USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206)

USNS Harvey Milk will be the second of the John Lewis class of underway replenishment oilers, operated by the Military Sealift Command to support ships of the United States Navy.

History
United States
Name: Harvey Milk
Namesake: Harvey Milk
Awarded: 30 June 2016
Builder: National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
Laid down: 3 September 2020[1]
Status: Under construction
General characteristics
Type: Oiler

Construction of the lead ship of the class, USNS John Lewis (T-AO-205), was tentatively scheduled to begin in 2018 at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego. According to the Naval Vessel Register, construction of both ships was authorized on 30 June 2016.[2][3]

In July 2016, United States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus advised Congress that he intended to name the Military Sealift Command's John Lewis-class oilers after prominent civil rights leaders, with the second to be named for gay rights activist Harvey Milk.[4] Milk served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War aboard the submarine rescue ship USS Kittiwake (ASR-13) and held the rank of lieutenant (junior grade) at the time of his honorable discharge.[4] The ship was officially named at a ceremony in San Francisco on 16 August 2016.[5] It is the first U.S. Navy ship named for an openly gay leader.[6] The first cut of steel occurred on 13 December 2019, marking the beginning of construction of the vessel.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Keel Authenticated for Future USNS Harvey Milk" (Press release). United States Navy. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  2. NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (7 July 2016). "JOHN LEWIS (AO 205)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  3. NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (7 July 2016). "NO NAME (AO 206)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  4. Sam LaGrone (28 July 2016). "Navy to Name Ship After Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk". US Naval Institute. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  5. Blake, Andrew (17 August 2016). "Naval ceremony celebrates naming of USNS Harvey Milk". The Washington Times. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. Staley, Oliver (17 August 2016). "The US Navy is naming a ship after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk". Quartz. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  7. "Construction of Navy ship 'Harvey Milk' begins at San Diego shipbuilder". San Diego Union-Tribune. 14 December 2019.
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