The U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) enthusiastically welcomed a declaration from the U.S. Navy that a Navajo-class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue (better known as T-ATS) vessel is going to be titled in honour of the late Solomon Atkinson, one of the first-ever U.S. Navy SEALs as well as an Alaska Native leader from the Metlakatla Indian Community on the Annette Island.
The announcement also coincides with the Metlakatla Founders Day commemorating the community’s founding in 1887.