Rep. Gosar wants Navy to name warship after Granite Mtn. Hotshots

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar is asking the Navy to name one of its new warships after the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

The Hotshots were an elite, Prescott-based wildfire-fighting team.

Nineteen of the team’s 20 team members died while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire on June 30, 2013.

Earlier this month, Gosar, R-Ariz., sent a letter to the director of the Naval History and Heritage Command saying that Arizona constituents, including Prescott Fire Chief Dennis Light, would like the Navy to name one of its San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks the “USS Granite Mountain.”

“Granite Mountain, a mountain located in my district near Prescott, Arizona, was the namesake of the firefighting unit that tragically lost nineteen men during the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013,” Gosar wrote.

At the time, the Yarnell Hill Fire was the deadliest event for firefighters since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. At least two documentary films have been made about the event as well as the 2017 film “Only the Brave.”

John Marsh is the board chair for the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew Learning and Tribute Center and father of Hotshot leader Eric Marsh, who was among the firefighters who died in 2013.

Marsh said the push for a namesake vessel began several years ago at the suggestion of Dennis Bueschel, another board member. Lately, the idea has been picking up momentum, he said.

“With the recent wildfires in California and Australia, it wouldn’t just recognize the 19 lost, but all hotshots, and bring them honor,” Marsh said.

Light, the Prescott fire chief, also said Bueschel’s proposal has gained traction and that he hopes public support will keep moving it forward.

“This idea has solid merit. If you put into context what the Navy does compared to what the hotshots do — they share a lot of similarities. They put their lives at risk,” Light said.

The secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the president and in accordance with congressional rules, is responsible for choosing the names of naval vessels.

The rules and traditions governing ship names have changed over time and with each new Navy secretary, including current Secretary Richard Spencer.

According to Congressional Research Reports, San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks are named after major cities and communities as well as places attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

Although the proposed “USS Granite Mountain” name does not appear to fit within standard naval rules — major cities and communities are defined as a top-three population center in a state — exceptions to the Navy’s naming conventions are common.

One exception was made in 2018 when the Navy expanded the name of the destroyer John S. McCain to include a then-living person, U.S. Sen. John McCain.

While members of Congress, such as Gosar, have some influence on the naming process, members of the public can send suggestions to the Navy at the following address:

Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox Director, Naval History and Command (NHHC)

805 Kidder Breese Street SE Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., 20374-5060.

Heritage