According to a report on the website of the Star Spangled Banner on February 18th, the USS John L. Canley, a US expeditionary naval base ship, was assigned to the Navy Air Station on North Island, California on the 17th, officially joining the Navy's active fleet. According to a Navy press release, this 784 foot (approximately 239 meters) long warship is specifically designed to deploy troops and equipment to areas where the US military is unable to use land bases and seaports. According to reports, the ship paid tribute to former Marine Corps Chief John L. Canley, who had outstanding performance during the Vietnam War when he participated in the Battle of Hue in 1968 with the Marine Corps. Kanley was once awarded the Navy Cross, an honor that was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor 50 years after the Battle of Hue, making him the first black Marine to receive the highest level of bravery in the United States military during his lifetime. The black Marine Corps members who received this medal before him were posthumously awarded. Kanli passed away in 2022. This new expeditionary sea base ship is the fourth of its class and will join the ranks of the Lewis B. Puller, Herschel Woody Williams, and Miguel Keith. The ships of the same class that are planned to be put into active service in the future will be the Robert E. Shimanek and Hector A. Caferrata Jr. The US Navy claims that expeditionary naval base ships are highly flexible platforms that provide logistical transfer from sea to shore, thereby supporting a wide range of military operations. The design of the expeditionary sea base ship revolves around four core capabilities, namely aviation, berthing, equipment assembly area, and command and control. The Navy stated that the John L. Canley Expeditionary Sea Base ship will join the front-line deployment of naval forces based on Saipan Island. "I want to tell anyone related to the construction of this warship that the Marine Corps is ready to board the ship, now board the ship," said Sergeant General Carlos Ruiz of the United States Marine Corps