A future Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carrier will be named in honour of World War II hero Ship’s Cook Third Class Doris Miller, say the US Navy.

This will be the second ship named in honour of Miller, and the first aircraft carrier ever named for an African American according to a US Navy news release.  This will also be the first aircraft carrier to be named in honour of a Sailor for actions while serving in the enlisted ranks.

“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,” said Acting Secretary of the US Navy Thomas B. Modly.

“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observed, ‘Everybody can be great – because anybody can serve’. No one understands the importance and true meaning of service than those who have volunteered to put the needs of others above themselves.”

File photo.

According to an official US Navy statement:

“On December the 7th, 1941, Miller was collecting laundry on the battleship West Virginia (BB-48), when the attack from Japanese forces commenced. When the alarm for general quarters sounded he headed for his battle station, an anti-aircraft battery magazine, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it. Miller was ordered to the ship’s bridge to aid the mortally wounded commanding officer, and subsequently manned a .50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun until he ran out of ammunition. Miller then helped move many other injured Sailors as the ship was ordered abandoned due to her own fires and flaming oil floating down from the destroyed Arizona (BB-33). West Virginia lost 150 of its 1,500 person crew.

Miller’s actions during the attack earned him a commendation from then Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and the Navy Cross, which was presented to him personally by Adm. Chester Nimitz, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at the time. Nimitz stated: this marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I’m sure the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts.”

The US Navy say that 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 a major combat operations”.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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26 COMMENTS

  1. It seems to me that the Pentagon is bent on not naming a carrier after a Democrat President from the post 1960s. They’ve named two after Republicans from the post 1960s era, the Ronald Reagan (named immediately he retired as president in his successor’s term), and George H.W Bush (named only 2 presidencies from when the man was kicked out of office). They reluctantly named a submarine after James Carter but we see no Lyndon B. Johnson (named a Destroyer after him instead) Jefferson Clinton (is it because he was impeached) or Barack H. Obama (might be too soon).

    Is this because the Democrats are viewed as “Liberals” and “Liberals” don’t deserve warships named after them or is it because the “Liberals” are deemed enemies of the military? I would have thought that at least James E. Carter, a naval officer who served with distinction in the early naval nuclear program, would have had a carrier named after him by now. What did Gerald Ford do, besides serving on an escort carrier in the Pacific, to deserve a carrier named after him?

    • Gerald Ford served as Vice President and President. He saw combat in WW2 as a member of the USS Monterey.

      Lyndon Johnson, a protégé of FDR, was awarded a Silver Star, the US’s third highest award for valor in combat, simply as a means to advance his political career. It is the most undeserved combat medal ever awarded by the United States. There is no way the US Navy could have gotten away with naming an aircraft carrier after Johnson.

  2. If someone said that a future assualt ship was to be named after Dorris Miller I could understand but a CVN. Those should be named after the most important people in the history of the US not someone who was doing his duty above and beyond the call. Just because you won the VC does not mean that you have a ship named after you.

    • It’s a great woke decision. Because that’s what it is. That’s the driver. They wanted to be inclusive. Right call? You tell me. Seems like overkill.

    • Sorry Ron, but by your definition, those most important people were also doing their duty, above and beyond. Why should ships be exclusively be named after them?

      Besides, you are talking about the USN, not the RN. They have their own traditions and can name a ship after someone who, in their eyes, while serving in a segregated Navy, where African-Americans were discriminated against, went way beyond what was expected of him. Maybe in the UK he may not be considered someone important, but in the USA and in the USN he is deserving of the honor.

      Plus, there is nothing wrong in naming a ship after someone who won the VC.

      • Rokuth, please don’t think that I am saying that Dorris Miller does not deserve a ship named after him, God I am still actually trying to get my head around the segregation issue in the US armend forces in that period. As for Dorris Miller, I know of him and his history, the issues he faced and what he did and yes he did stand up when it mattered. Its just that I am questioning the type of ship, an Assault ship I can understand, a DDG I can understand but a CVN. That is my issue, because where then does that go, how many men and women have served above and beyond the call of duty. Who says that the service of one person deserves a CVN named after them and another doesn’t, it becomes a political nightmare and can cause resentment. Yes the RN does have it a bit easier as we have Kings and Queens, Dukes and Earls, Cities, Counties, Battles and ship names that have been there for centuries and if the fleet ever got big enough we caould always fall back on Commonwealth nations or Greek/Roman Gods. So in some ways we can avoid the political issues of naming capital ships of war.
        As for the segregation issue, my attitude towards it is simple when men and women put on the uniform of their nation they are no longer black, white, or green with pink spots they are soilders, sailors and airmen, they have a job to do and any nation that threats the men and women serving diffrently because of the colour of their skin or their religious beliefs does not desreve the loyalty of those people and should hang their heads in shame.

        • Ron, I appreciate your response and I understand what you mean. I do agree with you on your points. Still, if those in power think that a CVN is worthy of his name…

    • Well the Elephant in the Room I guess for one does wonder if there will be a Donny Trump at some time in the future. Much depends no doubt on what happens in both the short and longer term towards the end of his term if he servives it. Would have thought a draft dodger getting such an honour would be unthinkable but that was real sane world thinking and we are far from being in any sort of sane world at the moment. And one can guess who would be at the forefront of demanding it down the line, no other than the self proclaimed ‘greatest War Leader of all time’.

  4. A USS Franklin Roosevelt and USS Calvin Coolidge might also be good carrier names with partisan balance. Clinton and Obama might be a bit soon. We’ve already had a Franklin D. Roosevelt. Even a Woodrow Wilson might be in order. I think honoring Seaman Miller was a good move. He certainly distinguished himself in combat in extreme conditions. He was without a doubt a hero.

  6. None of the commentators, I feel, really understand the rationale for this decision to name a CVN after Doris Miller. It is totally cynical politics. Not reported by the British press or the MSM in the United States is the tremendous progress Donald Trump has made into gaining support in the African-American community in the United States. African-American unemployment is an all time low and wages are rising. Kayne West has endorsed Trump. Significantly, Trump, who received 8% of the African American vote in 2016, now has poll approval ratings of around 35% amongst African Americans. Given the electoral system in the US, that is a huge increase. I think one must see it in that light.

    • Mr. Casimir has an undeniable point there. I was thinking the same. Whether you love him or hate him, President Trump has made major inroads into the African American community. I can attest that for a fact living in a majority black area of the Deep South. There is a good deal of support for his policies among here among traditionally Democratic voters.

      Cheers

    • Another big point in play here is this naming protects the carrier from budget cuts by ‘woke’ dove politicians. Cancelling the order of carrier named after an african-american hero would be career suicide in today’s political climate

  7. This guy deserves to be remembered. A minor omission from the above historical anecdote, was that he was actually ordered to man that gun. That being said, to stand up and shoot back at the enemy whilst being shot at by him, especially considering the wider cultural context around racial segregation, and the fact he wouldn’t even have been trained to shoot, is the absolute highest valour. Yes it’s a new precedent naming a CVN after a fighting sailor and not a politician, but does anybody actually care? Personally I respect servicemen more than politicians and I would hazard that I am probably not alone in that. Doris Miller is an important historical figure in the United States Navy and also in the general history of the United States as it charted its way to bring justice to so many who were deprived of it. He also paid the ultimate price, being killed in action later in the war with Japan. His ship, ‘The Mountaineer State Battlewagon’, or ‘Wee-Vee’ as she was also known, USS West Virginia – BB48, is one of the proudest ships to have ever lived twice – her commanding officer also mentioned, being Captain Mervyn Sharp Bennion, was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for his actions during the same attack. With most of his crew ashore and only a handful of men aboard he had to fight the ship, and somehow muster damage control parties to fight the fires, counterflood and shore up massive torpedo damage: a grizzly situation being in the vulnerable outboard mooring position.. to make matters worse a level-bomber dropped an improvised 16″ shell (the type carried aboard the battleships HIJMS Nagato and HIJMS Mutsu), which exploded on the adjacently [inboard] moored USS Tennessee, spraying splinters across the upperworks of USS West Virginia, and mortally wounding Captain Sharp Bennion. Still in command and still giving orders as he lay bleeding, Captain Sharp Bennion was ultimately responsible for efforts that couldn’t immediately save the ship – but would ensure that she settled on an even keel when she did sink at her mooring. This allowed the ship to be refloated, repaired and returned to service later in the war. USS West Virginia holds the battle honour of having done the bulk of the heavy-lifting against Admiral Shoji Nishimura’s Southern Force at the Battle of Surigao Strait, 24 October 1944 – this being distinguished as the last time big-gunned battleships would ever fight each other directly. Captain Sharp Bennion had a Destroyer named for him; and it is fitting that Doris Miller, who was also there, will now be namesake for the proud tradition of a new and important fighting ship. Fair winds and following seas, USS Miller!

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