Ship's Crest:
 Supporters:The
supporters are rifled Parrott guns of the mid-19th century and are of
the same design as those first installed at Fort Jefferson. They
symbolize toughness and tenacity in battle.
The Shield: Dark blue and gold are
traditional
Navy colors and symbolize the sea and excellence. In honor of Ponce de
Leon, the Spanish explorer who discovered the Dry Tortugas in 1513, the
colors red and yellow are adopted from the national flag of Spain. Red
is also the color of valor and is symbolic of the proud history of
amphibious warfare. The angular configuration simulating Fort Jefferson
appears as a spearhead and represents the ships primary mission of
amphibious assault. The gold wings below the spearhead reflect the
ships capability of amphibious airlift. The crossed officers sword and
enlisted cutlass honor the spirit of leadership and teamwork between
the ships wardroom and crew.
The Crest: The morion embellished
with a lions
head commemorates Ponce de Leon. The wreath of palm refers to the
tropical climate of Florida and the Dry Tortugas. The stars and
spearheads surrounding the morion represent the five battle stars the
first USS TORTUGA (LSD 26) earned for Korean service and the eight
battle stars LSD 26 earned for service in Vietnam.
Motto: The ships motto, Tough, Tall
and Tenacious, is inscribed on the scroll surrounding the shield.
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LSD 46
