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USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5)

USS MIGUEL KEITH is one of the Expeditionary Sea Base Ships derived from the MONTFORD POINT - class Expeditionary Transfer Docks. The MIGUEL KEITH is the first ship in the Navy named after USMC Lance Corporal Miguel Keith who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for combat action in the Quang Ngai Province during the Vietnam War in 1970.

During construction, the MIGUEL KEITH was damaged when the drydock she was built in was accidentally flooded on July 11, 2018. Delivered to the Navy as USNS MIGUEL KEITH (T-ESB 5), she was commissioned as USS MIGUEL KEITH (ESB 5) on May 8, 2021, in order to provide combatant commanders greater operational flexibility to employ the ship in accordance with the laws of armed conflict. MIGUEL KEITH is crewed by US Navy personnel as well as civilian mariners from the Military Sealift Command.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS MIGUEL KEITH. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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USS MIGUEL KEITH History:

USS MIGUEL KEITH is the third MONTFORD POINT-class expeditionary sea base and the first ship in the United States Navy named in honor of Marine Corps Lance Corporal Miguel Keith, who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 8, 1970, during combat in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam. The ship's construction program was authorized in late 2016, and a keel-laying ceremony was held at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, California, on January 30, 2018. During construction, the ship was damaged during a dry-dock flooding incident on July 11, 2018, requiring repairs and recovery work before completion.

The ship was christened on October 19, 2019, in San Diego, and the Navy accepted delivery as USNS MIGUEL KEITH (T-ESB 5) on November 15, 2019. After completing the steps required to transition from delivery status to operational service, the ship was redesignated into a commissioned warship as USS MIGUEL KEITH (ESB 5) during a 10 a.m. Pacific time ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado, California, on May 8, 2021, with Capt. Troy A. Fendrick as the first commanding officer leading a hybrid crew of Navy sailors and civilian mariners. The ship then built readiness close to home with underway periods in the Southern California operating area from July 26 to July 30, 2021, and again from August 10 to August 20, 2021, before beginning its first extended forward deployment.

On September 7, 2021, USS MIGUEL KEITH (Blue) departed San Diego to be forward-deployed in the United States 7th Fleet area, reflecting the ship's role as a mobile sea base supporting distributed operations, partner engagement, and contingency response across the Indo-Pacific. The ship staged through Hawaii, mooring at Pier H2 on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam from September 14 to September 20, 2021, then continued west to Japan, anchoring off White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, from October 4 to October 6, 2021, anchoring again at A-39 in Sasebo Harbor from October 9 to October 12, and transiting the Osumi Strait eastbound on October 13.

USS MIGUEL KEITH then made an early forward-area port call at the General Purpose Wharf on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, from October 14 to October 18, 2021, before returning to Okinawa operating patterns with anchorages off White Beach from October 20 to October 22 and from October 23 to October 25. Around this same phase of late-October and November operations near Okinawa, the ship encountered drifting pumice associated with an underwater volcanic eruption that affected seawater systems and required sustained shipboard effort to maintain engineering reliability at sea. On November 11, 2021, USS MIGUEL KEITH entered the Republic of Korea for a major logistics and engagement stop, mooring at Pier 8 in Busan North Port for a 12-day port call through November 23, 2021, then shifting into a longer upkeep posture at Chinhae Naval Base, where it remained moored at the New Ammo Pier from November 23, 2021, to January 11, 2022, before moving back to the General Purpose Wharf at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni from January 13 to January 20, 2022.

The ship resumed Okinawa-area anchorage operations with a two-day stop about 1 nautical mile off White Beach beginning January 22, 2022, and a further brief White Beach stop on January 29, 2022. As regional tensions and alliance signaling remained a constant backdrop in the Western Pacific, USS MIGUEL KEITH took part in a photo exercise on February 7, 2022, with USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72), USS ESSEX (LHD 2), USS AMERICA (LHA 6), USS ASHLAND (LSD 48), USS MOBILE BAY (CG 53), USS DEWEY (DDG 105), USS SPRUANCE (DDG 111), and JS KONGO (DDG 173), while operating northeast of the Philippines, and around February 1, 2022, she was reported moored at Berth 2/3, Tango Wharf on Naval Base Guam. A crew-exchange ceremony followed on February 21, 2022, in Apra Harbor, Guam, when Capt. Patrick A. Keller (Gold) assumed command, underscoring the class' rotational crewing construct intended to sustain forward presence with predictable personnel cycles.

From Guam, USS MIGUEL KEITH departed on March 2, 2022, returned to Okinawa operating areas with an anchorage off White Beach from March 16 to March 17, and then shifted into the Philippines, mooring at Alava Pier in Subic Bay from March 23 to March 25, 2022. A further White Beach anchorage was reported on April 12, 2022. The ship then cycled through Japan again, with a scheduled port call at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni reported on April 18, 2022, pier visits at Akasaki Pier, Fleet Activities Sasebo from May 11 to May 12 and from May 21 to May 23, 2022, and another Iwakuni stay beginning May 25, 2022.

By mid-2022, the ship was again using Guam as a crewing and logistics hub, mooring at Berth 2/3, Tango Wharf in Apra Harbor for a crew exchange in early July 2022 and subsequently departing before transiting the Osumi Strait westbound on July 25 and continuing toward the Philippines. USS MIGUEL KEITH moored at Rivera Wharf East in Subic Bay from August 25 to September 6, 2022, made a brief stop in Sagami Wan on September 16, and transited the Osumi Strait westbound on September 22. A week-long port call at Akasaki Pier in Sasebo began on September 23, 2022, after which the ship returned to Subic Bay anchorage from October 14 to October 15, 2022, and then entered a significant maintenance period in Thailand: USS MIGUEL KEITH moored at Berth 6/7, Harbour Terminal in the port of Sriracha for a mid-term availability from October 22 to December 21, 2022. Immediately afterward, the ship continued south through Southeast Asia, making a brief stop off Laem Chabang on December 21, 2022, and mooring at Berth 3/4, RSS SINGAPURA from December 29, 2022, to January 7, 2023, positioning it to resume operational tasking across the First and Second Island Chains.

In early 2023, USS MIGUEL KEITH conducted operations off the southeast coast of Okinawa from January 16 to February 6, then anchored off White Beach from February 7 to February 8. She next returned to Korea, mooring at Pier 8 in Busan North Port from February 14 for a 15-day port call, and then transited the Korean Strait northbound on March 6, 2023, re-entering Japan to moor at Berth 3, Juliet Basin Wharf in Fleet Activities Sasebo from March 9 to March 14. A further Guam logistics interval followed, with USS MIGUEL KEITH moored at Berth 2/3, Tango Wharf from March 27 to April 3, 2023, before moving into Philippine waters again, transiting the San Bernardino Strait southbound on April 8 and the Verde Island Passage westbound on April 9. On April 10, 2023, the ship anchored south of the HHIC Phil shipyard in Subic Bay for a two-day stop as it prepared to support annual combined training, and on April 19 it participated in a photo exercise with the USS MAKIN ISLAND (LHD 8) Amphibious Ready Group and three Philippine Navy ships, aligning with a broader period of alliance training and interoperability building in the Philippines. USS MIGUEL KEITH returned to Guam from May 1 to May 8, 2023, transited the Balabac Strait westbound on May 14, and then moved into Singapore for a substantial port call, mooring at Berth 4, RSS SINGAPURA on May 18, 2023, for 20 days. The ship then resumed Japan-Guam shuttling typical of forward sustainment, mooring at Berth 7/8, India Basin in Fleet Activities Sasebo from June 17 to June 25, and at Berth 2/3, Tango Wharf in Guam from June 30 to July 3, before heading south for Australian operations.

In mid-2023, USS MIGUEL KEITH supported one of the region's largest multinational training events by deploying to Australia and operating in the exercise areas associated with Talisman Sabre 2023. She moored at Hayes Dock 3 in Port Botany, Sydney, from July 14 to July 17, 2023, conducted operations off Gladstone from July 20 to July 22, anchored about 12 nautical miles off Gladstone from July 22 to July 23, completed a replenishment-at-sea with USNS YUKON (T-AO 202) on July 24, and anchored off Gladstone again from July 27 to July 28. Soon after, the ship shifted to an unplanned real-world task: from July 30 to August 1, 2023, USS MIGUEL KEITH conducted search operations about 3 nautical miles south of Hamilton Island following the crash of an Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, then anchored about 2 nautical miles north of Hayman Island for an overnight stop on August 2.

The ship returned to Sydney, mooring at Cruiser Wharf, Garden Island Naval Base from August 5 to August 9, 2023, and then moved north toward Papua New Guinea. On August 14, 2023, USS MIGUEL KEITH arrived off the west coast of Bougainville Island for humanitarian assistance and disaster-response operations following the July eruption of Mount Bagana, demonstrating the class's utility for aviation support, staging, and logistics in austere environments. USS MIGUEL KEITH returned to Guam to reset, mooring at Berth 2/3, Tango Wharf from August 19 to August 24 and making a brief stop at Kilo Wharf on August 25, before resuming Northeast Asia rotations with a 17-day visit to Busan North Port beginning September 2, a brief stop in Sagami Wan on September 27, and a return to Guam at Tango Wharf from October 13 to October 20

After conducting operations off the west coast of Guam, it moored again from October 23 to October 24 and then transited the Surigao Strait southbound on October 28. A second major Thailand maintenance phase followed as USS MIGUEL KEITH moored at Berth 6/7, Harbour Terminal in Sriracha on November 3, 2023, for a 47-day mid-term availability. During this period, on December 7, 2023, Capt. Nathan W. Scherry relieved Capt. Patrick A. Keller as commanding officer of USS MIGUEL KEITH (Gold), continuing the ship's rhythm of rotational crewing and command continuity while forward deployed.

The ship opened 2024 back in the Marianas region, arriving off the west coast of Guam on January 1, 2024, and mooring at Berth 2/3, Tango Wharf from January 4 to January 22. She then shifted to Japan, mooring at Berth 1/2, Akasaki Pier in Sasebo from January 29 to January 31, and moved into early-February operations off Okinawa in support of workups for the USS AMERICA Amphibious Ready Group. In late February, the ship entered Southeast Asia for combined training, arriving off Sattahip, Thailand, on February 29, 2024, in support of Cobra Gold 2024, and conducting deck landing qualifications on March 2 with United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64E Apache helicopters, reflecting the sea base's role as an enabling platform for joint aviation integration.

USS MIGUEL KEITH returned to Sasebo beginning March 14 for a 17-day port call, then shifted to Korea, mooring at Busan Naval Base from April 1 to April 3, operating off Pohang from April 4 to April 7, and returning to Busan from April 8 to April 19. A further Japan stop followed on May 21, 2024, when USS MIGUEL KEITH moored at the General Purpose Wharf on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni for five days, and the ship later conducted operations near the Korea Strait and Tsushima Island, transiting northbound on June 27 and operating about 10 nautical miles north of Tsushima from June 27 to June 28 before settling into an extended Busan North Port period from June 29 to July 26.

On July 30, 2024, the ship arrived off the east coast of Okinawa in continued support of USS AMERICA Amphibious Ready Group workups. A notable command milestone occurred on August 2, 2024, when Capt. Robert C. Tryon relieved Capt. Joseph M. Droll as commanding officer of USS MIGUEL KEITH (Blue) during a change-of-command ceremony held aboard the museum ship USS MIDWAY (CV 41) in San Diego. The ship then turned south again into Australia, mooring at Cruiser Wharf, Garden Island Naval Base in Sydney from August 18, 2024, for a 15-day port visit that included a crew exchange, and subsequently returned to Guam, mooring at Berth 3/4, Sierra Wharf on Naval Base Guam during two late-September and early-October windows. She then transited the San Bernardino Strait southbound on October 17 and the Verde Island Passage westbound on October 18. The ship closed the year by re-entering Japan for logistics and industrial work, mooring at Sasebo from November 4 for a five-day port call, then commencing a regular overhaul period at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Yokohama Dockyard and Machinery Works Honmoku Plant in Naka-ku, Yokohama, on November 12, 2024, and entering Dry Dock No. 1 on December 29, 2024.

After months in industrial status, USS MIGUEL KEITH undocked on March 13, 2025, and moored pierside at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Yokohama Dockyard. Following an underway period for sea trials, she moored in the port of Yokohama from April 16 to May 5, 2025. The ship then returned to operational tasking lanes in Japan, mooring at Berth 2/3, Akasaki Pier in Sasebo in support of Integrated Battle Problem 25.5 beginning May 12, 2025, and mooring at Berth 3, Juliet Basin Wharf from May 22 to May 27.

By early June 2025, USS MIGUEL KEITH was again operating into the Philippines, anchoring in Subic Bay for a four-day port call beginning June 6, then shifting to the New Container Terminal 2 from June 16 to June 17, before moving south to Australia for additional Sydney visits, mooring at Cruiser Wharf, Garden Island Naval Base from June 29 to July 4 and again from July 11 to July 14. She continued along Australia's northeast approaches with a brief stop off Hook Island, Queensland, on July 21, and a port call at Townsville from July 22 to July 24. In late July and early August, the ship supported Pacific Partnership 2025, conducting operations near Madang, Papua New Guinea, from July 31 to August 3, anchoring about 7 nautical miles off Lae for a brief stop on August 4, and transiting the Verde Island Passage westbound on August 10.

USS MIGUEL KEITH then returned to Subic Bay on August 11. From August 27 to August 28, she embarked Marine Rotational Force-Darwin 25.3, departing Subic Bay on August 29 and crossing back toward the Central Pacific, arriving off Oahu, Hawaii, on September 23 and mooring in Pearl Harbor from September 24 to October 1. The ship later returned toward the Western Pacific, arriving in the vicinity of Guam in October 2025 and transited the Surigao Strait southbound on November 2, 2025, before entering another Thailand maintenance interval on November 9, 2025, when USS MIGUEL KEITH moored in the port of Sriracha for a mid-term availability.

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USS MIGUEL KEITH Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MIGUEL KEITH under construction at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., on September 28, 2018.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the MIGUEL KEITH under construction at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., on March 2, 2019.

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