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Carrier name under review
The U.S. Navy is considering renaming the aircraft carrier CVN-81, which was set to be named the USS Doris Miller, potentially switching it to President Donald Trump instead, according to a CNN report cited by KWTX.
“potentially naming the warship after President Donald Trump instead”
KWTX said the Ford-class carrier was designated to honor Waco World War II hero Doris Miller, and that Navy leadership has effectively stopped referring to the ship as the USS Doris Miller internally, using only its hull number, CVN-81.
NBC News reported that Navy leadership is discussing renaming the carrier after Trump, and that the ship is still under construction and was set to be named the USS Doris Miller in honor of an enlisted sailor who staffed an anti-aircraft gun during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
NBC News added that discussion about changing the name has been ongoing for several months, and that the Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the potential name change.
KWTX reported that the Navy faces a tight deadline to finalize the carrier’s name ahead of its scheduled keel-laying ceremony at the end of 2026.
Medal of Honor and officials
CNN reporting cited by NBC News said the Navy is considering renaming the carrier while also recommending Miller for the Medal of Honor, with final approval up to Congress and President Trump.
NBC News said the two U.S. officials reported that Miller is now under consideration for the Medal of Honor but that it has not been approved by the White House.
NBC News also said ship-naming authority lies with the Navy secretary, but defense secretaries are often deeply involved in decisions to name aircraft carriers, meaning the decision will be made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao.
CNN’s account, as summarized by USA Today, said the Navy has effectively stopped referring to the ship as the USS Doris Miller internally and is only calling it by its hull number, CVN-81.
USA Today reported that a recent White House executive order on shipbuilding referred to the ship only as CVN-81, tasking the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy to report back with a plan to replace the ship’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system with steam and hydraulic systems.
Unprecedented move and timing
Multiple outlets framed the possible change as unprecedented, with CNN reporting that it would be an unprecedented move to name an aircraft carrier after a sitting president.
“It would be an unprecedented move to name an aircraft carrier after a sitting president”
USA Today said the carrier is still under construction until 2034 and that the Navy is under a time crunch to finalize the name as the ship’s keel-laying ceremony is expected at the end of this year, according to CNN.
KWTX reported that the Ford-class carrier CVN-81 was set to be named the USS Doris Miller in January 2020, and that the renaming efforts come amid a broader push within the Pentagon to review military assets and align ship names with the administration’s priorities.
KWTX added that Navy leadership has effectively stopped referring to the carrier as the USS Doris Miller internally, using only its hull number, CVN-81, and that the Navy is reportedly proposing to name a different warship after Miller.
NBC News reported that the USS Doris Miller would be the first aircraft carrier named after a Black and an enlisted sailor, and that the ship could be among the first to have the Trump-ordered catapult launch system that uses steam rather than electromagnetic catapults.
