USS John Finn (DDG 113)
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Coat of Arms


Description/Blazon

SHIELD

Per chevron Azure and Or, three chevronelles Sable, between seven aerial bombs palewise in chevron in chief and issuant from base a trident couped at the shaft forks upward of the second, surmounted by a shamrock counterchanged, fimbriated and barbed of the third.


CREST

On a wreath of the colors Or and Azure, an anchor as the Navy Medal of Honor surmounted by a winged bomb, charged with a mullet in the form of the Navy Medal of Honor all of the first, winged Celeste sem of four mullets Argent surrounded by a wreath of 50-caliber bullets interspaced with six larger bullets of the first and twelve shamrocks Vert, intertwined throughout.


SUPPORTERS

Behind the shield on the dexter side, a Navy officers sword and on the sinister side, a Navy enlisted cutlass in saltire Proper, points downward.


MOTTO

On a tri-folded scroll Azure, doubled Or, the inscription STATUS ET PUGNO in Gold letters.

Symbolism

SHIELD

Dark blue and gold are the colors of the United States Navy. The shields elements are counterchanged to keep them dominant. The seven aerial bombs represent the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). The three black chevronelles allude to John Finns Navy Chief Petty Officer rank, and the color black recalls that he was the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the Pearl Harbor attack. The trident represents naval authority, and the three spikes stand for the ships multi-mission capability. The blue barbed shamrock against the yellow field represents John Finns naval career and his lineage as a tough American-Irishman who embodied the motto, Status Et Pugno (Stand Fast and Fight).


CREST

The anchor, the color and stars on the winged bomb, and the superimposed star on the bomb are elements representing the Navy Medal of Honor. (As a Chief Petty Officer, John Finn received this award at the start of WWII.) The winged bomb symbolizes John Finns rating of chief aviation ordnance man stationed at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay. The 50-caliber rounds recall his manning a machine gun from an exposed position throughout the attack on 7 December 1941. The winged bomb also represents that DDG 113 is the first ship built with the Aegis Baseline 9 Weapon System that allows simultaneous air warfare and ballistic missile defense capability. The twelve shamrocks recall CPO Finns Irish heritage and the numerous times he was hit by enemy fire.


SUPPORTERS

The crossed Navy officers sword and Navy cutlass reflect the fact that John Finn was both an enlisted sailor and an officer in the Navy, and they also represent the teamwork and cooperation of the officer-enlisted crew of DDG 113.


SEAL

The coat of arms as blazoned in full color on a white oblong disc within a dark blue designation band, edged with a gold rope border and bearing the name USS JOHN FINN at the top and DDG 113 at the base.





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