Take a look at the tanker-like warship the US has used as a floating Navy SEAL base

Lauren FriasFeb 6, 2024, 05:15 IST

Cmdr. John Hamilton, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham, speaks with Capt. Scott Hattaway, commanding officer of the expeditionary mobile base platform ship USS Lewis B. Puller.US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialists 3rd Class Jonathan Clay/Released

USS Lewis B. Puller is an expeditionary sea base stationed in the Arabian Sea.
Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed they hit the Puller on January 29, but US officials denied it.

USS Lewis B. Puller is an expeditionary sea base designed to support a wide variety of military operations, including those involving Navy SEALs.

The floating base is deployed to the Arabian Sea in response to ongoing attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels, an Iranian-backed militant group in Yemen.

The 760-foot-long ESB has a unique silhouette, with an open-sided hangar space underneath the ship's sprawling flight deck that makes it resemble a floating parking lot. It was the launch pad for a Navy SEAL mission in January that seized missile parts bound for the Houthi rebels.

Photos show the massive warship and operations conducted aboard.

Named after a legend

US Marines prepare to take off from the USS Lewis B Puller in the Red Sea.US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Irvin

US Navy's first ESB

An MV22 Osprey helicopter prepares to land aboard expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller.US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dawson Roth

The first US ship commissioned outside America

Capt. David Skarosi salutes the flight deck officer after landing on the expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller.US Army Photo by Spc. Frederick Poirier

Missing Navy SEALs

The dhow was brought alongside the USS Lewis B. Puller and the advanced conventional weapons materials were offloaded.US Central Command Public Affairs Courtesy Photo

Disputed Houthi attack

The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force fast ropes onto the expeditionary mobile base USS Lewis B. Puller.US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristina Young/Released

$650 million floating parking garage

An electricians mate assigned to the expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller participates in search-and-rescue training during an exercise in the Arabian Gulf.US Army Photo by SPC Frederick Poirier

ESB features

An aviation boatswain's mate signals to an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter aboard expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller.US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Elliot Schaudt

Blue and Gold crews

US Marines participate in vessel boarding training aboard expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller.US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Elliot Schaudt

Live-fire exercises

Sailors deployed aboard USS Lewis B. Puller fire a .50-caliber machine gun.US Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Jessica Y. Lucio/released

Honing warfighting skills

A US Marine fires an M4A1 carbine rifle during combat marksmanship training on the flight deck of expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller.US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Sarah Stegall

Vessel boarding training

A US Marine participates in vessel boarding training aboard expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller.US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Elliot Schaudt

Maritime exercises

Sailors lower a rigid-hull inflatable boat prior to small boat operations aboard the expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller.US Army Photo by Spc. Frederick Poirier

'A revolutionary concept'

US Marines assigned to the All-Domain Reconnaissance Detachment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, board expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller from an 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat.US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Sarah Stegall

The F-16 hit 50 years of flying. These photos show the Viper in action.

Cookies on the Business Insider India website