First steel cut for future US Navy aircraft carrier Doris Miller

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division cut the first steel for the US Navy’s fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier on Wednesday, August 25.

The future USS Doris Miller will be the first aircraft carrier ever named for an African-American and the first US Navy aircraft carrier named in honour of a sailor for actions performed while serving in the enlisted ranks.

Ship’s Cook 3rd Class Doris “Dorie” Miller, the carrier’s namesake, is credited with heroic actions while serving aboard the battleship USS West Virginia during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His bravery earned him the Navy Cross, the US Navy’s second highest combat decoration.

The future Doris Miller‘s keel is scheduled to be laid in 2026 while the ship will be delivered to the navy in 2032.