New Yorktown?
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2026 11:20 am
The local paper Daily Press (Depress) published an article on 18 March 2026 that advocates are pushing for the next name for a Ford class ship be Yorktown. This would be the 6th ship to bear the name, their hope is that said ship would be commissioned in time for the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown.
Advocates want old name for
new ship
Wittman joins pair as they push for a 6th USS Yorktown
The final USS Yorktown was a guided missile cruiser in service from 1984 to 2004. JOHN GAY/U.S. NAVY
By Ben Swenson
Correspondent
YORK — Five ships named the USS Yorktown have served the U.S. military, and a devoted group of York
County residents believe it’s high time there was a sixth.
Frances Goodwin Holt and Sheila Noll are leading an effort to have the Navy commit to another USS Yorktown
as the nation celebrates its semiquincentennial this year, leaving ample time for a ship’s formal commissioning
by 2031 — the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown.
Holt was a civilian engineer and executive director of the Navy Munitions Command for the Navy for 48 years.
Noll has represented District 2 on the York County Board of Supervisors for 30 years.
The local effort is also benefiting from the interest and advocacy of U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican
whose 1st Congressional District includes Yorktown.
Wittman sent a letter Monday to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth urging that the next Navy nuclear-
powered aircraft carrier be named the USS Yorktown.
There are a few compelling reasons that another USS Yorktown would be appropriate, Holt said.
Among them: there have been five vessels in three different centuries that have served honorably in the Navy,
and naming a sixth would continue that remarkable legacy.
The first USS Yorktown was a 16-gun sloop that served from 1840 to 1850. That was followed by a gunboat
that was in service from 1889 to 1919.
Two aircraft carriers that bore the name took part in World War II — the first of which was sunk at the Battle of
Midway in 1942. Its successor entered naval service in 1943 and served until 1970, then became the
cornerstone of the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, where the vessel
resides today.
The final USS Yorktown was a guided missile cruiser in service from 1984 to 2004.
Many people remember the different ships bearing the name Yorktown — even some with relatives who
served aboard the World War II vessels, Noll said.
According to Holt, another USS Yorktown would also serve as a tribute to the soldiers and sailors who fought
for independence at the last major battle of the American Revolution.
In October 1781, Gen. Charles Cornwallis surrendered his forces to George Washington’s Continental Army at
Yorktown, which had laid siege to the bustling port town.
“It would be a fitting way of honoring patriots who so valiantly fought,” she said.
Timing is another reason, according to Holt. Events surrounding semiquincentennial celebrations would offer
an appropriate backdrop for such an announcement.
“This is a perfect time to name a new ship USS Yorktown,” she said. “The optics for the Navy and our nation
would be ideal.”
Wittman also is working the levers of power in Washington.
The name Yorktown continues to be synonymous with American resolve, resilience and sacrifice, according to
Wittman.
For that reason and for the battle’s pivotal role in American victory and independence, he is aiming high.
Wittman wants the Navy to assign the name to CVN-84, a planned Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear powered
aircraft carrier.
“Over the last several months, I have been communicating with the administration and the Pentagon about
honoring that legacy by naming CVN-84 the USS Yorktown,” Wittman said in a statement.
“Doing so would appropriately commemorate the nation’s triumphant founding, celebrate naval sacrifice and
strength and project American resolve as the United States enters its next 250 years.”
Holt and Noll also have embarked on a letter-writing campaign to get the attention of national officials. Among
the policymakers Noll reached was Secretary of the Navy John Phelan. In February, Phelan responded to Noll
in personal correspondence.
“The process is a thoughtful and solemn one, weighing many worthy recommendations for a limited number
of vessels,” Phelan wrote. “Please be assured that your suggestion has been formally received. It will be given
full and earnest consideration as we select the names for the next generation of naval ships.”
Noll said she was heartened by the response.
“The Navy is taking it under consideration. That’s a big move,” she said.
Holt knows from decades of experience working for the Navy that nothing will happen overnight, but is
hopeful that growing local support will help convince policymakers this is the right thing to do.
“Most things of this nature take a long time, but I also know from experience if you push the right buttons, you
can make things happen,” she said.
Advocates want old name for
new ship
Wittman joins pair as they push for a 6th USS Yorktown
The final USS Yorktown was a guided missile cruiser in service from 1984 to 2004. JOHN GAY/U.S. NAVY
By Ben Swenson
Correspondent
YORK — Five ships named the USS Yorktown have served the U.S. military, and a devoted group of York
County residents believe it’s high time there was a sixth.
Frances Goodwin Holt and Sheila Noll are leading an effort to have the Navy commit to another USS Yorktown
as the nation celebrates its semiquincentennial this year, leaving ample time for a ship’s formal commissioning
by 2031 — the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown.
Holt was a civilian engineer and executive director of the Navy Munitions Command for the Navy for 48 years.
Noll has represented District 2 on the York County Board of Supervisors for 30 years.
The local effort is also benefiting from the interest and advocacy of U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican
whose 1st Congressional District includes Yorktown.
Wittman sent a letter Monday to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth urging that the next Navy nuclear-
powered aircraft carrier be named the USS Yorktown.
There are a few compelling reasons that another USS Yorktown would be appropriate, Holt said.
Among them: there have been five vessels in three different centuries that have served honorably in the Navy,
and naming a sixth would continue that remarkable legacy.
The first USS Yorktown was a 16-gun sloop that served from 1840 to 1850. That was followed by a gunboat
that was in service from 1889 to 1919.
Two aircraft carriers that bore the name took part in World War II — the first of which was sunk at the Battle of
Midway in 1942. Its successor entered naval service in 1943 and served until 1970, then became the
cornerstone of the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, where the vessel
resides today.
The final USS Yorktown was a guided missile cruiser in service from 1984 to 2004.
Many people remember the different ships bearing the name Yorktown — even some with relatives who
served aboard the World War II vessels, Noll said.
According to Holt, another USS Yorktown would also serve as a tribute to the soldiers and sailors who fought
for independence at the last major battle of the American Revolution.
In October 1781, Gen. Charles Cornwallis surrendered his forces to George Washington’s Continental Army at
Yorktown, which had laid siege to the bustling port town.
“It would be a fitting way of honoring patriots who so valiantly fought,” she said.
Timing is another reason, according to Holt. Events surrounding semiquincentennial celebrations would offer
an appropriate backdrop for such an announcement.
“This is a perfect time to name a new ship USS Yorktown,” she said. “The optics for the Navy and our nation
would be ideal.”
Wittman also is working the levers of power in Washington.
The name Yorktown continues to be synonymous with American resolve, resilience and sacrifice, according to
Wittman.
For that reason and for the battle’s pivotal role in American victory and independence, he is aiming high.
Wittman wants the Navy to assign the name to CVN-84, a planned Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear powered
aircraft carrier.
“Over the last several months, I have been communicating with the administration and the Pentagon about
honoring that legacy by naming CVN-84 the USS Yorktown,” Wittman said in a statement.
“Doing so would appropriately commemorate the nation’s triumphant founding, celebrate naval sacrifice and
strength and project American resolve as the United States enters its next 250 years.”
Holt and Noll also have embarked on a letter-writing campaign to get the attention of national officials. Among
the policymakers Noll reached was Secretary of the Navy John Phelan. In February, Phelan responded to Noll
in personal correspondence.
“The process is a thoughtful and solemn one, weighing many worthy recommendations for a limited number
of vessels,” Phelan wrote. “Please be assured that your suggestion has been formally received. It will be given
full and earnest consideration as we select the names for the next generation of naval ships.”
Noll said she was heartened by the response.
“The Navy is taking it under consideration. That’s a big move,” she said.
Holt knows from decades of experience working for the Navy that nothing will happen overnight, but is
hopeful that growing local support will help convince policymakers this is the right thing to do.
“Most things of this nature take a long time, but I also know from experience if you push the right buttons, you
can make things happen,” she said.
