US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is facing criticism following directives to rename US Navy ships named after civil rights leaders.
Documents obtained by CBS News revealed briefs to Navy Secretary John Phelan on how to roll out the timelines for renaming the USNS Harvey Milk, which derives its name from the assassinated navy veteran, civil rights, and gay rights leader.
The document also includes a “recommended list” of ships to rename, including USNS Cesar Chavez, USNS Medgar Evers, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Lucy Stone, and USNS Harriet Tubman.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi described the change as a shameful and vindictive erasure of “those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.”
“Harvey Milk served honorably in the Navy and is a civil rights legend. Stripping his name from a Navy ship—and doing so deliberately during Pride Month—is a shameful insult to his legacy and to LGBTQ+ Americans who serve,” Congressman Greg Stanton stated.
The paper describes the renaming as a way for the Trump administration to reestablish “warrior culture” to the US military.
Additionally, the Naval Sea Systems Command web page documenting USNS Thurgood Marshall’s keel-laying ceremony also appears to have been deleted.
Who is Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk was a navy veteran who served during the Korean War as a diving officer aboard a submarine rescue ship.
Milk later became a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, sponsoring a bill banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.
He was assassinated just 10 months after taking office by a former city supervisor who cast the sole vote against the legislation.
Construction of the replenishment oiler named in his honor began in 2016 and was launched five years later. It was delivered to the US Navy in 2023.
