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The U.S. Navy plans to christen the USNS Thurgood Marshall (T-AO 211), the newest ship in its John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler program, at General Dynamics NASSCO’s San Diego shipyard at 10 a.m. PDT on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Christening is a key milestone ahead of sea trials and delivery to Military Sealift Command, which operates the Navy’s noncombat logistics fleet. As a fleet oiler, the Thurgood Marshall will refuel and resupply warships at sea, extending the reach of Carrier Strike Groups, amphibious ready groups, and other deployed forces.
Built by General Dynamics NASSCO, the John Lewis class succeeds the Kaiser-class oilers. The design incorporates a double hull and is intended to carry roughly 157,000 barrels of fuel along with limited dry cargo and mail, enabling multi-product underway replenishment.
The ship’s namesake honors Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and a pioneering civil-rights attorney whose work at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund included the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. The class follows a Navy naming convention recognizing leaders and advocates for civil and human rights.
NASSCO, based along San Diego Bay, is building the entire class under a series of Navy contracts. Earlier ships in the program have delivered or are in various stages of construction and testing as the service modernizes its at-sea logistics capacity.
