Hershel “Woody” Williams calls at port of Walvis Bay

The United States naval ship, Hershel “Woody” Williams, is on a two days call to the port of Walvis Bay. The ship finds itself in this part of the Atlantic as part of the United States Sixth Fleet’s area of operations.

The US Sixth Fleet’s area of operations includes the Arctic Ocean, half of the Atlantic Ocean (if a line is drawn from North to South) up to the Antarctic Coast, and a significant stretch of the Indian Ocean off the East African coast. Its responsibilities include maintaining freedom of navigation on ocean trade routes, joint naval exercises with all nations on the African coast falling within the jurisdiction of the Sixth Fleet and carrying forward U.S. diplomacy.
A small function was hosted aboard the Hershel “Woody” Williams yesterday. The commander of the Namibian Navy, Rear Admiral Sinsy Nghipandua, and his delegation among the guests of honour of the commander of the ship, Captain Chad Graham.

A few very interesting facts surfaced of the Hershel “Woody” Williams. The warship is described as an expeditionary sea base, meaning it can play a variety of roles from serving as an attack helicopter platform to a role of carrying war-cargo or serving as a base for troop deployment.
She was commissioned put into service on 16 February 2018. She was assigned to the U.S. Sixth Fleet with her home port the Sousa naval base in Greece. The headquarters of the Sixth Fleet is in Italy.
She was named after the United State’s last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honour.
Marine corporal Hershel Williams (known by his nickname “Woody”) who was awarded the Medal of Honour for bravery during the battle of Iwo Jima on 26 February 1945, and also receiving the Purple Heart after being wounded in the same war campaign.

Now at the age of 98, ret. United States Marine Corps warrant-officer Hershel “Woody” Williams is the only surviving recipient of the Medal of Honour.