Navy set to rename USNS Harvey Milk, mulls new names for other ships named for civil rights leaders

Washington — The U.S. Navy plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after the slain gay rights leader and Navy veteran, and is considering renaming multiple naval ships named after civil rights leaders and prominent American voices, CBS News has learned. 

U.S. Navy documents obtained by CBS News and used to brief the secretary of the Navy and his chief of staff show proposed timelines for rolling out the name change of the USNS Harvey Milk to the public. While the documents do not say what the ship’s new name would be, the proposal comes during Pride Month, the monthlong observance of the LGBTQ+ community that also coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of 1969. WorldPride celebrations are being held in Washington, D.C., this year.

The documents obtained by CBS News also show other vessels named after prominent leaders are also on 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 found that a December 2024 web article from Naval Sea Systems Command about the laying of the keel for the future USNS Thurgood Marshall has been deleted.

“The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi told CBS News in a statement. 

She added, “Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.” 

Following his confirmation in January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive instructing the Pentagon and U.S. military services to cease hosting events tied to heritage or awareness months, citing concerns that such programs could undermine unity within the ranks. The “Identity Months Dead at DoD” guidance banned official manpower and resources from being used on such events — among them, Pride Month, Black History Month and Women’s History Month.

The documents obtained by CBS News were not marked with the traditional classification markers typically seen on Defense Department memos. The documents were not marked as “For Official Use Only” or “Controlled Unclassified Information,” they were also not marked to indicate they were drafts. There was a “CAUTION” note, however, referring to the information as publicly sensitive.  

The memo said the renaming of naval ships was to realign the U.S. military with Trump administration priorities of “reestablishing the warrior culture.” 

The documents call for Navy Secretary John Phelan to select a new name for the USNS Harvey Milk on Tuesday, with the notice of the name change going out to other senior U.S. Navy officials later in the week after undergoing legal review. 

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that Hegseth “is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos.” Parnell added that any potential renaming decisions would be announced once the internal reviews are complete. Military.com first reported the name change for the USNS Harvey Milk on Tuesday, but the news of other naval vessels being considered for a name change has not yet been reported. 

The USNS Harvey Milk is a John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, designed to support carrier strike groups at sea. The class of ships is named after civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, who died in 2020. 

Harvey Milk, the political trailblazer, emerged in the 1970s as one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. After years of activism, he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, where he quickly became a national symbol of LGBTQ+ political empowerment. His life was cut short in 1978 when he was assassinated in City Hall, alongside Mayor George Moscone. 

The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021 and represented a significant step toward inclusivity within the armed forces. 

Before he emerged as one of the most visible advocates for gay rights in American history, Milk served in the U.S. Navy. From 1952 to 1954, he held posts as an operations and dive officer aboard two submarine rescue ships — the USS Chanticleer and the USS Kittiwake — both active during the Korean War, according to the U.S. National Archives. 

But his sexual orientation carried profound consequences as Milk came under scrutiny. In December 1954, Milk, who was then a lieutenant junior grade, was facing a court martial for participating in a “homosexual act” a year earlier. 

Instead of facing trial, Milk was drummed out of the U.S. military, like so many other gay service members of his era. In January 1954, he resigned his commission and accepted an “Other Than Honorable” discharge. In 2021, the Navy approached Milk’s nephew, Stuart Milk, to see if he wanted his uncle’s discharge upgraded, according to NPR. Stuart decided against it as a reminder that not everyone was treated with honor. 

The name change would follow two base renamings Hegseth directed earlier this year to reverse the work a congressionally mandated naming commission did to remove names honoring the Confederacy. In February, he directed Fort Liberty in North Carolina return to Fort Bragg, saying it would now be named after a non-Confederate Bragg, and then directed Fort Moore change to Fort Benning, after another Benning. 

The naming commission also suggested the Navy rename the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville, which honors a Confederate battle victory, to the USS Robert Smalls, to recognize a slave who stole a Confederate ship and surrendered it to the Union. The Navy also renamed the USNS Maury to the USNS Marie Tharp, removing the name of a Confederate sailor and replacing it with the name of a pioneering female oceanographer. 

Although the Navy has renamed ships for various reasons, name changes are still an exceptionally rare occurrence, especially after the ships have entered service.