USS John L. Canley (ESB 6)

USS JOHN L. CANLEY is one of the Expeditionary Sea Base Ships derived from the MONTFORD POINT - class Expeditionary Transfer Docks. The JOHN L. CANLEY is the first ship in the Navy named after USMC Sgt. Major John L. Canley who received the Medal of Honor for combat action at Hue City, Vietnam, in February 1968.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: August 23, 2019
	Keel laid: November 17, 2020
	Christened: June 25, 2022
	Commissioned: February 17, 2024
	Builder: National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif.
	Propulsion system: Diesel-Electric
	Propellers: two
	Length: 785 feet (239.3 meters)
	Beam: 164 feet (50 meters)
	Draft: 29.5 feet (9 meters)
	Light Displacement: approx. 39,900 tons
	Speed: 15 knots
	Armament: none
	Crew: approx. 34 MSC personnel plus approx. 250 military personnel (depending on mission)
	Homeport: Saipan, Marianas

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Crew List:

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

Click here to view the list.

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USS JOHN L. CANLEY History:

USS JOHN L. CANLEY is an expeditionary sea base built at the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company yard in San Diego, California, and was named by the Secretary of the Navy on November 10, 2020, to honor retired Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. John L. Canley. The ship's keel was laid and authenticated at the shipyard on April 30, 2022, marking the transition from fabrication to full-scale assembly, and the ship was christened as USNS JOHN L. CANLEY (T-ESB 6) on June 25, 2022, with Patricia Sargent serving as sponsor.

After completion of major outfitting, the ship began at-sea testing with builder's trials from January 11-13, 2023, and the U.S. Navy formally accepted delivery on March 1, 2023, beginning the pre-commissioning period in which the crew brought onboard systems, aviation facilities, command-and-control spaces, and support services up to warship standards. In the later pre-commissioning phase, PCU JOHN L. CANLEY moored at Naval Base San Diego on September 14, 2023, got underway the next day for sea trials, and then shifted north for a shipyard period in Portland, Oregon, mooring at Swan Island Ship Repair before departing Portland on February 4, 2024.

The ship arrived back in the San Diego area on February 9, 2024, mooring at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado in preparation for commissioning, and USS JOHN L. CANLEY (ESB 6) was commissioned into active U.S. Navy service on February 17, 2024. After commissioning, USS JOHN L. CANLEY began an operating rhythm of Southern California underways and returns before shifting north in support of Operation Polar Dagger: the ship got underway on July 5, 2024, for operations in the Bering Sea, refueled at Dutch Harbor on July 15, transited the Bering Strait northbound on July 24, and later returned south via the Bering Sea region in early August, including another brief Dutch Harbor stop from August 5-6, before returning to San Diego later that month.

On September 5, 2024, USS JOHN L. CANLEY departed San Diego for forward deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area. The deployment opened with extended operations around Hawaii in September-October 2024, including support to exercise Warrior Voyage in early October, followed by a westward shift to Japan in November 2024, transits through the Luzon Strait later that month, and a late-2024 port period in Singapore.

In 2025, the ship continued 7th Fleet operations with rotational crewing and maintenance built in: USS JOHN L. CANLEY conducted a crew exchange in Japan in January 2025, supported USS AMERICA (LHA 6) amphibious readiness workups off Okinawa beginning February 2, 2025, and saw a Blue-crew change of command on February 14, 2025. Later that month, under Gold crew, the ship shifted into a Thailand mid-term availability starting February 28, 2025, and got underway for sea trials on May 30, 2025. The remainder of 2025 included operations tied to allied training and regional engagement, including support to Talisman Sabre 25 off Australia in July, a crew exchange stop in Guam in September, participation in Pacific Partnership 2025 near Palau in late September and early October, and South Pacific visits including Samoa (October 2025) and Vanuatu (November 2025), before returning toward Hawaii by early December and completing another crew exchange/command assumption on December 9, 2025.

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USS JOHN L. CANLEY Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by Sebastian Thoma and show the JOHN L. CANLEY under construction at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., on November 28, 2021, and November 29, 2021 (aerial photos).

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the JOHN L. CANLEY under construction at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., on December 28, 2021.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the JOHN L. CANLEY under construction at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., on May 29, 2022.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the JOHN L. CANLEY under construction at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., on October 10, 2022.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show PCU JOHN L. CANLEY at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on May 28, 2023.

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