The Hershel "Woody" Williams is the second Montford Point-class expeditionary sea base and the first ship in the U.S. Navy named in honor of Marine Corps Reserve Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hershel W. Williams who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on February 23, 1945, during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, while assigned to the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division.

March 1, 2020 USNS Hershel "Woody" Williams (T-ESB 4) moored at Nauticus Pier in downtown Norfolk, Va.

March 7, USNS Hershel "Woody" Williams was redesignated into a commissioned warship USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony aboard the ship in Norfolk, Virginia. Capt. David L. Gray is the first commanding officer and will lead a hybrid crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and civilian mariners.

March 9, The Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth 1, Pier 6 on Naval Station Norfolk; Underway in the Virginia Capes Op. Area from March 16-23, March 27- April 6, April 9-14 and June 22-27.

July 27, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Blue) departed Norfolk to be forward-deployed in the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AoR).

August 8, The Hershel "Woody" Williams transited the Strait of Gibraltar eastbound; Arrived off the coast of Naples, Italy, on Aug. 11; Moored at Berth 10, Cruise Terminal in Port of Naples from Aug. 13-15; Transited the Strait of Messina southbound on Aug. 16; Moored at Berth K10, East Refueling Wharf in Souda Bay, Crete, from Aug. 18-20; Participated in a photo exercise (PHOTOEX) with the USNS Trenton (EPF 5) on Aug. 20.

From August 20-31, the Hershel "Woody" Williams conducted operations approximately 30-50 n.m. north of Souda Bay; Moored at Berth K10 again from Sept. 1-3; Transited the Strait of Sicily westbound on Sept. 5; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Sept. 8; Moored at Pier 3 on Naval Station Rota, Spain, to refuel from Sept. 9-11.

From September 11-14, the Hershel "Woody" Williams conducted operations in the Gulf of Cadiz; Participated in a PHOTOEX with the RMNS Mohammed V (FFGHM 611), while underway off the northwest coast of Morocco, on Sept. 15; Participated in a passing exercise (PASSEX) with the Senegalese Navy patrol vessel Kedougou (OPV 45) on Sept. 21.

September 26, The Hershel "Woody" Williams participated in a tracking exercise with the ITS Federico Martinengo (F596) and two Ivorian Navy patrol vessels, while underway off the coast of Abidjan; Participated in a tracking exercise with the GNS Ehwor (P37), while underway off the coast of Ghana, on Sept. 28; Participated in a joint naval drills with the NNS Okpabana (F93) and three Nigerian patrol vessels from Sept. 30- Oct. 2.

October 8, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams participated in a PHOTOEX in the Gulf of Guinea, as part of the multinational exercise Grand African NEMO; Anchored approximately 4 n.m. off the coast of Tema, Ghana, for fuel and supplies from Oct. 11-13; Transited northbound, east of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, on Oct. 19; Arrived off the coast of Rota, Spain, on Oct. 21.

October 22, ESB 4 moored at Pier 3 on Naval Station Rota for a four-day port call; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar eastbound on late Monday evening; Moored at Berth 10, Cruise Terminal in Port of Naples from Oct. 29-30; Transited the Strait of Messina southbound on Oct. 31; Moored at Wharf 6 in Port of Astakos, Greece, for upkeep from Nov. 1-9.

From November 9-11, the Hershel "Woody" Williams conducted operations approximately 20-50 n.m. southwest of Kefalonia Island; Conducted operations approximately 50 n.m. north of Souda Bay from Nov. 13-15.

November 16, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Blue) moored at Berth K14 in Souda Bay, Greece, for a two-day port call; Transited westbound, off the south coast of Sicily, on Nov. 20; Brief stop off the coast of Bizerte, Tunisia, on Nov. 23; Transited the Strait of Sicily eastbound, just after midnight, on Nov. 24.

November 26, The Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth K14 in Souda Bay for a two-day port call to refuel and celebrate the Thanksgiving Day; Transited the Suez Canal southbound on Nov. 30.

December 12, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams recently arrived off the coast of Somalia in support of Operation Octave Quartz, to relocate the U.S. DOD forces to other East Africa operating locations; Conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Big Horn (T-AO 198) on Dec. 26.

January 20, 2021 The Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Port of Djibouti, Djibouti, for a week-long port call; Conducted deck landing qualifications with the MV-22B Ospreys, assigned to the North and West Africa Response Force Aviation Combat Element, while underway off the Horn of Africa on Jan. 30; Moored at Tanker Berth 11 in Port of Djibouti from Feb. 1-2.

February 1, Capt. Michael E. Concannon (Gold Crew) assumed command of the ESB 4 during a crew exchange ceremony on board the ship in Djibouti, Djibouti.

February 8, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth 21, Kipevu Container Terminal in Port of Mombasa, Kenya, for a two-day visit, the first by U.S. Navy ship after a nearly 13 years; Moored at Berth 1, Eastern Mole in Port of Cape Town, South Africa, from Feb. 20-28; Transited northbound, approximately 30 n.m. west of Dakar, Senegal, on March 13; Transited east of Fuerteventura Island on March 16.

March 18, The Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Pier 3 on Naval Station Rota, Spain, for a three-day port call; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar eastbound on March 21; Transited the Strait of Sicily on March 24; Conducted operations in the Ionian Sea, approximately 40 n.m. southwest of Corfu Island, on March 26; Transited the Strait of Otranto northbound, just after midnight, on March 27.

March 28, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Viktor Lenac shipyard in Rijeka, Croatia, for a Mid-term Availability (MTA); Underway on May 12; Brief stop off the coast of Pula on May 13; Transited the Strait of Otranto southbound on May 14; Conducted operations approximately 50 n.m. north of Souda Bay on May 16.

May 17, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Gold) moored at Berth K14 in Souda Bay, Crete, for a three-day port call; Underway approximately 50 n.m. northwest of Bizerte, Tunisia, in support of exercise Phoenix Express, from May 23-26; Conducted operations approximately 50 n.m. west of Sicily on May 27; Brief stop off the coast of Tunis on May 28; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar westbound on May 31.

June 1, The Hershel "Woody" Williams conducted deck landing qualifications with two MV-22B Ospreys, assigned to the "Raging Bulls" of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 261, while underway approximately 50 n.m. southwest of Rota, Spain; Moored at Pier 3 on Naval Station Rota from June 2-5.

June 7, The Hershel "Woody" Williams arrived off the coast of Agadir, Morocco, in support of a multinational training exercise African Lion 2021; Moored at Eastern Quay in Port of Agadir from June 9-12; Conducted deck landing qualifications with two U.S. Army's MH-47G Chinook, assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), on June 12.

June 21, ESB 4 moored at Berth 15, Pier 1 in Port of Dakar, Senegal, for a four-day visit; Transited northbound, east of Fuerteventura Island, on June 28; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar eastbound on June 30; Moored at Berth 35, Dique Del Oeste Pier in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from July 2-5; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar westbound, just after midnight, on July 7.

July 7, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth 3/4, Pier 1 on Naval Station Rota for a six-day port call to conduct crew swap; Moored at Pier 3 from July 14-20; Transited southbound, east of Fuerteventura Island, just after midnight on July 22.

July 25, Capt. Chad W. Graham relieved Capt. David L. Gray as CO of the Hershel "Woody" Williams (Blue) during a change-of-command ceremony on board the ship, while underway off the west coast of Africa.

July 27, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams anchored approximately 1 n.m. off the coast of Monrovia, Liberia, for a four-day port visit; Moored at Berth 1, Container Terminal 2 in Port of Tema, Ghana, from Aug. 3-5; Moored at Berth 17/18, Port of Apapa in Lagos, Nigeria, from Aug. 7-9; Inport Tema again from Aug. 12-16; Anchored off Bata, Equatorial Guinea, from Aug. 24-26; Brief stop off the coast of Libreville, Gabon, on Aug. 27.

August 31, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams anchored approximately 2 n.m. off the coast of Lbreville for a four-day port visit; Moored at Multipurpose Terminal in Port of Luanda, Angola, from Sept. 7-12; Moored at Berth 1, Multipurpose Terminal in Port of Walvis Bay, Namibia, from Sept. 16-18; Arrived off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, on Sept. 23.

September 25, The Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth E, Duncan Dock in Port of Cape Town for a 15-day upkeep; Transited the southern tip of Africa eastbound, just after midnight, on Oct. 11; Moored at Cruise Berth in Port of Maputo, Mozambique, from Oct. 15-18; Conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1) on Oct. 20; Transited the Mozambique Channel northbound from Oct. 23-24.

October 29, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Blue) moored at Mahe Quay in Port Victoria, Seychelles, for a scheduled port call; Moved to anchorage, approximately 1 n.m. northwest of Saint-Anne Island, on Oct. 31; Underway on Nov. 1; Conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) on Nov. 5; Brief stop off the coast of Djibouti on Nov. 8 and 12th.

November 13, ESB 4 moored at Tanker Berth 12 in Port of Djibouti, Djibouti, for a two-day port call; Arrived off the north coast of Eritrea on Nov. 17; Transited the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait southbound on Nov. 27; Moored at Tanker Berth 11 in Port of Djibouti from Dec. 6-8, 12-13 and 16-17th.

December 21, The Hershel "Woody" Williams (Gold) transited the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait northbound, escorted by USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112); Transited the Suez Canal on Dec. 25; Moored at Berth K14 in Souda Bay from Dec. 27-29; Transited the Strait of Otranto northbound on Dec. 31; Conducted operations approximately 30 n.m. southwest of Sibenik, Croatia, on Jan. 2.

January 3, 2022 USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Viktor Lenac shipyard in Rijeka for a Mid-term Availability (MTA); Underway for sea trials on Feb. 16; Transited the Strait of Otranto southbound on Feb. 20; Transited the Strait of Sicily westbound, just before midnight, on Feb. 22; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar westbound on Feb. 25.

February 26, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth 3, Pier 1 on Naval Station Rota for a six-day port call; Transited southbound, east of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, just after midnight, on March 7; Moored at Berth 15, Pier 1 in Port of Dakar, Senegal, from March 10-12.

From March 12-16, the Hershel "Woody" Williams conducted operations off the coast of Gambia in support of exercise Obangame Express 22; Inport Dakar again from March 17-20; Conducted operations off the coast of Freetown, Sierra Leone, from March 23-28; Conducted operations off the coast of Praia, Cape Verde, on April 6; Anchored off Saint-Louis, Senegal, from April 9-11; Anchored off Dakar for a brief stop on April 12; Transited northbound, east of Fuerteventura Island, on April 15.

April 18, The Hershel "Woody" Williams (Gold) moored at Pier 3 on Naval Station Rota, Spain, for a two-day port call; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar eastbound on April 20; Moored at Quay 13b in Port of Civitavecchia, Italy, for a crew exchange from April 24- May 14; Transited the Strait of Sicily eastbound on May 16; Brief stop in Augusta Bay, Sicily, on May 17; Transited northbound, off the east coast of Crete, on May 20.

May 21, ESB 4 moored at Berth K10, East Refueling Wharf in Souda Bay, Crete, for a three-day port call; Arrived off the northeast coast of Tunisia, in support of exercise Phoenix Express 22, on May 27.

June 1, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams participated in a PHOTOEX with the USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), TN Syphax (P611), RMNS Bin Anzaran (P341), ANS Ezzadjer (922), ITS Vega (P 404), IGC Luigi Dattilo (CP 940) and Mauritanian Navy landing ship Nimlane (L981), while underway approximately 20 n.m. southwest of Pantelleria Island; Brief stop in Gulf of Tunis on June 2; Moored at Berth K10 in Souda Bay from June 5-11.

June 13, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Blue) transited the Suez Canal southbound; Transited the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, escorted by USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) on June 17; Moored at Tanker Berth 12 in Port of Djibouti from June 18-19; Brief stop off Djibouti on June 22.

July 3, The Hershel "Woody" Williams anchored approximately 2 n.m. off the coast of Victoria, Seychelles, for a four-day liberty port visit to celebrate the Independence Day; Conducted operations off the coast of Djibouti from July 14-15; Moored at Tanker Berth 12 in Port of Djibouti from July 16-21.

July 26, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams participated in a PHOTOEX with the USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3), while underway in the Gulf of Aden; Brief stop off Djibouti on July 28; Moored at Tanker Berth 12 again from July 29- Aug. 2; Moored at Malindi Wharf in Port of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from Aug. 13-16; Arrived off the coast of Beira, Mozambique, on Aug. 20; Transited the southern tip of Africa westbound on Aug. 28.

August 29, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth 1, Eastern Mole in Port of Cape Town, South Africa, for a two-day visit; Moored at Berth 9 in Port of Walvis Bay, Namibia, from Sept. 3-6; Anchored approximately 3 n.m. off the coast of Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo, on Sept. 11; Moored at Quay G in Port of Pointe-Noire from Sept. 12-13.

September 19, The Hershel "Woody" Williams (Blue) moored at Berth 2, Container Terminal in Port of Tema, Ghana, for a two-week upkeep and a crew exchange; Conducted operations off the coast of Luanda, Angola, from Oct. 10-11; Conducted operations off the coast of Pointe-Noire from Oct. 13-14; Brief stop off the coast of Libreville, Gabon, on Oct. 25; Arrived off the coast of Luanda on Oct. 29.

November 2, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at General Cargo Terminal in Port of Luanda for a six-day visit; Moored at Berth 9 in Port of Walvis Bay, Namibia, on Nov. 11; Moved to Berth 5 on Nov. 1?.

November 25, Capt. Lenard C. Mitchell relieved Capt. Michael E. Concannon as CO of the ESB 4 (Gold) during a change-of-command ceremony aboard the ship.

November 26, The Hershel "Woody" Williams departed Walvis Bay; Transited the southern tip of Africa eastbound on Nov. 30.?

December 10, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Pier 21, Port Reunion East in Le Port, Reunion, French overseas department, for a five-day liberty visit, the first by U.S. Navy warship after a nearly 13 years; Moored at Malindi Wharf in Port of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from Dec. 22-29.

January 11, 2023 USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Tanker Berth 12 in Port of Djibouti for a three-day port call; Moored at Tanker Berth 11 from Jan. 29- Feb. 2; Transited the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait northbound on Feb. 2; Conducted operations in the northern Red Sea from Feb. 6-7; Transited the Suez Canal on Feb. 8.

February 10, The Hershel "Woody" Williams arrived off the coast Hatay Province, Turkey, for possible Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response (HA/DR) operations, following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated Turkey and northern Syria on early Monday; Transited westbound, off the north coast of Cyprus, on Feb. 11.

February 12, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth K10, East Refueling Wharf in Souda Bay, Greece, for a three-day port call to onload humanitarian supplies; Transited eastbound, off the north coast of Cyprus, on Feb. 17; Conducted operations approx. 35 n.m. west of Latakia, Syria, from Feb. 18-27; Brief stop off the coast of Larnaca, Cyprus, on Feb. 26.

February 28, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth B5, Container Terminal in Port of Mersin, Turkey, for a brief stop to offload humanitarian supplies; Transited westbound, off the south coast of Crete, on March 2; Transited the Strait of Sicily on March 4; Moored at Quay 13b in Port of Civitavecchia, Italy, for a crew exchange from March 5-11.

March 12, The Hershel "Woody" Williams (Blue) transited the Strait of Messina southbound; Moored at NATO Fuel Pier in Augusta Bay, Sicilly, for a brief stop on March 13; Moored at Berth 6/7 in Port of Augusta on March 16; Moved to NATO Fuel Pier for a brief stop on March 28; Departed Augusta on April 8.

April 10, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Parlatorio Wharf on Palumbo Shipyard in Port of Valletta, Malta, for a Mid-term Availability (MTA).

April 2?, Capt. Amy E. Lindahl relieved Capt. Chad W. Graham as CO of the ESB 4 (Blue) during a change-of-command ceremony aboard the ship.

May ?, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams entered the Dry Dock #6 on Palumbo Shipyard; Undocked and moored at Parlatorio Wharf on July 3; Departed Malta on July 27; Conducted operations approximately 50 n.m. north of Souda Bay, Crete, on July 30; Moored at Berth K14 in Souda Bay for a crew exchange from July 31- Aug. 4; Transited the Strait of Sicily westbound, just after midnight, on Aug. 7; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Aug. 10; Brief stop off Rota, Spain, on Aug. 12.

August 14, The Hershel "Woody" Williams (Gold) moored at Pier 3 on Naval Station Rota to refuel; Moved to Berth 3, Pier 1 on Aug. 15; Departed Rota on Aug. 20; Transited southbound, east of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, on Aug. 22; Conducted operations of the coast of Accra, Ghana, from Aug. 31- Sept. 3; Conducted operations off the coast of Togo from Sept. 7-10.

September 11, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams anchored approx. 3 n.m. off the coast of Lome, Togo; Moored at Berth 5, Mole 2 in Port of Lome on Sept. 15; Moved to anchorage again, approx. 4 n.m. off the coast of Lome, on Sept. 20; Departed Togo on Sept. 27; Anchored approx. 3 n.m. off the coast of Tema, Ghana, for a brief stop on Sept. 29; Brief stop off the coast of Tema on Oct. 1.

October 2, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth 1, Container Terminal 2 in Port of Tema for a two-day visit; Conducted operations off the south coast of Dakar, Senegal, on Oct. 10; Transited northbound, east of Fuerteventura Island, just before midnight on Oct. 16; Conducted operations east of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote islands from Oct. 17-23; Arrived in the Gulf of Cadiz on Oct. 25.

October 26, The Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Berth 1, Pier 1 on Naval Station Rota for a two-day port call; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar eastbound on Oct. 28; Transited the Strait of Sicily on Oct. 31; Brief stop off Souda Bay on Nov. 6; Conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13), while underway east of Crete, on Nov. 7; Brief stop in Souda Bay on Nov. 14; Arrived off the east coast of Sicily on Nov. 16.

November 17, The Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at NATO Fuel Pier in Augusta Bay for a week-long port call to offload ammo; Transited the Strait of Otranto northbound, just after midnight, on Nov. 25; Moored at Berth 3 in Viktor Lenac shipyard in Rijeka, Croatia, for a Mid-term Availability (MTA) from Nov. 27- Feb. 9; Transited the Strait of Otranto southbound on Feb. 11.

February 13, 2024 USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Blue) moored at Berth 6/7 in Port of Augusta, Italy, for a two-day visit; Transited the Strait of Sicily westbound on Feb. 16; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Feb. 19; Conducted operations approx. 25 n.m. southwest of Rota, Spain, from Feb. 20-23; Moored at Berth 3, Pier 1 on Naval Station Rota from Feb. 23-28; Transited southbound, east of Fuerteventura Island, on March 1.

March 11, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams arrived off the coast of Ghana; Moored at Berth 2, Container Terminal 2 in Port of Tema from March 13-19; Participated in exercise Sea Lion from March 19-21; Conducted operations off the coast of Nigeria from April 7-14; Conducted operations off the coast of Ghana from April 16-18; Moored at Berth 1, Container Terminal 2 in Port of Tema from April 19-27; Moored at Berth 2, Container Terminal 2 in Port of Tema from April 29-30.

May 5, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Gold) moored at Multipurpose Terminal in New Owendo International Port, south of Libreville, Gabon, for a four-day visit in support of exercise Obangame Express 24.

May 9, The Hershel "Woody" Willams suffered a soft grounding around 2 p.m. local time, shortly after departing New Owendo International Port, and broke free around 6 p.m. at high tide; Anchored approx. 6 n.m. south of Libreville on Thursday evening; Underway on May 19; Transited northbound, off the coast of Dakar, Senegal, on May 26; Transited east of Fuerteventura Island on May 29.

From May 31- June 2, the Hershel "Woody" Williams conducted operations approx. 70 n.m. southwest of Gibraltar; Transited the Strait of Gibraltar eastbound on June 3; Moored at East Quay in Port of Malaga, Spain, from June 3- July 14.

July 8, Vice Adm. Thomas E. Ishee, Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet recently relieved of duty Capt. Lenard C. Mitchell due to a "loss of confidence in his ability to command." Capt. Michael E. Concannon assumed temporary command of the USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Gold).

July 14, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams transited the Strait of Gibraltar westbound on Sunday afternoon; Moored at Berth 3, Pier 1 on Naval Station Rota from July 15-17; Transited southbound, east of Fuerteventura Island, just after midnight on July 21; Transited off the coast of Dakar, Senegal, in the evening on July 24; Brief stop off the coast of Togo on July 31.

August 6, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams moored at Multipurpose Terminal in Port of Luanda, Angola, for a two-day visit; Anchored approx. 2 n.m. off the coast of Luanda from Aug. 8-9; Transited the southern tip of Africa eastbound, just before midnight, on Aug. 16; Transited the Mozambique Channel northbound from Aug. 20-21.

August 31, USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (Gold) moored at Mahe Quay in Port Victoria, Seychelles, for a three-day liberty visit; Anchored in Victoria Harbor for a crew exchange from Sept. 6-10; Conducted operations off the coast of Mombasa, Kenya, from Sept. 14-22; Moored at Berth 1, Mombasa Terminal in Port of Mombasa from Sept. 22-27; Transited the Mozambique Channel southbound from Sept. 29-30; Transited the southern tip of Africa westbound on Oct. 5.