The US Navy has christened its newest expeditionary sea base (ESB) vessel, the future USNS Miguel Keith (ESB 5).

The christening ceremony of the USNS Miguel Keith was held at General Dynamics NASSCO’s facility in San Diego.

ESB 5 is named after US Marine Corps Vietnam veteran Lance Corporal Miguel Keith, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in Vietnam.

The ship is sponsored by Miguel Keith’s mother, Eliadora Delores Keith.

US Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said: “USNS Miguel Keith honours the dedicated and heroic service of a fellow marine.

“This dedication will live on in the ship and her crew as they deploy around the world bringing additional capability to our fleet. This christening cannot be achieved without the dedication demonstrated by the men and women who worked tirelessly to build this ship.”

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The future USNS Miguel Keith is the third platform of the ESB variant in the Montford Point-class.

The Montford Point-class consists of two variants, including the ESB and the expeditionary transfer dock.

The five vessels in the class are built by General Dynamics NASSCO for the navy.

So far, the company has delivered four Montford Point-class ships. These are USNS Montford Point (T-ESD 1), USNS John Glenn (T-ESD 2), USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3), and USNS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams (ESB 4).

ESB 5 is expected to be delivered later this year.

The ESB variant ships are designed to support a range of missions, including special operations force (SOF) and airborne mine counter measures (AMCM).

Earlier this week, the navy announced the completion of acceptance trials of ESB 5 off the coast of southern California.