Harvey Milk at her christening and launch ceremony, November 2021
The first cut of steel for Harvey Milk occurred on 13 December 2019, marking the beginning of construction of the vessel.[14] The ship had her christening ceremony and was then launched on 6 November 2021, with Milk's nephew Stuart Milk, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, and the ship's sponsor, prominent LBGTQ activist Paula Neira, in attendance.[1][15]
On 11 July 2023, Harvey Milk entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service under the control of the Military Sealift Command.[4]
Violence onboard the ship
In March 2024, 9 pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to board the ship and create a disturbance. They were stopped at the gangway before they could board; however, they managed to chain themselves to the gangway, until San Francisco Police removed them peacefully. The protesters thought that the cargo fuel ship was carrying weapons to Israel.[16]
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206).
^ a b c d"General Dynamics NASSCO christens and launches the future USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206)". National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
^"Keel Authenticated for Future USNS Harvey Milk". United States Navy. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
^"USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206)". tioh.army.mil. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
^ a b"Navy Accepts Delivery of USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206)" (Press release). United States Navy. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
^ a b"Navy to Name Ship After Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk". US Naval Institute. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
^Blake, Andrew (17 August 2016). "Naval ceremony celebrates naming of USNS Harvey Milk". The Washington Times. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
^Staley, Oliver (17 August 2016). "The US Navy is naming a ship after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk". Quartz. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
^Blakemore, Erin (14 June 2018). "The Revolutionary War Hero Who Was Openly Gay". History.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
^Bajko, Matthew S. (12 February 2021). "Naval records indicate SF library's Milk discharge paperwork a fake". The Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
^Shivaram, Deepa (7 November 2021). "The U.S. Navy has christened a ship named after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk". NPR. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
^"NASSCO starts construction of first John Lewis class oiler". marinelog.com. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
^"Construction of Navy ship 'Harvey Milk' begins at San Diego shipbuilder". sandiegouniontribune.com. 14 December 2019.
^"Navy launches ship named for gay rights leader Harvey Milk". navytimes.com. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
^Pehling, Dave (29 March 2024). "Pro-Palestinian demonstrators chain selves to gangway of USNS Harvey Milk in San Francisco - CBS San Francisco". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 12 June 2024.