The US Navy will name a fuel ship after Ruth Bader Ginsburg in recognition of her trailblazing advocacy of women’s rights, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has announced.
The late Supreme Court Justice’s work to promote gender equality was “instrumental” in inspiring women to serve in the armed forces, Mr Del Toro said.
A future oil replenishment T-AO 212 ship, the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, will be “the first to bear her name”, he said.
“As we close out women’s history month, it is my absolute honour to name the next T-AO after the Honourable Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“She is a historic figure who vigorously advocated for women’s rights and gender equality,” Mr Del Toro said in a statement.
“She is instrumental to why we now have women of all backgrounds, experiences and talents serving within our ranks, side by side with their male Sailor and Marine counterparts,” he added.
Ginsburg, known by her legion of admirers as the Notorious RBG, died in September 2020 at the age of 87 due to complications from metastatic pancreas cancer.
As the senior member of the Supreme Court’s liberal wing, she oversaw decisions on pivotal issues including same-sex marriage, abortion rights, health care and immigration.
Fuel ships of the same T-AO class under construction have been named after the late civil rights icons John Lewis and Harvey Milk.
Mr Del Toro named Ginsburg’s daughter, Jane Ginsburg, as the ship’s sponsor.
The 226m (742 foot) T-AO ships’ have capacity to carry 162,000 barrels of oil.
