It will likely be more than a decade until the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), the fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier is commissioned into the US Navy, but recently the first significant milestone occurred when the First Cut of Steel ceremony was held in Newport News.
The event signaled the formal start of construction for the new warship, with six members of Messman Second Class Doris Miller were in attendance. Miller, the ship’s namesake, became the first African-American to receive the Navy Cross, which he earned for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
