A future U.S. Navy ship will be named after the late Billy Frank Jr., a native of Nisqually, Washington, and a notable Native American environmental leader and advocate for treaty rights.
The honor was announced in a July 14 news release by the Office of the Secretary of the Navy. The Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship (T-ATS) will be named USNS Billy Frank Jr., following the tradition of naming such vessels after prominent Native Americans or Native American tribes.
“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,” Del Toro said.
“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.”
Frank was born in 1931 as a member of the Nisqually tribe. After serving as a military police officer in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, Frank returned to Washington where he became an electrical lineman and fished the waters on his tribe’s traditional land.
He led a grassroots campaign in the 1960s and 1970s to secure native fishing rights on the Nisqually River.
During the so-called “Fish Wars,” Frank became a prominent figure in advocating for tribal fishing rights, including organizing a series of “fish-ins” that culminated in the landmark 1974 Boldt decision. Named after federal Judge George Hugo Boldt, the decision affirmed that Washington tribes were entitled to 50% of the annual fish harvest.
Frank went on to serve as chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for more than 30 years, calling for cooperative management of natural resources and environmental protections.
Among other honors, Frank received the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism and the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award.
Frank died on May 5, 2014, at age 83.
The start and completion dates for constructing the vessel to be named after Frank were not specified.
