Navy mulls new name for USNS Harvey Milk and ships named for civil rights leaders

Washington — The U.S. Navy is considering renaming aggregate naval ships named aft civilian rights leaders and salient American voices, CBS News has learned. Among them is the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named aft the slain cheery rights person and Navy veteran. 

Norfolk Va., (Sept. 24, 2024) — Civil Service Mariners (CIVMARS) aboard Military Sealift Command's (MSC) fleet replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) completed their archetypal replenishment-at-sea (RAS) with 2 Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessels.  LaShawn Sykes

U.S. Navy documents obtained by CBS News and utilized to little the caput of the Navy and his main of unit amusement projected timelines for rolling retired the sanction alteration of the USNS Harvey Milk to the public. While the documents bash not accidental what the ship's caller sanction would be, the connection comes during Pride Month, the monthlong observance of the LGBTQ+ assemblage that besides coincides with the day of the Stonewall uprising of 1969. WorldPride celebrations are being held successful Washington, D.C., this year.

The documents obtained by CBS News besides amusement different vessels named aft salient leaders are besides connected the Navy's renaming "recommended list." 

Among them are the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers. 

CBS News recovered that a December 2024 web article from Naval Sea Systems Command astir the laying of the keel for the aboriginal USNS Thurgood Marshall has been deleted.

"The reported determination by the Trump Administration to alteration the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and different ships successful the John Lewis-class is simply a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to interruption down barriers for each to pursuit the American Dream," Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi told CBS News successful statement. 

She added, "Our subject is the astir almighty successful the satellite – but this spiteful determination does not fortify our nationalist information oregon the "warrior" ethos. Instead, it is simply a surrender of a cardinal American value: to grant the bequest of those who worked to physique a amended country." 

Following his confirmation successful January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive instructing the Pentagon and U.S. subject services to cease hosting events tied to practice oregon consciousness months, citing concerns that specified programs could undermine unity wrong the ranks. The "Identity Months Dead astatine DoD" guidance banned authoritative manpower and resources from being utilized connected specified events — among them, Pride Month, Black History Month and Women's History Month.

The documents obtained by CBS News were not marked with the accepted classification markers typically seen connected Defense Department memos. The documents were not marked arsenic "For Official Use Only" oregon "Controlled Unclassified Information," they were besides not marked to bespeak they were drafts. There was a "CAUTION" note, however, referring to the accusation arsenic publically sensitive.  

The memo said the renaming of naval ships was to realign the U.S. subject with Trump medication priorities of "reestablishing the warrior culture." 

The documents telephone for Navy Secretary John Phelan to prime a caller sanction for the USNS Harvey Milk connected Tuesday, with the announcement of the sanction alteration going retired to different elder U.S. Navy officials aboriginal successful the week aft undergoing ineligible review. 

CBS News has requested remark from the Defense Department. Military.com archetypal reported the sanction alteration for the USNS Harvey Milk connected Tuesday, but the quality of different naval vessels being considered for a sanction alteration has not yet been reported. 

The USNS Harvey Milk is simply a John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, designed to enactment bearer onslaught groups astatine sea. The people of ships is named aft civilian rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, who died successful 2020. 

Harvey Milk, the governmental trailblazer, emerged successful the 1970s arsenic 1 of the archetypal openly cheery elected officials successful the United States. After years of activism, helium was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors successful 1977, wherever helium rapidly became a nationalist awesome of LGBTQ+ governmental empowerment. His beingness was chopped abbreviated successful 1978 erstwhile helium was assassinated successful City Hall, alongside Mayor George Moscone. 

The USNS Harvey Milk was christened successful 2021 and represented a important measurement toward inclusivity wrong the equipped forces. 

Before helium emerged arsenic 1 of the astir disposable advocates for cheery rights successful American history, Milk served successful the U.S. Navy. From 1952 to 1954, helium held posts arsenic an operations and dive serviceman aboard 2 submarine rescue ships — the USS Chanticleer and the USS Kittiwake — some progressive during the Korean War, according to the U.S. National Archives. 

But his intersexual predisposition carried profound consequences arsenic Milk came nether scrutiny. In December 1954, Milk, who was past a lieutenant inferior grade, was facing a tribunal martial for participating successful a "homosexual act" a twelvemonth earlier. 

Instead of facing trial, Milk was drummed retired of the U.S. military, similar truthful galore different cheery work members of his era. In January 1954, helium resigned his committee and accepted an "Other Than Honorable" discharge. In 2021, the Navy approached Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, to spot if helium wanted his uncle's discharge upgraded, according to NPR. Stuart decided against it arsenic a reminder that not everyone was treated with honor. 

The sanction alteration would travel 2 basal renamings Hegseth directed earlier this twelvemonth to reverse the enactment a congressionally mandated naming committee did to region names honoring the Confederacy. In February, helium directed Fort Liberty successful North Carolina instrumentality to Fort Bragg, saying it would present beryllium named aft a non-Confederate Bragg, and past directed Fort Moore alteration to Fort Benning, aft another Benning. 

The naming committee besides suggested the Navy rename the guided rocket cruiser USS Chancellorsville, which honors a Confederate conflict victory, to the USS Robert Smalls, to admit a enslaved who stole a Confederate vessel and surrendered it to the Union. The Navy besides renamed the USNS Maury to the USNS Marie Tharp, removing the sanction of a Confederate sailor and replacing it with the sanction of a pioneering pistillate oceanographer. 

Although the Navy has renamed ships for assorted reasons, sanction changes are inactive an exceptionally uncommon occurrence, particularly aft the ships person entered service.