USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, First ESB to Complete Voyage Repair in South Africa

During the scheduled port visit, Hershel “Woody” Williams completed a 14-day maintenance period in Cape Town’s Cruise Terminal. The ship received preventative and preservative repairs to the flight deck safety nets, mission deck, freeboard and superstructure, as well as the insulation and lighting fixtures.

“As the only ship permanently assigned to AFRICOM, much of what we do is geared toward continuing to build ties with partner nations in Africa, and exploring how we can work together”

By U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet CAPE TOWN, South Africa Oct 14, 2021

View Gallery

Gallery contains 2 images

Photo 1 of 2

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, First ESB to Complete Voyage Repair in South Africa

Information System Technician 2nd Class Nathan A. Milca, right, and Electronics Technician 2nd Class Drake W. Childers perform annual maintenance on the forward house antennae aboard the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams while moored in Cape Town, South Africa, for a regularly scheduled maintenance period, Oct. 5, 2021. Hershel "Woody" Williams is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

Download image

Photo by: U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet

Photo 2 of 2

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, First ESB to Complete Voyage Repair in South Africa

Download image

Photo by: U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams is the first Expeditionary Sea Base to complete a voyage repair availability in South Africa, Oct. 11, 2021.

South Africa is an important partner of the United States in promoting peace and security in Africa. Both South Africa and the United States rely on maritime shipping, and free and secure sea-lanes for economic prosperity.

During the scheduled port visit, Hershel “Woody” Williams completed a 14-day maintenance period in Cape Town’s cruise terminal. The ship received preventative and preservative repairs to the flight deck safety nets, mission deck, freeboard and superstructure, as well as the insulation and lighting fixtures.

The VR work packages, comprised of two separate work packages, one for Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center and one for Military Sealift Command including varying work items for each, solicited to multiple potential contractors within U.S. Africa Command area of operations, was completed on, or ahead of schedule. This marked a milestone for maintenance in new and unchartered territory for the U.S. Navy.

This maintenance availability also prompted the first Naval Logistic Support flight into Cape Town, South Africa, in support of a U.S. Naval War Ship. The last military flight to land in Cape Town was in 2003.

The U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet Readiness and Logistics team and U.S. Embassy to Pretoria, South Africa, coordinated this critical logistic support through the Strategic Airlift Capability's multinational Heavy Airlift Wing, based out of Papa Air Base, Hungary. The C-17A Globemaster III with a Hungarian insignia owned by the 12 Member Nations of the Strategic Airlift Capability, is operated by 12 NATO and Partnership for Peace nations including the United States under the Strategic Airlift Capability program."

"I am so proud of the incredible cooperative efforts between our partners in South Africa, HAW, and our team to enable this milestone resupply flight for HWW,” said Rear Adm. Michael Curran, Readiness and Logistics, NAVEUR-NAVAF. “The accomplishment of the mission and level of coordination between the teams was nothing short of outstanding. This flight demonstrated what can be accomplished with our friends when we bring our collective capabilities together.”

The HAW is the first multinational military airlift unit in the world that provides worldwide airlift response capability for the 12 member nations. Operations can include national support to the European Union, NATO, United Nations operations, or national military, peacekeeping and humanitarian relief operations. In this case, the military flight carried approximately 26,000 pounds of critical medical and general material as well as mail and other items required to continue mission tasking in the southern border of the U.S. Africa Command and NAVAF area of operations.

Hershel “Woody” Williams previously visited Cape Town in February to resupply fuel and promote maritime security through a persistent presence in African waters. Hershel “Woody” Williams is the first warship permanently assigned to the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility.

“As the only ship permanently assigned to AFRICOM, much of what we do is geared toward continuing to build ties with partner nations in Africa, and exploring how we can work together,” said Capt. Chad Graham, commanding officer, Hershel “Woody” Williams. “This maintenance period was a perfect example of that, where we received mission critical repairs from a South African company, and benefitted the local economy.”

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.

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.

U.S. Forces conduct strike against ISIS-Somalia

AFRICOM and Norwegian Military Leaders Strengthen Maritime Security Cooperation in Africa

AFRICOM, U.S. Embassy Libya Discuss Security Cooperation with Libyan Leaders

AFRICOM Commander Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Algerian Ministry of National Defense

AFRICOM commander, Langley, key leaders visit eastern Africa

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

NAIROBI, Kenya – Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1: Dawn breaks over the capital of Kenya. A U.S. diplomat leaves his residence for the embassy. After a 20-minute ride, his car arrives at the gate and he enters. He sits in his office to begin the day when, all of a sudden, he hears an explosion through the open window. It seems far off; it is not a large explosion. He thinks maybe it was just a car accident, but minutes later he smells something bitter in the air. His eyes water, sirens blare and a U.S. Marine Corps security detail enters his office wearing gas masks. They put a mask on him and tell him they must evacuate immediately because a deadly chemical is blowing over the compound. Scenario 2: U.S. intelligence receives credible information that radiological material is being loaded onto a ship in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Time is short and no one knows which ship, only that it will embark soon, possibly bound for the hands of violent extremists or other state actors looking to imperil the U.S. homeland. There is no time to send U.S. security forces to intercept the package. Instead, the Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) mobilizes and arrives at the port. Using tactics and tools gained from years of training with the United States, they find the ship and the weapon, placed there by a violent extremist organization, and prevent its departure, defeating the threat to America and its citizens. Similar scenarios have happened before in other areas of the world.

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Belgian Ministry of Defence, in partnership with U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Indo Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Chaplain Directorates, hosted the world’s largest annual meeting of senior military religious leaders at the 36th Annual NATO & Partner International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference (IMCCC) in Brussels, Belgium, January 27-31, 2025.

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

United States Africa Command

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, First ESB to Complete Voyage Repair in South Africa

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, First ESB to Complete Voyage Repair in South Africa

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, First ESB to Complete Voyage Repair in South Africa