A new US Navy ship will bear the name of a famous Auburn resident.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro made the announcement earlier this month that the ninth ship of the John Lewis class will be christened the USNS Harriet Tubman after the famed abolitionist.
“It’s an honor to maintain the naming tradition for our John Lewis-class oilers, and Harriet Tubman is more than deserving of this recognition,” said Del Toro. “She was born into unimaginable circumstances, but she dedicated her life to facing great danger and adversity, becoming a ‘conductor of freedom’, helping others escape slavery. In addition, during the Civil War, Tubman was the first African American woman to serve formally in the military. Her legacy deserves our nation’s continued recognition, and our fleet benefits from having her name emblazoned on the hull of one of our great ships.”
Ships in this class are designed to supply fuel to the navy’s carrier strike groups and can carry up to 162,000 barrels of oil.
Named after civil rights leaders and activists, other ships in the line include Sojourner Truth, Thurgood Marshall, and Harvey Milk.
