On 6-7 March 2026, representatives of the United States Navy, General Dynamics NASSCO, guests, and members of the Cafferata family gathered in San Diego, California to mark a Navy milestone and christen the future USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB 8).
The Hector A. Cafferata Jr. is named for Private First Class Hector A. Cafferata Jr. USMC who was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. PFC Cafferata held off a regimental-sized attack by the enemy over several hours of fierce combat. He saved the lives of several fellow Marines and allowed his unit to hold their position. He died on April 12, 2016.
This ship is the last ship in the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program. The ESBs are designed to support maritime operations, special operations, and Marine units in a variety of military missions. Originally intended to be placed in service as part of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) with civilian mariner crews, subsequently all previous ships in this class have been commissioned as warships to allow participation in a broader range of offensive military operations. The Hector A. Cafferata Jr. will be manned by a hybrid crew of both civilian mariners and US Navy sailors.
The ship’s co-sponsors are Heather A Cafferata and Jessica Cafferata. Heather is Hector Cafferata’s daughter and a lifelong lover of animals and nature. She resides in New Jersey, spending her time with her grown children and her granddaughter, Reese. Jessica, the daughter of Dale Cafferata, is a granddaughter of the ship’s namesake. She is an attorney and a certified financial planner. She and her family, husband, David Lim, and children Remy, and KaiLani reside in Texas.
The Maids and Matrons of Honor are Reese J. Armstrong (Heather’s granddaughter and great-granddaughter of PFC Cafferata); Jennifer D. Armstrong (Heather’s daughter and PFC Cafferata’s granddaughter); Carolyn Grayson Rushiti (Jessica’s sister); KaiLani Grace Lim (Jessica’s daughter and PFC Cafferata’s great-granddaughter); Alexandria Leigh ReFalo (PFC Cafferata’s granddaughter); and Emily A. Cafferata (PFC Cafferata’s great-granddaughter).
On Friday afternoon, the co-sponsors and guests toured the ship and participated in the mast-stepping ceremony. During this ceremony, people placed mementos/good luck charms into a box that is welded onto the mast. This box acts as a time capsule - it will be unsealed when the ship is taken out of service or decommissioned and the items inside go to the Naval History and Heritage Command. They become tangible artifacts of the Navy’s rich history to which the ship will contribute.
Friday evening, the Navy and NASSCO honored Heather and Jessica as the ship’s co-sponsors. Brain Jones, NASSCO Director of Communications, functioned as the Master-of Ceremony at a lovely reception, dinner, and presentation event. David Carver, NASSCO’s President presented gifts from the shipyard to the co-sponsors including a vase, the caskets which will store the bottles used to christen the ship, as well as a custom-made print depicting the ship and the actions of PFC Cafferata created by Craig Behrin. The Honorable Benjamin C. Kohlmann, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Manpower and Reserve Affairs presented Heather and Jennifer with letters on behalf of Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to congratulate them. Vice Admiral John Wade USN, Commander, Third Fleet, presented the co-sponsors with letters on behalf of the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Daryl Caudle USN, expressing his gratitude and speaking of the contribution to a ships’ legacy through the relationship between a ship, the ship’s crew, and the ship’s sponsors.
In return, Jesscia and Heather presented David Carver a model built by Roger Hardin, a family member, for display at NASSCO shipyard. The model depicts PFC Cafferata during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
In her remarks, Heather shared about her father and how he was present with them in spirit for this celebration. Her story of her father, a humble man who rarely spoke of his heroism, was moving. She said that she felt he would live forever and that he had made his mark on the world. She also shared that he loved playing chess; his favorite piece was the knight. She told the story of her first victory in their matches. When she asked him if he let her win, he replied, “Hell no. I never let anyone win.”
The day of the christening was a beautiful Saturday in San Diego. The ship had previously been floated and was moored at the pier where the ceremony took place. The crowd, including distinguished guests such as Carlos Del Toro, the 78th Secretary of the Navy who selected the name of the ship and the co-sponsors, gathered pierside for the time-honored tradition of formally naming the ship and christening her in the name of the United States. Heather and Jessica were presented flowers by Flower Girl, Kinley Jane Rusk, granddaughter of Larry Duby, NASSCO launchmaster.
The Navy Band Southwest provided music, and the colors were presented by the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego Color Guard. Commander Stephen Cloer CHC, USN provided the invocation. The Honorable Benjamin Kohlmann, VADM Wade, and Rear Admiral Benjamin Nicholson, Commander, Military Sealift Command, provided remarks on the importance of the day, and the contribution of ships like the Hector A. Cafferata Jr. to the continued need for sea power. The principal speaker was Sergeant Major Carlos A. Ruiz USMC, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corp. In his remarks, Sergeant Major Ruiz spoke of looking up PFC Cafferata’s story when he was assigned to an outpost in Afghanistan named after him. He shared that PFC Cafferata was one of those rare Marines who never “stood on the yellow footprints” – meaning that he never attended boot camp. Intrinsically, he had those qualities like courage, strength and determination that define Marines. (After the ceremony, in speaking with the Sergeant Major, he shared that due to the contingencies of the Korean War, PFC Cafferata, as a reservist, had an abbreviated training at sea enroute to Korea.)
Heather shared some remarks about her dad. She shared that she now had a larger family that included the folks at NASSCO and the ship. She said that a logo of a chess piece, a knight, will be painted on the ship’s superstructure based on her sharing of his love of chess at the previous night’s dinner. Jessica spoke of her grandfather and the honor of being part of recognizing his valor. She spoke of remembering the service of all who served in Korea and her dedication to being a sponsor for the ship and her crew.
After the remarks, Heather and Jessica moved to the christening platform. With the traditional champagne bottles and the time-honored words, “For the United States of America, I christen thee USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. May God bless this ship and all who sail in her,” they christened the ship. Jessica’s bottle broke with a spray of champaign with one strike. Heather, in a display of grit, determination and a refusal to quit, reflecting the spirit of her father, took a few more strikes to shatter her bottle. After 26 strikes, including 3 from Jessica in support, Heather broke the bottle and the sounds of Anchor Aweigh and the Marine Corps Hymn marked the christening. Heather’s strokes were so powerful that she actually bent the tines on the striker plate! Talk about a sponsor infusing a ship with her strength and spirit!
Submitted by Paula Neira, Sponsor USNS HARVEY MILK (TAO-206)
