NORFOLK, Va. — Escorted by tugs, the USNS Robert E. Simanek slowly arrived pierside at Naval Station Norfolk Monday for a ceremonial welcome.
“I saw her coming around the corner and my heart just went crazy," said Ann Simanek-Clark, the daughter of the man the ship is named after.
Watch: U.S. Navy's newest vessel USNS Simanek to arrive at Naval Station Norfolk Monday
Simanek-Clark was one of a few dozen civilians and service members at Monday’s ceremony. The ship arrived in Norfolk in preparation for commissioning in 2026.
“My father would be so proud. It’s of him and my mother that I’m thinking about," said Simanek-Clark.
Simanek was a U.S. Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Korean War.
The ship is an expeditionary sea base, which means it can be used in military operations to help get stuff from the water to land.
“She is a force multiplier. A forward-operating platform that enhances our agility, reach, and responsiveness in any theater of operation," Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Cullen said during the ceremony.
Cullen is the ship's Blue MILCREW executive officer. The ship will have two crews of sailors: the Blue Crew and the Gold Crew. They'll alternate every five months and will work with civilian mariners on the ship.
Watch: USNS Patuxent returns to Naval Station Norfolk after 10-month deployment
Before the ship is commissioned, though, it has to undergo some final testing to make sure it’s ready.
“Once it clears all those tests, then it will go into about a four-month what we call a 'post-shakedown availability.' So it’ll go back into the shipyard, [we'll] fix anything that was found to be a discrepancy or something that didn’t work quite right," Military Sealift Command Atlantic Commander Capt. Jamie Murdock explained.
Military Sealift Command oversees the Navy's fleet of USNS ships.
Watch: Navy discusses plan to sideline 17 MSC ships
Simanek-Clark said the ship has brought the family closer together.
“I don’t have children, so to have this ship is extra special to me. She’s too big to be my baby, but it really has brought us together and to have her out there on the seas is so special," said Simanek-Clark.
As of Monday, the ship was expected to be commissioned in the spring of 2026 and then join the Navy’s Sixth Fleet, which covers Europe and Africa.
