Navy will name ship after the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By Jonathan Franklin

Published April 1, 2022 at 7:19 PM EDT

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks onstage at the Fourth Annual Berggruen Prize Gala celebrating 2019 Laureate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in New York City. The U.S. Navy announced that a future ship will be named in her honor.

The Navy has announced that it will be naming a ship after the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

On Thursday, which marked the final day of Women's History Month, the Navy announced it would name a replenishment oiler ship the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The ship is part of the John Lewis-class of replenishment oilers, which are named in honor of people who fought for civil and human rights, according to the Navy.

Other ships included in the class are named after prominent civil rights activists and leaders, such as former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, two other former members of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren and Thurgood Marshall, and abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

The first ship in the class, named after the late congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, was delivered in 2021.

"It is my absolute honor to name the next [replenishment oiler] after the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is a historic figure who vigorously advocated for women's rights and gender equality," Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said in a news release. "[Ginsburg] 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."

Ginsburg died in 2020 at age 87 after complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. She served on the Supreme Court for 27 years.

Ginsburg was the second woman in history to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court behind Sandra Day O'Connor.

Classified as being the architect of the legal fight for women's rights in the 1970s, Ginsburg continuously led the fight in the courts for gender equality.

Del Toro named Ginsburg's daughter, Jane Ginsburg, as the ship's sponsor.

Replenishment oiler ships are responsible for transferring fuel to the Navy's operating carrier strike groups.

The ships have the ability to carry upwards of 162,000 barrels of oil, maintain significant dry cargo capacity, aviation capability and can travel at a speed of 20 knots, according to the Navy.