MAY 1, 2026 – The U.S. Navy will christen the future USNS Solomon Atkinson (T-ATS 12), during a ceremony at Austal USA on Saturday, May 2, at 10 a.m. CDT.
The Honorable Brendan Rogers, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment, will deliver the principal address. Additional speakers are set to include the Honorable Daniel Marsden, acting mayor of the Metlakatla Indian Community; Rear Adm. Walter Allman, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command; Capt. Thomas Cunningham, chief of staff, Military Sealift Command; and Gene Miller, interim president, Austal USA.
The ship is named in honor of retired U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4 Solomon Atkinson, an original member of the first U.S. Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Team, established in 1962. A veteran of the Korean War, Atkinson served aboard the USS Washburn (AKA-108) and later completed three combat tours during the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and the Navy Commendation Medal with a Combat “V.” His naval service also included training 48 astronauts in the Apollo and Gemini spaceflight programs, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Following his service to the Navy, he returned to his home in the Metlakatla Indian Community, Alaska. There, he served as mayor, was a member of the Indian Community Council and the Board of Education and founded the first veterans organization on Annette Island.
In a time-honored tradition, ship sponsors Joann Atkinson, Maria Hayward and Michele Gunyah, the namesake’s widow and daughters, will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.
The Navajo-class rescue and salvage ship is a multi-mission, common hull platform that will deploy to support a range of missions such as towing, rescue, salvage, humanitarian assistance, oil spill response and wide-area search and surveillance. Navajo-class ships will be capable of towing U.S. Navy ships and will have 6,000 square feet of deck space for embarked systems.
The christening of the future USNS Solomon Atkinson underscores the Navy’s commitment to building America’s Fleet of the Future. For 250 years, American naval power has projected strength globally. That mission continues – and intensifies. We operate forward 24/7, 365 days a year. This operational tempo demands continuous capability delivery, and the Fleet of the Future is our answer.
Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342.
For more information on Fleet Ocean Tugs is available at: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2232242/fleet-ocean-tugs-t-ats/