Rear Admiral Alene Duerk Ship Renaming Act of 2025

Names a U.S. Navy ship the U.S.S. Rear Admiral Alene Duerk to honor her trailblazing nursing service and historic promotion. Born in Defiance, Ohio, Duerk graduated from Toledo Hospital School of Nursing and was commissioned on January 23, 1943 as an ensign in the Nurse Corps of the U.S. Naval Reserve. During World War II she served as a ward nurse at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and Naval Hospital Bethesda and in 1945 aboard USS Benevolence (AH-13) in the Pacific treating Third Fleet casualties. She served in posts across the U.S. and overseas and on April 16, 1972 became the first woman selected as a Navy flag officer. Her awards include the Naval Reserve Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Bronze Star, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia Clasp, and the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star.