Navy renames ship over ties to Confederate officer

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The United States Navy has announced another vessel will be renamed in order to cut association with its Confederate namesake.

The US Navy will rename the oceanographic survey ship USNS Maury, which was named after Matthew Fontaine Maury. 

MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, SHIPS NAMED AFTER CONFEDERATES BEGIN RENAMING PROCESS

Maury is considered by many to be one of the foremost pioneers of oceanography in history. 

The oceanographic research ship USNS Maury (T-AGS-39) underway in Chesapeake Bay during sea trials in May 1989.  (CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

He was a decorated U.S. naval officer for decades until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he refused to fight against his home state and joined the Confederacy.

DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN ORDERS RENAMING OF MILITARY BASES WITH CONFEDERATE TIES

The USNS Maury will be renamed in honor of Marie Tharp, a 20th century cartographer and oceanographer who first mapped the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

"As the history of our great nation evolves, we must put forth the effort to recognize figures who positively influenced our society," Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said of the name change. 

NAMING COMMISSION RECOMMENDS ARMY AND NAVAL ACADEMIES SCRAP NAMES OF CONFEDERATE ALUMNI

He added, "This renaming honors just one of the many historic women who have made a significant impact on not only our Navy, but our nation."

FILE: US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro speaks during the United States Naval Academy 2022 Graduation Ceremony at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The process of removing names of military installations, ships and other items that were inspired by Confederates and adopting new names is underway.

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The Pentagon announced on Thursday that William A. LaPlante, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, directed the Department of Defense to move forward with implementing the renaming recommendations made by the Commission on the Naming of Items last summer.

The DoD said in an announcement that naming bases after Confederates had been done during "the height of the Jim Crow Laws in the South," in an effort to garner support from the South and without consideration for Black service members.

Fox News' Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.