The gay rights activist and first openly gay man to be voted into office in California, late Harvey Milk, has been going have a U.S. Navy ship, named after him.

A Navy official has informed that the Navy has sent congressional notification that they wants to name a new oiler ship after slain gay right activist Harvey Milk. LGBT advocates have campaigned for a ship to be named after the gay icon, even before the ban of open homosexuality in the military was lifted in 2011.

The Navy has declined to comment further until the official naming announcement.

Milk born of a Navy family and later served as a diving officer from 1951. He was honorably discharged from service with the rank of lieutenant junior grade in 1955 . He became the first openly gay elected official in California, but was gunned down in office in 1978, alongside Mayor George Moscone. Harvey Milk was a gay rights activist.

The notification sent July 14 was signed by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

Once commissioned, the USNS Harvey Milk would be part of the John Lewis-class oilers, a class named after Georgia Congressman and civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, and Mabus has said that this particular class of vessels would be named after various leaders for the civil rights movement.

The oiler is a helping logistics ship that replenishes other ships at sea with fuel and other provisions such as food.

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By Prakriti Neogi