The U.S. Navy christened the USNS Navajo this weekend.
The towing, salvage and rescue ship was officially put into service in Louisiana during a ceremony Saturday.
Current and former members of the Navajo Nation Council attended the christening alongside civilian sponsor Jocelyn Billy-Upshaw and Navajo Code Talker Peter MacDonald.
It’s the first ship in the new Navajo Class of vessels named to honor Native American contributions to the armed forces. Ten vessels will make up the Navajo Class and others will be named for the Cherokee, Muscogee Creek and other Indigenous nations.
The process for naming the ship first began in 2015 and was assisted by the late U.S. Sen. John McCain.
Delivery of the first vessel is expected early next year.