Namesake:
City of San Diego, CA
Then Secretary of the Navy Gordon England named LPD 22 San
Diego on 30
April 2004. "San Diego is home to a large number of the Pacific Fleet's
ships. For decades our Nation's Sailors and Marines have begun their
service to America at boot camps in San Diego. Thousands of military
families and veterans have fallen in love with the area and are
fortunate enough to live and work in San Diego. USS San Diego will
project American power to the far corners of the earth and support the
cause of freedom well into the 21st century," England said.
Secretary England noted the longstanding
relationship between the U.S. Navy and residents of San Diego, "San
Diego is a great Navy town and one of the world's finest harbors. For
more than a century, the city has served as a vital base of operations
for the U.S. Navy and the citizens of 'America's Finest City' have
welcomed our Sailors and Marines as neighbors."
Other Ships Previously Named San Diego
USS California (Armored Cruiser No. 6), a 13,680-ton
Pennsylvania class armored cruiser, was commissioned in August 1907 and
renamed San Diego in 1914. USS San Diego performed convoy escort duty
in World War I before being torpedoed and sunk off Fire Island, New
York, by the German submarine U-156 in 1918.
The second San Diego (CL-53), an
antiaircraft light cruiser, was commissioned on 10 January 1942. The
ship supported the first American offensive of the war, the invasion of
the Solomon’s at Guadalcanal in 1942, participated in
operations throughout the Pacific during World II and o n 27 August
1945, San Diego was the first major Allied warship to enter Tokyo Bay
since the beginning of the war. USS San Diego was decommissioned and
placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet on 4 November 1946. She earned 18
battle stars for service in World War II.
The third San Diego (AFS 6), a combat stores
ship, was commissioned on 24 May 1969. As the largest of the three
previous San Diego’s, AFS 6 was 581 feet long and had a beam
of 79 feet - still smaller than LPD 22. Over the years she provided
underway replenishment and refueling- at-sea services to thousands of
ships. This USS San Diego was decommissioned and simultaneously placed
in service by MSC as USN San Diego (T-AFS-6), on 11 August 1993 and
eventually placed out of service in December 1997.
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Ship's Crest:
 Supporters:
The U.S. Navy Officer sword, U.S. Marine Corps Mameluke, and U.S. Navy
and Marine Corps enlisted swords symbolize the synergy between the two
services. Furthermore, the placement of the swords symbolizes the
leadership and direction provided by commissioned officers combined
with the strength and support of the senior enlisted cadre forging the
foundation of USS San Diego’s crew and the Navy-Marine Corps
Team.
The Shield:
The dark blue represents the traditional mission of a deep-water Navy
while the lighter blue represents the near shore environments where USS
San Diego will carry out her mission. The Spanish sailing caravel and
stylized dolphins are adapted from the City of San Diego’s
coat of arms. The caravel is an artistic representation of the San
Salvador, flagship of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who landed at San Diego
Bay in 1542. The caravel carries a blue and gold pennant, the City of
San Diego flag, and a flag with six lightning bolts alluding to USS San
Diego being the sixth ship of the San Antonio class of Landing Platform
Dock (LPD) ships. The demi-trident indicates naval dominance and the
ship’s ability to conduct expeditionary operations utilizing
the Marine Corps’ mobility triad – Expeditionary
Fighting Vehicle (EFV), landing craft air cushion (LCAC), and the
Marine Corps’ tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey – in support
of the U.S. maritime strategy. The four stars represent ships to bear
the name San Diego. The red is representative of the U.S. Marine Corps.
The eighteen (18) gold stars pay tribute to the battle stars awarded to
USS San Diego (CL-53) for her combat service during World War II.
The Crest: The belfry, also
adapted from
the City of San Diego’s coat of arms, recalls the
city’s origin as a mission settlement. The mission bell has
been replaced with a ship’s bell acknowledging the
city’s long standing connection to maritime industry and the
U.S. Navy. The palm wreath signifies honor and victory.
Motto:
‘SEMPER VIGILANS’ translates to ‘Ever
Vigilant'
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