Officially Licensed US Navy USS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. ESB-8 Ship Patch - USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB-8), Lewis B. Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base, Military Sealift Command, officially licensed embroidered ship patch.
Named for a Medal of Honor hero who stood alone at the Frozen Chosin and never gave an inch — this patch carries that same unbreakable standard.
USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB-8) is the sixth and final ship in the Navy's Expeditionary Sea Base program, christened at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego in March 2026. The ship honors Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Hector A. Cafferata Jr., who earned the Medal of Honor during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in November 1950. Serving with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Cafferata single-handedly held off a regimental-strength enemy force after nearly all of his fire team had been killed or wounded, and threw a live grenade clear of his fellow Marines at the cost of serious injury to himself. President Harry Truman presented the Medal of Honor to Cafferata at the White House in 1952. The ship bearing his name is built to support special operations forces, aviation mine countermeasures, crisis response sea basing, and unmanned aviation systems missions, with a flight deck capable of handling MH-53, MH-60, and MV-22 aircraft. This officially licensed embroidered patch connects the vessel's forward-deployed mission identity to the extraordinary personal valor of its namesake.
Perfect For: Navy veterans, Military Sealift Command collectors, Korean War historians, Medal of Honor tribute displays, ESB program enthusiasts, Marine Corps heritage collectors, shadow box builders, ship commissioning keepsakes, reunion gifts, and anyone who wants a patch that bridges the story of one Marine's courage at Chosin with the modern expeditionary Navy mission it continues to inspire.
Chosin courage, stitched into every thread — a ship patch worthy of the name it carries.
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