Hegseth Renames USNS Harvey Milk to USNS James Earl Ray, but a Different One

Hegseth renames USNS Harvey Milk to USNS James Earl Ray, but a different one

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced earlier this week that the USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206) will be renamed USNS James Earl Ray, but after a different individual with the same name.Share“This ship will honor someone significantly less gay,” Hegseth said in a video message from his office, sipping sweet tea with a slice of lime. “Naming a ship after a Naval officer who served with honor during the Korean War is a disgrace to t…

Lillian Cartwright: What's in a name?

Plenty. On June 27, 2025, President Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth changed the name of U.S. Navy Ship Harvey Milk to U.S. Navy Ship Oscar V. Peterson. Harvey Milk you will remember was a gay activist and the first openly gay person to serve on the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco. He and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated on Nov.  27, 1978 by a fellow supervisor, Dan White. The back story on Harvey Milk's life undersco…

Letters to the Editor: Will the USS Ronald Reagan get the same treatment as USNS Harvey Milk?

An L.A. Times reader asks, 'Since Hegseth clearly doesn't want ships to be named after politicians, can we assume that the carrier USS Ronald Reagan will also be renamed?'

Pete Hegseth Announces Who Will Be Replacing Harvey Milk As Boat’s Name

LGBTQNation reports that Defense Secretary and former Fox host Pete Hegseth said several weeks ago that the Navy supply vessel formerly known as the USNS Harvey Milk would get a new name because Milk was a gay civil rights leader. And he just announced the new name on social media. Read more at LGBTQNation

Who was Oscar V. Peterson, the man replacing gay rights icon Harvey Milk on a U.S. Navy ship?

The man whose name is replacing Harvey Milk’s on a U.S. Navy ship is a World War II hero and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.Who was Oscar Peterson?Oscar Verner Peterson — apparently a straight man, by the way — was chief watertender on USS Neosho, an oil tanker, when it was fired on by Japanese planes on May 7, 1942, during the battle of the Coral Sea. He was seriously wounded in the attack, as were most of his comrades, so he took it up…

Pentagon appears to pause renaming of Navy ships

No other changes are expected soon to the fleet of John Lewis-class ships, most of which are named after civil rights figures.