Navy strips Harvey Milk's name from USNS Harvey Milk, renaming it USNS Oscar V. Peterson

Data/communicationsUSN

Date
Actor
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth; Secretary of the Navy
Agency
Department of the Navy (USN)
Type
Data/communications
Section
MILITARY AND VETERANS (DoD, VA)

Summary

Following an internal memo leaked in early June 2025 directing the Navy to rename the fleet oiler honoring gay rights pioneer and Navy veteran Harvey Milk — to "reestablish the warrior culture" — Hegseth announced on June 27, 2025 that the ship would be renamed for Medal of Honor recipient Oscar V. Peterson. An unnamed defense official told Military.com the announcement was intentionally timed for LGBTQ Pride Month. CBS reported the Navy was weighing new names for other John Lewis-class ships honoring civil rights figures. The action is part of the broader symbolic-erasure pattern across DoD (see section 12).

Status

Renaming completed; no other John Lewis-class renamings confirmed in sources reviewed.

As recorded in the data of . Check the sources for anything newer.

Sources