US Navy unveils name of newest Ford-class aircraft carrier

The US Navy has unveiled the name of its newest Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier.

Acting Secretary of the US Navy Thomas B. Modly named the future aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller (CVN 81) during a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ceremony honoring African Americans of the Greatest Generation in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on January 20, 2020.

As informed, this will be the second ship named in honor of Miller, and the first aircraft carrier ever named for an African American. It will also be the first aircraft carrier to be named in honor of a Sailor for actions while serving in the enlisted ranks.

A year ago, the US Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) a contract for the construction of two new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 80 and CVN 81, in a bid to achieve cost savings by ordering the two ships at once.

The future USS Doris Miller and other Ford-class carriers will be the premier forward asset for crisis response and humanitarian relief, and early decisive striking power in major combat operations. The aircraft carrier and the carrier strike group will provide forward presence, rapid response, endurance on station, and multi-mission capability throughout its 50-year service life.