The Military Sealift Command’s newest Expeditionary

The Military Sealift Command’s newest Expeditionary Mobile Base, USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams (T-ESB-4) docked behind the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. The ship is scheduled to be commissioned during the first week of March 2020. The ship bears the namesake of the only surviving WWII USMC Medal of Honor Recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima, then Corporal Hershel “Woody” Williams, whose actions while assigned to the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division on February 23, 1945 earned him the nations highest honor in October 1945. The Battle of Iwo Jima raged from February through March 1945, and was one of bloodiest amphibious operations during WWII resulting in 27 Medal of Honor Recipients many of whom were awarded posthumously. The panoramic photo was captured from the aft missile deck of the decommissioned Iowa-Class Battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64), which is moored permanently next to the Naval Museum as a museum ship (US Navy Photo by Max Lonzanida/Released).