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Malachi Lakey/Released)

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USS Hershel “Woody” Williams Arrives in Nigeria for Maritime Security Engagement

210807-N-LK647-0129 LAGOS, Nigeria (Aug. 7, 2021) The Nigerian Navy band plays as the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) pulls into port, Aug. 7, 2021. Hershel "Woody" Williams is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national interests and security in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Malachi Lakey/Released)

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Officers assigned to the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) participated in a maritime interoperability planning event with leaders from the Nigerian Navy, Aug 7.

Hershel “Woody” Williams is scheduled to participate in a three-day at sea training exercise with Nigerian offshore patrol vessels and members of Ghana’s Special Boat Squadron (SBS). Over the last decade, Gulf of Guinea nations have steadily increased their capability of working together and sharing information.

Capt. Chad Graham, Hershel “Woody” Williams’ commanding officer, also met with the chief of operations for the Nigerian Navy Western Naval Command (WNC), Commodore Daupreye Franklin Matthew, to discuss their shared commitment to a peaceful, well-policed Gulf of Guinea.

“Maritime engagements that include many navies working together really improve our interoperability and collective capability, which are absolutely necessary for a busy area such as the Gulf of Guinea,” Graham said. “We’re happy to be working with our Nigerian partners to plan our at-sea multinational engagements, and we’re looking forward to a successful event that demonstrates our commitment to maritime security in the region.”

While visiting Lagos, Sailors assigned to Hershel “Woody” Williams will also help paint Lagos State Model Nursery and Primary School Achakpo Ajegunle, as well as play sports with members of the Nigerian Navy.  

“We greatly appreciate Nigeria, and the city of Lagos, for welcoming our crew to their country,” Graham said. “Nigeria is the lynchpin for Gulf of Guinea maritime security; our Sailors are excited to be working with their counterparts at sea and to engage with Nigerian communities ashore.”

Nigeria maintains the largest navy in the Gulf of Guinea region and is critical to security and stability in Africa.

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams is the first warship permanently assigned to the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility. The U.S. shares a common interest with African partner nations in ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation on the waters surrounding the continent, because these waters are critical for Africa’s prosperity and access to global markets.

For over 70 years, U.S. Sixth Fleet forces have forged strategic relationships with our allies and partners and solidified a foundation of shared values, experiences, and vision aimed at preserving security and stability.

The ESB ship class is a highly flexible platform that may be used across a broad range of military operations. Acting as a mobile sea base, they are part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces and supplies to support missions assigned.

U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.