USNS_Cesar_Chavez
USNS Cesar Chavez
Cargo ship of the United States Navy
USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14), a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship, is the first ship operated by the United States Navy to be named for Cesar Chavez (1927–1993), labor leader and civil rights activist.[1] Chávez joined the Navy at the age of seventeen in 1944 during World War II, and served for two years.[2]
Cesar Chavez's keel was laid down on 9 May 2011 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) in San Diego.[3] The ship was launched on 5 May 2012.[4]