MAY 6, 2025 – Naval Station Norfolk welcomed the U.S. Navy’s newest vessel USNS Robert E. Simanek (T-ESB 7) to its new home on May 5, after completing its maiden voyage from San Diego, Calif. The event was attended by friends and family, including his daughter, Ann Simanek Clark who serves as the ship’s sponsor.
Simanek is named in honor of Private First-Class Robert Earnest Simanek, a decorated U.S. Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Korean War.
Simanek is the fifth expeditionary sea-base vessel, a variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer dock (ESD) platform, built for Military Sealift Command (MSC). ESBs are highly flexible platforms that provide logistics movement from sea to shore, supporting a broad range of military operations.
Simanek’s Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Michael J. Cullen said the crew is excited to welcome this new hull to the fleet. “For most of our Sailors, this is their first time working on a hybrid manned ship. “When Sailors and civilian mariners come together with a common goal, the Navy can achieve greater operational efficiency, flexibility, and readiness – all of which is of vital importance to its future.”
This hybrid crew concept has been previously proven on commissioned warships such as USS Frank Cable (AS 40), USS Emory S. Land (AS 39), USS Mount Whitney (LLC20), USS Ponce (AFSB(I) 15), and USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4).
While homeported in Norfolk, Simanek’s crew will be 100-plus strong, with a complement of U.S. Navy Sailors and officers, known as the blue and gold military crews, who alternate manning the vessel and allowing for continuous strategic deterrence patrols at sea, and civilian mariners who operate, navigate, and maintain the vessel.
While today marks the end of Simanek’s maiden voyage, it is also a new beginning for our crew as they come together to forge new bonds, Cullen said. “Being able to build comradery helps to create a sense of trust among the men and women who serve aboard the vessel, enabling them to rely on each other’s skills and expertise, regardless of rank or background.”
The 784ft.-long vessel is designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging, and command and control assets. It will primarily support a variety of aviation mine countermeasures and special operations missions freeing up amphibious warships and surface combatant ships to be reassigned for more demanding operational missions.
With a 9,500 nautical mile range at a sustained speed of 15 knots, Simanek is approximately 90,000 tons and has a beam of 164 feet. Additionally, the ship’s size allows for 25,000 square feet of vehicle and equipment stowage space and 380,000 gallons of JP-5 fuel storage.
MSC operates approximately 125 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, and strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world while moving military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
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For more news from Military Sealift Command, visit https://www.msc.usff.navy.mil/
Story by LaShawn Sykes
USN Military Sealift Command