American vessel titled USNS Harvey Milk, commemorating the murdered LGBTQ+ activist, to be rechristened USNS Oscar V. Petherson, according to Hegseth's declarations.
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Pete Hegseth, US Defense Secretary, has officially renamed the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after slain gay rights icon and San Francisco politico Harvey Milk, who also served in the U.S. Navy. It will now bear the name USNS Oscar V. Peterson, in honor of a Navy chief watertender who sacrificed his life during World War II, Hegseth announced Friday on social media.
This announcement comes just before the final weekend of Pride Month, a month-long celebration of the LGBTQ+ community that marks the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of '69. Expect a flurry of events this weekend in cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York, among others.
The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021 during President Joe Biden's term. Hegseth clarified that this name change aligns with a plan to remove politics from ship naming. "We're not renaming the ship for political reasons," Hegseth said, distancing the decision from the previous administration's politically charged ship names. "People want to be proud of the ship they're sailing in," he added.
Eleanor Watson, James LaPorta, Mary Walsh, and Nikole Killion contributed to this report on ourNews.com.
Our team reported earlier this month that the Navy was considering renaming the Harvey Milk and several other naval ships honoring civil rights leaders and renowned personalities.
Harvey Milk, the former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member who lost his life in '78 after being assassinated alongside the city's mayor, George Moscone, in City Hall, served in the Navy Reserve from 1951 until 1955. However, he was forced to resign due to charges of participating in a "homosexual act" in 1953.
The new ship's namesake, Oscar V. Peterson, suffered grave injuries during an aerial attack on the USS Neosho (AO-23) in the Coral Sea in May '42. Despite the majority of his repair party falling, Peterson persisted, singlehandedly keeping the ship running and demonstrating an outstanding spirit of self-sacrifice and concern for his crewmates.
- U.S. Navy
- Pete Hegseth
Alex SundbyAlex Sundby, a seasoned editor at ourNews.com, is responsible for editing content while also covering breaking news, writing about crime, severe weather, multistate lottery jackpots, and even the annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest.
- Pete Hegseth, US Defense Secretary, has announced a name change for the USNS Harvey Milk, a ship named after Harvey Milk, a gay rights icon and former San Francisco politico who also served in the U.S. Navy.
- The new name for the ship is USNS Oscar V. Peterson, in honor of a Navy chief watertender who sacrificed his life during World War II.
- The announcement comes before the final weekend of Pride Month, a month-long celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.
- OurNews.com, in collaboration with Eleanor Watson, James LaPorta, Mary Walsh, Nikole Killion, and Alex Sundby, reported earlier this month that the Navy was considering renaming the Harvey Milk and several other naval ships.
- Alex Sundby, apart from editing content, covers breaking news, writes about crime, severe weather, multistate lottery jackpots, and even the annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest.
- The U.S. Navy is known for its significant role in war-and-conflicts, politics, crime-and-justice, finance, business, weather, and general-news.
