JUNEAU -- Nearly two years after the death of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, a Senate panel has recommended that a Navy warship be named in his honor.

Stevens' legacy has already been memorialized through having an Alaska mountain named after him, as well as the now-annual Ted Stevens Day. But several senators on Thursday said it would be particularly fitting for a warship to be named for Stevens, given his strong support for the military and service men and women during his 40 years in the Senate.

Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a longtime friend of Stevens', said it would be a "small but well-deserved honor" for someone who did so much to support the Navy. The recommendation was included in a defense spending bill.