NASSCO lays keel for US Navy’s ninth John Lewis-class oiler

June 23, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

General Dynamics NASSCO has held a keel-laying ceremony for the future USNS Harriet Tubman (T-AO 213), the ninth ship in the US Navy’s John Lewis-class fleet oiler program.

The ceremony was held at NASSCO’s shipyard in San Diego and was highlighted by the participation of ship sponsor Ernestine “Tina” Martin Wyatt, a descendant of Harriet Tubman. Wyatt welded her initials onto a steel plate, which will become part of the ship’s structure, symbolically linking her family’s legacy to the vessel’s foundation.

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Officials from General Dynamics NASSCO emphasized the milestone as part of the ongoing effort to deliver a new generation of fleet replenishment oilers designed to sustain US Navy carrier strike group operations at sea.

The future USNS Harriet Tubman is designed as a replenishment oiler capable of carrying approximately 162,000 barrels of oil, along with significant dry cargo capacity. These ships provide replenishment of fuel and supplies underway, enabling naval forces to remain deployed for extended periods without returning to port.

The vessel continues the naming tradition of the John Lewis class, which honors prominent civil rights leaders and American figures who advanced justice and equality. The class itself is named after the late US Representative John Lewis.

The future ship is also the second U.S. naval vessel to bear Tubman’s name, following a World War II-era Liberty ship. Tubman, born into slavery in Maryland in 1822, became one of the most prominent figures in the Underground Railroad and is credited with helping dozens of enslaved people escape to freedom before and during the Civil War.