Navy to Name Ship After Harvey Milk-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
The Navy plans to name a ship after gay rights activist Harvey Milk.
The Truth:
It’s true that the Navy plans to name a ship after Harvey Milk.
The U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) first reported on July 28, 2016, that it had learned through a congressional notification that Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus plans to name a Military Sealift command fleet oiler the UNSN Harvey Milk (T-AO-206).
Then, on August 11, Mabus issued a press release stating that the ship would officially be named in Milk’s honor in a ceremony held at Treasure Island in San Francisco on August 16:
“T-AO-206 will, for decades to come, serve as a visible legacy of Harvey Milk’s committed service to his nation, both as a sailor and as an activist,” Mabus said in a statement given to USNI News. “By adorning one of our ships with his name, his example will live on in the steel of that ship and in all those who will serve aboard her.”
Milk joined the Navy after graduating from the New York State College for Teachers in 1951. He served as a diving instructor at a base in San Diego during the Korean War, Biography.com reports.
In an earlier announcement, Mabus said that the class of new oilers would be named after civil rights activists. The first ship in the new fleet was named after U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Democratic lawmaker from Georgia and longtime civil rights activist.