Ship's Crest
O'Brien's official crest, as exhibited, symbolizes the rich tradition of courage and determination initiated by Jeremiah O'Brien, and continued by those ships that bore his name.
The golden pile and its associated elements are resplendent in symbolism. The pile, in conjunction with the way bars, represents a ship at sea and is symbolic of the grand tradition of the U.S. Navy. Taken by itself, the pile also represents the Roman numeral "V", equaling the total number of ships, including DD-975, to be honored with the name of O'Brien. The shamrock centered at the top of the pile alludes to Jeremiah O'Brien's Irish ancestry and, in addition, to the arms of the previous USS O'Brien (DD-725).
The crossed nautical tridents overlapped by the single cannon dedicate the first naval battle of the American Revolution in which Jeremiah O’Brien and his men defeated the British warship, Margaretta. O'Brien and his men, armed with only limited muskets, axes, and pitchforks (represented by the crossed tridents) boarded Margaretta and defeated an enemy armed with superior guns and training.
Pine trees on either side of the cannon symbolize the state of Maine, the home of Jeremiah O'Brien and the site of his famed victory. Reflected in the ship's motto, "Loyalty, Unity, Freedom", are the qualities of Captain O'Brien's contribution to the American Revolution. The motto also displays the guile of a long line of U.S. Navy sailors on ships named O'Brien.
Read more about this topic: USS O'Brien (DD-975)
Famous quotes containing the words ship and/or crest:
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Every ship brings a word;
Well for those who have no fear,
Looking seaward well assured
That the word the vessel brings
Is the word they wish to hear.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The history of any nation follows an undulatory course. In the trough of the wave we find more or less complete anarchy; but the crest is not more or less complete Utopia, but only, at best, a tolerably humane, partially free and fairly just society that invariably carries within itself the seeds of its own decadence.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)