Sailors practice a commissioning ceremony for the Arleigh Burke-class Flight III guided-missile destroyer USS Jack H Lucas in Tampa, Fla., on Oct. 4, 2023. (EJ Hersom/Defense Department)
WASHINGTON — Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro in recent days has named more than a dozen future ships, including aircraft carriers and submarines, to culminate his time leading the sea service.
A total of 19 Navy ships have been named by Del Toro in the past two weeks. The ships span two aircraft carriers, four submarines, five destroyers, two fleet replenishment oilers, a frigate, an amphibious ship, an expeditionary medical ship, two ocean surveillance ships and a first-in-class amphibious ship.
The latest slew of ships to be named included the future USS McClung, the first ship in the new McClung-class of medium landing ships. The Navy’s Medium Landing Ship program, previously called the Light Amphibious Warship program, seeks to purchase and build 18 to 35 new amphibious ships to support Marine Corps operations. The ships are meant to transport troops and equipment from ship to shore. The first-in-class ship honors Maj. Megan McClung, a Marine Corps public affairs officer who was killed in action while serving in Iraq. This will be the first Navy vessel to bear her name.
“[The ship] will be an asset to the Marine Corps’ amphibious capabilities, designed to greatly enhance operational flexibility and combat readiness,” Del Toro said.
Also announced Thursday were the future USNS Joshua L. Goldberg and USNS Thomas D. Parham Jr. — two future John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oilers. The oilers will supply fuel and dry cargo to deployed warships while at sea.
The day before Del Toro announced the names of three Flight III Arleigh Burke-class, guided-missile destroyers and one Constellation-class, guided-missile frigate. Those warships are future destroyers USS Ray Mabus, USS Kyle Carpenter, and USS Robert R. Ingram and future frigate USS Everett Alvarez Jr.
The three destroyers honor former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and Medal of Honor recipients Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter and Navy Corpsman Robert Ingram.
The destroyers join two others named earlier in the month — the future USS Robert Kerrey and USS Intrepid. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers incorporate stealth techniques, allowing these ships to conduct a variety of operations with a wide range of air, surface and underwater warfighting abilities.
Future frigate USS Everett Alvarez Jr. pays tribute to the first American aviator shot down over Vietnam and the longest-held prisoner of war in North Vietnam, according to the Navy History and Heritage Command. The constellation-class, guided-missile frigate represents the Navy’s next-generation small surface combat vessel. This ship class is designed to be a multi-mission warship capable of operations in deep water or near shore.
“Everywhere that these ships sail it will represent the legacies of these four leaders and heroes who placed country over self and service above all else,” Del Toro said Wednesday at the Naval Surface Force National Symposium in Arlington.
Outgoing Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro speaks Jan. 13, 2025, to the U.S. Naval Academy Brigade in Annapolis, Md., during his final days in office. (Stacy Godfrey/U.S. Navy photo )
Del Toro announced Monday that the names of the Navy’s next two Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, which will honor former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The future USS William J. Clinton and USS George W. Bush will be the fifth and sixth Ford-class carriers.
Ford-class ships are the Navy’s newest aircraft carriers, packed with never-before-seen technology meant to carry the service into the 21st century. The Ford-class carriers are being outfitted with electromagnetic-powered aircraft launch systems and advanced arresting gear. The technology, the Navy said, means the air-wing can get into the air — and return to the battle after rearming and refueling — faster than with the traditional steam-and-hydraulics systems that have been the mainstay for decades.
The same day, the names of four future submarines were announced in a video message to the Navy’s submarine community.
“Today’s submarine force is the most capable force in the world and in the history of U.S. Navy,” Del Toro said. “It is my honor and privilege to announce the names of the future submarines which will protect us from deep below the ocean’s waves.”
The next Columbia-class submarine will be the USS Groton, named for the Connecticut town considered to be the submarine capital of the world because it is where Navy submarines are built. The Columbia-class submarine is a new class of nuclear subs designed to replace the Navy’s Ohio-class submarines. They serve as a launch platform for ballistic missiles. The Groton will be the third Columbia submarine.
Additionally, three Virginia-class submarines were named the future USS Potomac, USS Norfolk and USS Brooklyn. Virginia-class submarines are attack warships designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships, conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and engage in mine warfare. The ships are armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and carry special operation forces that can deploy from the submarine.
Last week, Del Toro named a future San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Travis Manion, along with two T-AGOS — the first two ships in the newly named Explorer class of ocean surveillance ships — the future USNS Don Walsh and the future USNS Victor Vescovo. Operated by the Military Sea Lift Command, the Explorer-class ships are designed to play a role in the Navy’s anti-submarine warfare operations.
The amphibious ship, which embarks Marines and their equipment, honors a Marine who was ambushed while searching a suspected insurgent house in Iraq’s Anbar province. As he led a counterattack, Manion was fatally wounded by a sniper while aiding his fellow Marines. He deliberately exposed himself to heavy enemy fire to draw fire away from other wounded Marines. For his actions, he received the Silver Star and the Bronze Star with valor.
Del Toro also named a future Bethesda-class expeditionary medical ship USNS Portsmouth during a ship naming ceremony last week at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va. Bethesda-class expeditionary medical ships are designed optimizes hospital-level medical care in support of maritime operations.
Del Toro was sworn in as the Navy’s top civilian leader in 2021 under President Joe Biden’s administration. As Biden’s presidency comes to a close, so does Del Toro’s time as leading the sea service.
President-elect Donald Trump, who enters office Monday, has tapped businessman and mega donor John Phelan as his pick for the next Navy secretary.
