MARYLAND- The U.S. Navy is honoring a Maryland Eastern Shore abolitionist.
Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, announced that they will name a future John Lewis-class oiler after Harriet Tubman. Del Toro made the announcement during an Emancipation Celebration at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek over the weekend.
Officials say the future USNS Harriet Tubman will be sponsored by Tubman’s great great great grandniece, Tina Wyatt. The ship’s sponsor represents a lifelong relationship with the ship and crew. Wyatt has spent her time helping others as a nurse and also sharing the legacy of Harriet Tubman.
“Harriet Ross Tubman is a symbol of faith, freedom, family, democracy and love. Aunt Harriet’s legacy is an inspiration to a higher calling within us all, and overall, how we are enabled by sharing love for others and self. It is her supply from God that she had been able to supply others throughout her lifetime and still, her footprint lives on and supplies us now. Such a strong and dazzling example of symbolism in her honor, the naming of an oiler, a ship that supplies other ships with fuel and cargo to function at its highest level, is an example of what she gave in life and continues to give,” said Wyatt.
The naming follows a tradition of naming John Lewis-class oilers after civil rights leaders and is the second vessel with Tubman’s name. The first was a Liberty Ship built in the U.S. during World War II.
“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.”
The USNS Harriet Tubman is the ninth ship of this class of oilers. The class and lead ship is named in honor of the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis from Georgia.
The oilers are designed to supply fuel to the Navy’s operating carrier strike groups. They can also carry a load of 162,000 barrels of oil and maintain significant dry cargo capacity.
