Overview
- The USNS Thurgood Marshall was christened at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego on Saturday, June 6, 2026, during a ceremony attended by senior Navy leaders and members of the Marshall family.
- The 746‑foot oiler can carry about 162,000 barrels of diesel, aviation fuel and dry stores, has a double hull and strengthened tanks, and will field a basic self‑defense suite for at‑sea operations.
- The ship is the seventh vessel in the John Lewis class and will be operated by the Military Sealift Command, the civilian‑crewed organization that runs roughly 140 support ships for the Navy.
- The vessel was named for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and was christened by his granddaughters Cecilia L. Marshall and Melonie Tibbs and granddaughter‑in‑law Alissa Kamens Marshall.
- The John Lewis program, with at least 17 oilers procured or under contract, is designed to replace aging Kaiser‑class T‑AO 187 ships and restore the Navy’s underway replenishment capacity that keeps fleets on station longer.