SEATTLE — Billy Frank Jr. was arrested over 50 times trying to preserve his and his tribe's treaty right to fish in their ancestral waters.
Now, the legendary Nisqually elder who was a central figure in the fight for tribal fishing rights and environmental protections in the Pacific Northwest will have a U.S. Navy ship named after him.
A future U.S. Navy Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship — TATS-11 — will be named the USNS Billy Frank Jr., officials announced this month.
“This is truly an honor for the Frank family, Wa-he-lut School and the Nisqually Nation,” said Willie Frank III, son of Billy Frank Jr. and chair of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, in a statement.
Starting in 2019, the Navy began naming a new class of ships after prominent Native Americans or Native American tribes in honor of their contributions to the armed forces — American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the U.S. military at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the country. Frank served in the Marine Corps for two years.
The USNS Billy Frank Jr., the sixth ship in the class, is the first to be named after an individual.
“We have a chance to tell our story and educate a whole new audience about the Nisqually Tribe, Billy Frank Jr., and the 29 tribes in the state of Washington,” said Willie Frank III.
William “Billy” Frank Jr. was born in 1931 as a member of the Nisqually tribe in Washington, and he grew up fishing on his…
