WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is naming a ship after decorated Alaska Native veteran Solomon “Sol” Atkinson, of Metlakatla.
Atkinson, who died in 2019, was one of the first Navy SEALs. He was deployed to Korea and completed three tours in Vietnam, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Among his many acts of service, Atkinson also trained astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in underwater weightless simulations.
The Navy announced plans Aug. 7 to name a future Navajo-class oceangoing tug and rescue ship — which are traditionally named for prominent Indigenous people and tribes — after Atkinson. The announcement coincided with Metlakatla’s commemoration of Founders Day, which marks the community’s founding in 1887.
“Atkinson’s achievements as a SEAL have left behind an enduring legacy, not just in the special warfare community, but with our nation’s astronauts as well,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a statement. “I am pleased to ensure that his name will extend globally to all who view this great ship.”
The Navajo Class of oceangoing ships are 263 feet in length, with a beam of 59 feet and a draft of 17.7 feet, according to the Naval Technology website. The ships, designed to tow U.S. Navy vessels, have a top speed of 15.1 knots and have a range of 8,170 nautical miles.
The first ship of the class, the USNS Navajo, was launched in March and has yet to be commissioned. The USNS Solomon Atkinson will be the seventh ship of the class. It is under construction in Alabama, and no completion date has been announced.
When completed, the Solomon Atkinson will join the under-construction destroyer USS Ted Stevens as the only Navy ships named after Alaskans.
Atkinson was born in Metlakatla in 1930 and raised in Alaska’s only federally recognized Indian reservation. Before enlisting in the Navy in 1952, he worked as a commercial fisherman. After his retirement from the Navy as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in 1973, Atkinson founded the first veterans organization on Annette Island and served as mayor of Metlakatla, among other roles in the community.
The Navy named Atkinson’s widow, Joann Atkinson, and daughters Michele Gunyah and Maria Hayward as sponsors of the vessel. In that role, they will maintain a relationship with the ship and crew.
Joann Atkinson said the news that the Navy planned to name a ship after her late husband was “completely overwhelming.”
“I still haven’t come down off the clouds,” she said.
“I just wish he was here to receive, but I know he’s looking down on us right now,” she said of her husband. “And he’s probably just smiling. He had the most beautiful smile.”
Caitlin Steinberg is an archivist chronicling Atkinson’s life for a book and the executive director of Operation Green Faces, a nonprofit that preserves SEALs’ oral histories from the Vietnam War.
Steinberg called the task of preserving Atkinson’s story “intimidating” because it spans so many historical events. In an interview, she outlined Atkinson’s experiences preparing for the Cuban missile crisis, training astronauts, serving in the Vietnam War and being in Washington, D.C., during 9/11.
“His life is filled with such extraordinary circumstances that can only be described as either fate or incredible coincidence,” she said.
In a prepared statement, Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan said Atkinson was a “legendary Alaskan and an American hero, leading an extraordinary life of honor and distinction.”
“You would never hear Sol brag about his accomplishments and illustrious career because Sol was — as most of the greats are — a truly humble man,” Sullivan continued. “Sol also personified the special patriotism manifest in our Alaska Native people, who serve at higher rates in our military than any other ethnic group. I can’t think of an individual who is more deserving of this incredible honor.”
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