US Navy christens fleet oiler Harvey Milk

The US Navy christened its newest fleet replenishment oiler in a ceremony in San Diego, California, on Saturday, November 6.

USNS Harvey Milk honours the late Harvey Milk, a former US Navy officer and politician from California. It is the second ship in the John Lewis-class of fleet oilers built by General Dynamics NASSCO.

Designed to transfer fuel to US Navy carrier strike group ships operating at sea, the John Lewis-class vessels will each have the capacity to carry 157,000 barrels of oil and a significant quantity of dry cargo such as spare parts, ammunition, and supplies. A speed of 20 knots will allow the oilers to effectively conduct underway replenishment of the navy’s surface warships.