The U.S. Department of Defense announced today that the naval supply ship originally named USNS Harvey Milk will now be known as USNS Oscar V. Peterson. This change was ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and officially announced via a video message.
The ship had been named in 2021 after Harvey Milk, a gay rights icon and one of California’s first openly gay elected officials. Milk also served in the Navy during the Korean War before being forced to resign due to his sexual orientation. He later became a prominent civil rights advocate before his assassination in 1978.
The new name honors Oscar V. Peterson, a Navy Chief Petty Officer who received the Medal of Honor posthumously. During World War II, while serving aboard the USS Neosho in the Battle of the Coral Sea, Peterson heroically remained at his post, closed steam valves despite severe injuries, and helped save his ship—but later died from his wounds.
Secretary Hegseth stated that the renaming reflects an effort to “take the politics out of ship naming,” shifting focus toward “warrior culture” and honoring military valor rather than civil rights figures.
The reversal sparked controversy. Critics argue it erases recognition of LGBTQ+ contributions to public service and civil rights, especially since the renaming occurred during Pride Month. Supporters of the change, however, say that honoring wartime heroism better represents the ideals of military tradition.
The John Lewis–class replenishment oiler, which includes other vessels named for notable figures like Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appears unlikely to undergo further renamings for now, according to defense officials.
