Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne, commander, Military Sealift Command (MSC), introduced the command’s new official seal during an all-hands call held on board Naval Station Norfolk, Feb. 25.

“We have spent the last several years focusing our efforts on holistic readiness, training wholeness, joint interoperability and experiential learning. And we have made great strides to gain and sustain a competitive advantage in today’s more complex and volatile environment,” Mewbourne said.   

“Now, it’s time to reflect that new operational mindset in the symbol that visually represents our command’s mission and vision to the world: our official Military Sealift Command Seal,” he said.

MSC’s new official seal is presented on a black disc, and features a demi-globe issuing from base and tilting on axis to show the northern hemisphere, shaded blue grid-lined and edged gold, surmounting the globe, an American bald eagle, wings displayed in proper colors supporting a stylized version of the United States coat of arms, (the chief bearing two white stars and the entire shield edged with a gold border), grasping in its talons a gold anchor with yellow and light blue markings on its stock and completely enwrapped by a blue scroll doubled red; the scroll is inscribed “United We Sail” in white letters, above everything displays a white pole star edged gold.  The disc is edged with a narrow gold border within a dark blue designation band inscribed arching at the top “United States Navy” and at its base “Military Sealift Command,” in white letters.  The complete design is enclosed by a gold rope.

“Our new MSC Seal continues to represent the rich history of our command.  Much like in the original seal, the American Bald Eagle as our national symbol remains front and center and continues to bear a shield of the coat of arms of the United States and hold a gold anchor symbolizing our nautical heritage,” said Mewbourne.   

The ship stack colors of light blue and gold, the traditional colors for MSC, are showcased on the anchor. The command name and parent service remain inscribed in the designation band encompassing the entire seal and surrounded by a gold rope.

The addition of the globe to the seal pays tribute to the global mission dating back to the establishment of the Military Sea Transportation Service. Reinforcing that continuous worldwide mission, the light to dark shading of the globe represents 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week support to the warfighter.

The shading also emphasizes the integration of MSC, represented by the light blue on the left, with the U.S. Navy, represented by the dark navy blue on the right.

The black sky surrounding the globe represents the evolution of MSC’s mission in all five domains: sea, air, land, space and cyberspace.

The dark blue scroll curled around the anchor is inscribed with MSC’s vision of United We Sail, representing an organization unified in purpose while geographically dispersed.  The Polaris, commonly known as the North Star, represents the timeless practice of celestial navigation and signifies the command’s guiding principles and values that enable the essential mission of providing services and logistics in support of national policy.

“The new MSC Seal is an emblem that shows the history and power of our organization; it embodies who we are and symbolizes our readiness to sail undaunted into the challenges ahead,” said Mewbourne.

As of February 25, 2019, Military Sealift Command’s new official seal replaces all previous command seals and logos.

MSC operates approximately 125 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.

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