The U.S. Navy is reportedly considering a significant departure from its previous naming plans for a new Ford-class aircraft carrier, currently designated as CVN-81. Internal discussions have surfaced regarding the possibility of naming the vessel after President Donald Trump, a move that would be unprecedented for a sitting president. This potential change comes as the Navy faces a looming deadline to finalize the ship’s name before its scheduled keel-laying ceremony later this year.
For years, the vessel was slated to be named in honor of Doris “Dorie” Miller, a Black sailor who earned the Navy Cross for his heroic actions during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Miller, then a mess attendant second class aboard the USS West Virginia, famously took control of an anti-aircraft gun despite having no formal training, downing at least one Japanese aircraft while also rescuing wounded shipmates. The Navy had officially announced the name USS Doris Miller during the President’s first term, intending it to be the first aircraft carrier named after an African American.
Sources familiar with internal deliberations indicate that the Navy has stopped using the name USS Doris Miller in internal communications, referring to the ship exclusively by its hull number, CVN-81. This shift in terminology was also reflected in a recent White House executive order concerning shipbuilding, which tasked the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy with developing a plan to replace the ship’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system with traditional steam and hydraulic alternatives.
The decision to potentially pivot away from the Miller name has drawn attention due to the historical significance of the original tribute. When the name was first announced on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2020, then-Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly emphasized that the ship would serve as a reminder of the nation’s pursuit of justice. Modly noted that Miller, the son of a sharecropper and a descendant of enslaved people, refused to be defined by the prejudices of his time, embodying the service and professionalism of the enlisted ranks.
While the Navy reportedly plans to honor Miller with a different warship and is recommending him for the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest military decoration—reports suggest that the White House has not yet approved this commendation. Miller, a native of Waco, Texas, died in 1943 during a torpedo attack in the Pacific. Throughout his service, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Purple Heart, the American Defense Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
The Ford-class carrier, which is currently under construction with an expected completion date in 2034, is designed for major combat operations, crisis response, and humanitarian relief. The only other vessel to bear Miller’s name was the USS Miller (FF-1091), a Knox-class frigate. As of now, the White House and the Pentagon have declined to comment on the internal naming discussions, and the family of Doris Miller has not been reached for a statement regarding the potential change. The report also notes that he also helped carry wounded sailors to safety. The report also notes that miller was famously portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. The report also notes that in the 2001 film “Pearl Harbor.” During Trump’s first term, the Navy announced that the Ford-class carrier would be called the USS Doris Miller. The report also notes that but two of the sources told CNN there have been internal conversations about renaming it to honor Trump. The report also notes that after the Japanese surprise attack in Hawaii in 1941, “Dorie,” as he was known, received the Navy Cross for his action in 1942. The report also notes that he was not given the same opportunities that men of a different color were given to serve this country. The report also notes that 7, 1941, he would not be defined by the prejudice of other people. The report also notes that “In selecting this name, we honor the contributions of all our enlisted ranks, past and present, men and women, of every race, religion and background,” Modly said in a statement announcing the ship’s name in 2020.