NASSCO Delivers USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206)

The General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego on Tuesday delivered the future USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) to the U.S. Navy.

The ship is the second of the Navy’s John Lewis-class fleet oiler program, following the series' lead vessel, USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205), delivered in July 2022.

Operated by Military Sealift Command (MSC), the 742-foot-long oilers are designed to transfer fuel to U.S. Navy carrier strike group ships operating at sea. They have capacity to carry 157,000 barrels of oil, a significant dry cargo capacity, aviation capability and are capable of speeds up to 20 knots.

First steel was cut for the future USNS Harvey Milk in December 2019, and the ship was christened and launched in November 2021.

The vessel is named in honor of gay rights activist Harvey Milk, who served in the Navy during the Korean War and later became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California.

In 2016, NASSCO was awarded a contract from the Navy to design and build the first six John Lewis-class replenishment oilers, and the shipyard has gone on to secure three more vessels in the series. The class is planned to comprise of 20 ships in total.

NASSCO is currently building the future USNS Earl Warren (T-AO 207), future USNS Robert F. Kennedy (T-AO 208), future USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209) and future USNS Sojourner Truth (T-AO 210), and it has secured orders for the future USNS Thurgood Marshall (T-AO-211), future USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg (T-AO-212) and T-AO-213.