U.S. Navy's newest replenishment oiler to honor Black civil rights activist Sojourner Truth
April 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy on Saturday plans to christen the future Sojourner Truth, a John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler that honors the famous American Black woman, in San Diego.
The ship is named in honor of Sojourner Truth, a 19th-century civil rights abolitionist and activist from New York.
"This ship honors the legacy of a woman of great character and determination and the ship will bring the critical capacity needed to the fleet in often rapidly changing environments," John Lighthammer, program manager, said in June 2024 when the keel was laid.
The ceremony will be livestreamed and is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. PDT.
Ship sponsor Barbara Allen, a sixth-generation descendant of the ship's namesake, will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.
Isabella Baumfree gave herself the name Sojourner Truth in 1843 after she became convinced that God had called her to leave New York and go into the countryside.
She was born into slavery in Swartekill, N.Y., in 1797, and escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. She became the first Black woman to win such a case against a White man in 1828. She died in 1883 at age 86.
There is an exhibit about her at the Smithsonian National Women's History Museum in Virginia. It is part of the Smithsonian.
Brett Seidle, the under secretary of the Navy, will deliver the principal address, followed by remarks from Vice Adm. John Wade, commander, U.S. Third Fleet; Capt. Micah Murphy, commander of Military Sealift Command in the Pacific; and Dave Carver, president of General Dynamics NASSCO.
The U.S. Navy in 2016 announced T-AO 210 would be named after her.
Construction on the future ship began on March 27, 2023.
The replenishment oilers are operated by Military Sealift Command and feature oil as well as significant dry cargo capacity.
In May 2024, the U.S. Navy took delivery of the first fleet replenishment oiler, USNS Earl Warren, named after the U.S. Supreme Court chief justice.
Three are under construction in San Diego by General Dynamics and two others are planned.
They are a cornerstone of the Navy's fuel delivery system and "essential to sustaining contested logistics, enabling lethality even in sea-denied environments," according to a news release.
In addition, they have aviation capability and provide additional capacity to the Navy's Combat Logistics Force.
A Block Buy contract was issued in September 2024 for the detail design and construction of T-AO 214-221.
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