Shield.  Celeste, between two fuel droplets Proper a trident Or, the staff surmounted by a triangle point to base Tenné fimbriated Argent bearing a heart of the second, surmounted by two dolphins uriant respectant Argent (Silver Gray).

Crest.  From a wreath of the colors Or and Celeste, in front of a bezant bearing an open camera shutter aperture Tenné, a silhouette of the USNS HARVEY MILK at sea, prow forward, refueling two smaller flanking ships, all Sable.

Motto.  A scroll Or, folds Sable and trimmed Tenné, bearing the inscription “COURAGE AND CONVICTION” of the second. 

Shield.  The colors are the traditional colors of the Military Sealift Command.  The orange color is from the Golden Gate Bridge and represents the City of San Francisco where Harvey Milk served on the Board of Supervisors.  The two fuel droplets denote the mission of the replenishment oiler and marks the USNS HARVEY MILK as the second vessel of the John Lewis-class oilers.  Harvey Milk came from a proud Navy family and was commissioned into the service in 1951.  Lieutenant Milk served as a diving officer aboard the USS KITTIWAKE (ASR-13), represented by the gold trident from the submarine rescue ship’s patch.  Harvey Milk’s military career ended in 1955 when he resigned from the Navy, forced to accept an "other than honorable" discharge rather than face a court-martial because of his homosexuality.  The triangle symbol, often worn by Milk on an armband, serves as a reminder that persecution of any individual or group of people damages all humanity.  The gold heart symbolizes the love Milk shared with his neighbors in The Castro district, who, in 1977, elected him as the first openly gay public official in California.  The dolphins are from his First Class diving officer insignia, which he proudly wore on a belt buckle after being discharged from the Navy.  Harvey Milk was wearing the buckle when he was assassinated by a fellow district supervisor on November 27, 1978. 

Crest.  The wreath adopts the first-named metal and color from the shield and blazon. The camera shutter aperture symbolizes the camera store, Castro Camera, which served as Harvey Milk’s base of operations in San Francisco in the early 1970s.  Castro Camera provided Milk a place to get to know his neighbors and their needs, prompting him to run for office.  The depiction of the USNS HARVEY MILK at sea symbolizes the mission.

Motto.  The ship’s motto, “COURAGE AND CONVICTION,” is from President Obama’s remarks when he presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harvey Milk posthumously in 2009.

Seal.  The coat of arms as blazoned in full color on a white oblong disc within a blue designation band, edged with a gold roped border and bearing the name “USNS HARVEY MILK” at the top and “T-AO 206” at the base, all in gold.