The Navy says it will not be naming a new class of warship after an officer who once served in the Confederate Navy.
The name “USS Brooke” was included on a list of contracts awarded on a Defense Department website Friday. The name of the new class of frigate was released the same day Defense Secretary Mark Esper banned the Confederate flag by not including it on a new list of approved flags.
A senior Navy official told 360aproko News it was a “mistake” to list the name because a decision has not been made on the name for the new class of warship. The Navy is working on correcting the DoD website the official said.
John Mercer Brooke once served in the Confederate Navy and was one of the first graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1847.
“While stationed at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., during the early 1850s, he developed a device for accurately mapping the deep sea floor,” according to the Navy.
In a statement on Twitter, the Navy said Saturday morning there is “absolutely” no plan to name the new warship USS Brooke.
“We are working to correct the contract notice. It listed FFG 1 in error rather than the first FFGX. The new frigate has not been named, and there is absolutely no intent to name it Brooke. FFG 1 USS Brooke was decommissioned more than 30 years ago,” the Navy wrote.
