Navy ship named for Harvey Milk, slain gay rights leader, takes shape

Harvey Milk enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951 and worked as a diving instructor in San Diego.

He had served for four years when his superiors found him in a park known among gay men, his nephew Stuart Milk said Monday. Harvey Milk was questioned about his sexuality and forced to resign.

Now a naval ship that honors Milk is closer to becoming a reality.

The USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet oiler named for the slain gay rights leader and first openly gay elected official in a major American city, was celebrated Friday as the first piece of steel was cut to build the vessel in San Diego.

When completed, the ship will be used to replenish fuel to other Navy ships at sea and jet fuel for aircraft on aircraft carriers, the Navy said.

As the ship travels the world, it will help educate people about Milk’s legacy of LGBT rights, said his nephew, who noted the ship illustrates how things have changed in the military.

“This sends an important green-light message to anyone who was ever marginalized, diminished and not given their full recognition for who they were,” Stuart Milk said.

He said the ship will educate people where it’s still illegal to be gay. “It really does send a message of hope,” said Stuart Milk, 58, who lives in Wilton Manors, Florida.

The ship will measure 742 feet long, according to the San Diego builder General Dynamics NASSCO, which hosted the ceremony with local, state and LGBT leaders. The oiler is the second of six vessels for the Navy the company has under contract, the company said.

“USNS Harvey Milk is more than a victory for the LGBT community,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer of San Diego said on Monday. “We’re proud of the history Harvey Milk had in San Diego and this vessel will represent freedom and acceptance both here at home and abroad.”

In 2016, Ray Mabus, the secretary of the Navy, announced the ship would be named after Harvey Milk.

“Naming this ship after Harvey Milk is a fitting tribute to a man who had been at the forefront of advocating for civil and human rights,” Mabus said at the time.

The ship will have a crew of 125, Lt. Tim Pietrack, a Navy spokesman, said.

The naming of the ship in Milk’s honor has been in the works for several years. In 2012, the San Francisco board of supervisors passed a resolution requesting that Mabus name a ship for Milk, who had followed family tradition in joining the Navy.

Milk enlisted at a time when the military barred gay, lesbian and bisexual people from serving. Military members believed to be gay were harassed, questioned and given dishonorable discharges. In 1955, Milk was discharged with the rank of lieutenant junior grade, according to the Navy.

Milk moved to San Francisco, where he opened a camera shop and became a leader in the gay community. He was known for using a bullhorn to rally crowds. Less than a year after being elected to the board of supervisors in 1977, he was fatally shot by his former city supervisor opponent, Dan White.

Milk’s legacy has been celebrated in books, an opera and even a postage stamp. His story was chronicled in the 2008 movie “Milk’’ starring Sean Penn. There was also a documentary in 1984, “The Times of Harvey Milk.” In 2009, President Barack Obama posthumously honored Milk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Milk’s nephew is the executive chairman of the Harvey Milk Foundation, which is based in South Florida. He said he was looking forward to seeing the ship when it’s completed in about 18-24 months.

“I really think it sends an important message,” Stuart Milk said. “We will celebrate everyone.”