Japanese Shipyard Completes First Major Overhaul For US Navy Ship

For the first time in history, a Japanese shipyard has successfully completed a major overhaul of a United States Navy vessel.

USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5), part of the Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base, wrapped up a five month Regular Overhaul (ROH) at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in Yokohama, Japan on April 15, 2025.

This project is notable because MHI had only previously handled voyage repairs (VRs) for US Navy ships. An ROH is a much larger and more complex job than a VR, making this a significant achievement.

The overhaul was made possible because US law (10 U.S.C. § 863), which normally prohibits full repairs and overhauls of US naval ships in foreign owned shipyards- did not apply in this case.

The law allows exceptions when the work is under six months and the ship is not expected to return to the US within 15 months, both of which were true for this availability.

The Singapore Detachment of the US Ship Repair Facility and Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC) took charge of planning the project, which cost $12 million and was carried out by MHI.

This marked the first ROH ever managed by the Singapore Detachment, which usually supports shorter, urgent repairs outside of Japan.

During the maintenance, several major upgrades and preservation tasks were completed. Workers replaced 56,000 square feet of nonskid surface on both the flight deck and mission deck.

Repairs and preservation also took place in 29 internal areas of the ship, such as the galley, laundry, scullery, and berthing spaces.

More than 10,000 square feet of the forward deckhouse superstructure, MOGAS deck, and associated systems were preserved.

Structural improvements included the fabrication, welding, and installation of over 300 feet of new catwalk safety handrails on the flight deck.

Four ovens in the galley were replaced, and the entire ship exterior was painted from bow to stern.

A project manager from the Singapore Detachment shared that this was a valuable learning experience for the team, who typically don’t manage projects of this scale.

He added that the assignment allowed them to grow their capabilities, step out of their comfort zone, and work with a contractor they usually don’t collaborate with.

This experience is expected to be helpful for future operations in unfamiliar locations.

According to the Commander of SRF-JRMC, the successful use of MHI’s shipyard allowed the organic workforce in Yokosuka to focus on other ongoing projects.

The USS Miguel Keith, measuring 240 meters long, is a versatile floating base for US naval operations. It can support helicopter and small boat launches, house command and control centers, and provide accommodation and services such as berthing for special operations teams, cold storage and laundry.

The ship has been operating in the US Navy’s 7th Fleet area of operations since September 2020, with a mixed crew of Navy personnel and civilian mariners from the Military Sealift Command (MSC).

The US Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center, known as SRF-JRMC, has supported American naval operations in the Indo-Pacific for over 75 years, offering both intermediate and depot-level ship repairs for the US Navy and the Seventh Fleet.

Reference: US Navy

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