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XPost: sac.politics, or.politics
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a new name for John Lewis-
class fleet oiler USNS Harvey Milk (TAO-206) in a video message posted on
the social media site X Friday morning.
In the message, Hegseth said the Navy would rename the ship for Chief Watertender Oscar V. Peterson – a Medal of Honor recipient who died after being wounded during the Battle of the Coral Sea in World War II.
The announcement follows reports on June 3 that Hegseth directed Secretary
of the Navy John Phelan to rename the oiler with a planned announcement on
June 13. According to a planning memo reviewed by USNI News, the Navy
sought “alignment with President and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV
priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture” and to “Protect SECNAV Title 10 rights.”
A defense official told USNI News that the name change followed a Pentagon review of names in the department.
“On June 26, 2025, at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan renamed the fleet replenishment oiler
USNS Harvey Milk (TAO-206) the USNS Oscar V. Peterson (TAO-206),” the official said. “Based on typical Navy maintenance cycles, the complexities
of repainting, updating official symbols, and procuring branded materials,
it is estimated that the collective updates would be completed within a
period of no longer than six months after funding. There was a review of
all installations and assets conducted to ensure all installations and
assets are reflective of the Commander in Chief’s priorities, the nation’s history and the warrior ethos.”
“There are no plans to rename any other ships in this class.”
The ship is currently at Alabama Shipyard in Mobile, Ala., undergoing a maintenance availability, USNI News understands.
TAO-206 was named for Harvey Milk in 2016 by then-SECNAV Ray Mabus as the second ship in the John Lewis-class. Milk, a Navy veteran, was the first
openly gay politician in California to be elected to office. He was assassinated in 1978. Milk and other ships were named for civil rights
leaders. In a June 11 hearing before the Senate, Hegseth told the panel
the Pentagon is “not interested in naming ships after activists. That’s
the stance we’re taking.”
Under U.S. law, naming ships is the responsibility of the Secretary of the Navy, going back to the 19th century. Renaming ships in the U.S. fleet is
rare, with little precedent in the Navy.
https://news.usni.org/2025/06/27/secdef-hegseth-announces-new-name-for- usns-harvey-milk
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