The Navy is working to rename the next Ford-class carrier for President Trump while elevating Pearl Harbor hero Doris Miller with a Medal of Honor push and a warship of his own.
The U.S. Navy is moving toward naming its next Ford-class aircraft carrier for President Donald Trump, a historic honor that would make him the first sitting president with a carrier bearing his name. The service is also elevating the ship's original namesake, Pearl Harbor hero Doris Miller, with a Medal of Honor recommendation and a warship of his own. The shift comes as the Navy races to finalize the carrier's name before its keel-laying ceremony at the end of this year.
Officials familiar with the internal discussions say the effort to change the ship's name has been underway for months. The Navy has quietly stopped referring to the vessel as the USS Doris Miller and now uses its hull number, CVN-81, even in official paperwork.
Aircraft carriers have traditionally carried the names of presidents and other towering figures in American history. Naming CVN-81 after Trump would place him alongside George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford -- and would mark the first time an aircraft carrier has ever been named for a sitting president.
The move reflects the Navy's dramatic rebuilding under Trump's leadership. Earlier this month, the president signed a national security memorandum on rebuilding the Navy and America's shipbuilding industrial base, directing the Pentagon to replace the carrier's electromagnetic launch system with proven steam catapults and swap its advanced weapons elevators for hydraulic systems. That order also referred to the ship by its hull number, CVN-81, rather than the Miller name.
Miller's story is one of the most remarkable in Navy history. A mess attendant second class aboard the battleship USS West Virginia when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, he rushed to an anti-aircraft gun he had never been trained to operate and opened fire on enemy planes, shooting down at least one. He then carried wounded shipmates to safety through smoke and flames.
For his bravery, Miller became the first Black service member to receive the Navy Cross, the Navy's second-highest decoration. He was killed in action in 1943 when his ship, the USS Liscome Bay, was sunk during the Battle of Makin. The announcement of a carrier in his honor in January 2020 marked the first time an aircraft carrier would bear the name of an enlisted sailor and the first named for an African American.
Rather than losing that legacy, Miller appears set for an even greater honor. The Navy is planning to name another warship after him and is recommending him for the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration. Congress would need to authorize the award, with final approval from the president.
Ship-naming authority rests with the Navy secretary, though defense secretaries are typically deeply involved in carrier naming decisions. That puts the final call with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, whose office has also been reviewing the official guidance on who ships can be named after, including presidents.
The Pentagon said it has nothing to announce at this time, and no final name has been confirmed. But with the carrier's keel-laying ceremony expected before the end of 2026 and delivery slated for the early 2030s, the Navy is under pressure to settle the matter soon.
The next few months will determine whether CVN-81 goes down in history as a tribute to the president who rebuilt the American fleet. Watch for the keel-laying announcement, the updated ship-naming guidance, and any movement on the Medal of Honor recommendation for Miller.
Either way, the outcome honors American greatness: a commander in chief whose name could join the pantheon of presidents on the Navy's most powerful ships, and a brave sailor whose heroism is being raised to the highest level of national recognition.
The Navy is working to rename the next Ford-class carrier for President Trump while elevating Pearl Harbor hero Doris Miller with a Medal of Honor push and a warship of his own.
freedomlinedispatch.com
