Photo: Alamy
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday that the Navy’s USNS Harvey Milk will be renamed USNS Oscar V. Peterson, saying the change reflects an effort to “remove politics from ship naming” and refocus on military heroism.
The ship, a fleet replenishment oiler, was originally named after Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official and a prominent LGBTQ+ rights advocate. The naming was intended as a tribute to LGBTQ+ service members and was approved under the Biden administration.
Hegseth, a vocal critic of what he calls the military’s “woke agenda,” defended the decision to rename the ship, arguing that it should honor a figure rooted in military service rather than activism.
“We’re not renaming the ship to anything political,” Hegseth said. “This is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration.”
The ship’s new name, Oscar V. Peterson, was a Navy chief water tender who served during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942. Despite being severely wounded, Peterson continued to operate the ship’s pumps and fought to save the vessel.
“This is about honoring a true American hero,” Hegseth said in a video. “People want to be proud of the ship they’re sailing in.”
The Navy has not announced when the new name will take effect, but officials confirmed the ship will remain in active service under its new designation.
President Trump also announced earlier this month in remarks to soldiers at Fort Bragg that he has directed the Pentagon to restore the original names of seven U.S. Army bases that once honored Confederate generals, fulfilling a campaign promise to reverse changes made during the Biden administration.
“For a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk and Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee,” Trump told the crowd.
“We did win two world wars from Fort Bragg, right?” Trump said at the rally. “We’re going to get it back. We’re going to bring our country back.”