Pete Hegseth renames Harvey Milk ship to honor Medal of Honor recipient Oscar Peterson
“We are taking the politics out of ship naming. We’re not renaming the ship to anything political,” said Hegseth.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that the USNS Harvey Milk would be renamed the USNS Oscar V. Peterson, saying that military ships should not be named after political activists, such as gay rights activist Harvey Milk.
The ship will now be named after Oscar V. Peterson, a Navy chief who was awarded a Medal of Honor for saving the lives of 123 of his shipmates during an attack on the USS Neoho by Japanese bombers during the World War II Battle of Coral Sea, ABC News reported.
“We are taking the politics out of ship naming. We’re not renaming the ship to anything political,” said Hegseth in a video posted to social media. “This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration. Instead, we’re renaming the ship after a United States Navy Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, as it should be.”
Hegseth emphasized that the decision aligns with the Trump administration’s priorities of restoring a “warrior ethos” and ensuring service members take pride in their vessels. The order was executed by Navy Secretary John Phelan following Hegseth’s earlier June 3 directive to review the names of Department of Defense assets.
“People want to be proud of the ship they’re sailing in. And so, we’re naming it after a chief—a Navy chief,” Hegseth said in a video posted to social media on Friday.
According to the Congressional Research Service, 10 of the Navy’s 15 most recent aircraft carriers are named after former Presidents of the United States and two after members of Congress.
Navy Secretary John Phelan announced last week that the Navy had reached its annual recruitment goals three months ahead of schedule.