Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) newest fleet replenishment oiler USNS Thurgood Marshall (T-AO 211), was christened during a ceremony at the General Dynamics/NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, Calif. On June 6, the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
The ship honors Thurgood Marshall, a civil rights leader and Supreme Court Justice. Marshall made history as the first black justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court when he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1967 and served on the court for 25 years. He is most remembered for his work toward affirmative action, stopping Jim Crow segregation and the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education.
“Justice Thurgood Marshall was the epitome of a trailblazer. He exemplified the timeless principle of service before self and embodied the power of moral truth,” said Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, commander of the Military Sealift Command; in his remarks. “It is a profound honor that this ship will carry his name, a name that will sail proudly across the world’s oceans for decades to come.”
The official christening moment happened when the ship's -sponsors, Melonie Tibbs and Cecilia Marshall, granddaughters of Thurgood Marshall and Dr. Alissa Kamens, Marshall’s granddaughter-in-law, broke a bottle of champagne against the ship’s hull with the words, “For the United States of America, I christen you the USNS Thurgood Marshall. May God bless this ship and all who sail on her.”
The 746’ vessel is the seventh ship of the John Lewis fleet replenishment oiler class, with capacity to carry 162,000 bbls. fuel. The Lewis-class of oilers will replace the current Kaiser class fleet replenishment oilers as they age out of the MSC fleet.
“Ships like this are not built by chance. They are forged in our industrial base, integrated into our fleet, and ready to sail hundreds of thousands of miles from home,” said Verissimo. “USNS Thurgood Marshall, and other ships like this one, represent the final growth of our fleet, enabling those who stand the watch to defend our nation.”
The event was attended by former Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro; Maj. Gen. David Bligh, Judge Advocate General of the Navy; Vice Adm. Douglas Verissimo, commander, Naval Air Forces/commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, commander, Military Sealift Command; Capt. Dustin Lonero, commander, Military Sealift Command Pacific; Capt. Andrew Graff, the ship’s civil service master; Thurgood Marshall, Jr and John Marshall, sons of Thurgood Marshall; executives and employees of NASSCO San Diego; members and friends of the Marshall family; and students from Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Chula Vista, Calif.
Marshall is one of 17 ships that have been formally procured or placed under contract in the Lewis-class of oilers. “In years ahead, USNS Thurgood Marshall will sail over the horizon in defense of our constitution and our way of life,” said Bligh. “It will carry the fuel that powers our Navy and our forces operating across the world. It will transfer millions of gallons of fuel and tons of critical supplies to our combatants at-sea, and she will ensure that our strike groups and other combatants will remain can on station projecting our nation’s sea power indefinitely."
"She will carry the dedicated professionals of the Military Sealift Command as they sail through contested waters, taking care of our underway Sailors and Marines, and she will do her part in support of our homeland.”
