Navy ship to be named for Washingtonian

WASHINGTON D.C. — Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced Wednesday that a future Navajo-class Towing, Salvage and Rescue ship will be named after Billy Frank Jr., a Nisqually tribal member, according to a press release from the U.S. Navy.

“I am honored for the opportunity to name a naval ship after Billy Frank Jr., a man who was a proponent and leader for Native American rights,” said Del Toro. “Billy Frank Jr. spent his life serving others and his namesake ship will do the same as it travels around the world enabling humanitarian assistance and the maintenance of freedom.”

According to the release, Frank, a native of Nisqually, Wash., was a notable Native American environmental leader and advocate for treaty rights. The release stated that Frank led a grassroots campaign in the 1960s and 1970s to secure fishing rights on the Nisqually River, and his efforts centered around promoting cooperative management of natural resources. Frank dedicated his life to activism, according to the release, serving as the chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for more than 30 years.