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USNS John Glenn (T-ESD 2)

In May 2011, General Dynamics NASSCO received a $744 million contract modification to fully fund the construction of the first two ships of the class, the USNS Montford Point (ESD 1) and USNS John Glenn (ESD 2). Additional funding of $115 million for long lead time material and advanced design was awarded in August 2010. The first ship of the ESD program, USNS Montford Point (ESD 1) was delivered in May 2013, and the second ship, USNS John Glenn (ESD 2), was delivered in 2014.

USNS Montford Point (T-ESD 1) and USNS John Glenn (T-ESD 2) are configured with the Core Capability Set (CCS), which consists of a vehicle staging area, vehicle transfer ramp, large mooring fenders and up to three Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) vessel lanes to support its core transfer requirements.

Military Sealift Command large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Dahl (T-AKR 312) and Expeditionary Transfer Dock ship USNS John Glenn (T-ESD 2) made history with a series of “firsts” as they continue to support the Marine Corps exercise Pacific Partnership 2017 off the coast of Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Since 6 a.m., Friday, 7 July, Dahl and Glenn have been moored together, within feet of each other. The two ships are exercising the Navy’s Seabasing concept, moving supplies, food and equipment from Dahl, to the main deck of Glenn and onto Marine Corps Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCAC) for transfer to the beach. By the completion of the evolution July 11, the ships will have spent nearly 120 hours in this position, making it the longest ship-ship maneuver between and ESD and a RO/RO on record.

As a variety of Marine vehicles were transferred via ramp from Dahl to Glenn, on deck, the two ships conducted the first the first, at-sea crane transfer of cargo from a RO/RO to an ESD. Using a large deck crane, shipping containers of supplies were transferred from Dahl to Glenn and then loaded onto LCACS for beach delivery. The crane transfer demonstrates another aspect of the flexible platform the EDS provides in support of the Navy’s Seabasing concept, which enables large-scale logistics movements from sea to shore and prepositioned Marine Corps equipment from the Sea Base to the shore.