Ship named for Lewis
U.S. Navy christens the USNS John Lewis, honoring the civil rights icon and congressman on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Navy names ship after John Lewis
The U.S. Navy christened the USNS John Lewis on Saturday, honoring the late congressman on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Family and friends of the civil rights icon joined senior lawmakers for the christening ceremony in San Diego.
“It’s fitting that we honor John Lewis with this formidable ship, because John Lewis was a warrior. One of the mottos of the Navy is ‘Semper Fortis’ — ‘Always Courageous’ — and John Lewis was indeed always courageous,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D -Calif., said.
Actress and activist Alfre Woodard, the ship’s sponsor, christened the John Lewis with champagne saying, “May God bless this ship and all who sail in her.”
“We miss him on this platform but we will never be without him. I am honored. I am fortunate. I am eternally grateful to have lived in the time of John Lewis,” she said.
“On behalf of my beloved uncle, the entire Lewis family, we’re humbled and grateful for the christening of the USNS John Lewis,” said Marcus Tyner, a nephew of Lewis.
“We all agree that what is most important at this critical time, and what will please my uncle most is the passing of the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill,” he added.
Lewis, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986, representing Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. He held the seat until his death one year ago.
He survived a brutal beating while leading a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in March 1965, and for decades after that he remained a force in U.S. politics.
The USNS John Lewis is a 742-foot-long vessel designed to transfer fuel to Navy carrier strike group ships operating at sea, the Navy said.