Navy sets commissioning date for missile destroyer named for Medal of Honor recipient

An Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer will be the first ship to bear the name of the Medal of Honor recipient Harvey C. “Barney” Barnum Jr. when it is commissioned on April 11, 2026, the Navy said in a news release.

The future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. will be named for a Marine Corps colonel who fought valiantly during the Vietnam War.

Barnum received the medal for a Dec. 18, 1965, incident in which he moved through enemy fire to lead attacks against entrenched fighters and, after clearing an area, facilitated the landing of transport helicopters to retrieve casualties.

Barnum is one of the few people who has lived to see the process of a Navy ship being named for them, the release said. It added that his wife, Martha Hill, is the ship’s sponsor and that the couple have had a close relationship with the crew since the keel laying ceremony in 2021.

The commissioning ceremony takes place in Norfolk, Va., and will be streamed on this defense media page beginning at 9:50 a.m. Eastern Time. The ship will be homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.