Navy weighs renaming carrier from Black war hero to Trump

The U.S. Navy is considering renaming the under-construction aircraft carrier CVN-81, previously designated as the USS Doris Miller to honor a Black World War II hero, after President Donald Trump. Naming the vessel after Trump would be an unprecedented move for a sitting president. The effort coincides with a broader campaign by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to roll back military naming conventions linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion. While the Navy plans to recommend Miller for the Medal of Honor, his family was not notified of the renaming discussions.

USS Doris Miller renaming effort

• ▪The U.S. Navy is considering renaming the under-construction Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier CVN-81, which was previously designated to be named the USS Doris Miller, to honor President Donald Trump.
• ▪The U.S. Navy has internally stopped referring to the aircraft carrier CVN-81 as the USS Doris Miller, using only its hull number amid ongoing renaming discussions.
• ▪The U.S. Navy is facing a time crunch to finalize the name of the aircraft carrier CVN-81 because its public keel-laying ceremony is scheduled for the end of 2026.

Doris Miller Pearl Harbor heroism

• ▪In 1942, Admiral Chester Nimitz presented Doris Miller with the Navy Cross for his actions during the Pearl Harbor attack, making him the first African American on the official War Bond speaking tour.
• ▪Doris Miller died in 1943 during a Japanese submarine torpedo attack on his ship during the Battle of Makin in the Pacific.
• ▪During the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, mess attendant Doris Miller took control of an anti-aircraft gun without prior training and fired on Japanese planes while helping wounded sailors.

Trump administration diversity rollback

• ▪Former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan convened a renaming commission in 2025 to review military asset naming and requested a study on restricting aircraft carrier names to presidents, admirals, and battles.
• ▪Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has led efforts to remove military asset names chosen for diversity, equity, and inclusion purposes, including ordering the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk in 2025.

Navy ship naming precedent

• ▪The designation of the USS Doris Miller in January 2020 marked the first time an aircraft carrier was named after an enlisted sailor and the first named after an African American.
• ▪Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao and his office have initiated reviews to update official guidance regarding how Navy ships are named and who they can be named after.
• ▪Naming the aircraft carrier CVN-81 after Donald Trump would mark the first time in U.S. Navy history that an aircraft carrier is named after a sitting president.

Medal of Honor recommendation

• ▪The U.S. Navy is recommending Doris Miller for the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration for valor, which requires final authorization from Congress and approval from President Donald Trump.
• ▪Thomas Bledsoe, the great-nephew of Doris Miller, stated that the Miller family had not been informed of the Navy's plan to rename the aircraft carrier or the renewed Medal of Honor recommendation.

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