In many ways, the United States Navy’s Military Sealift Command is a reincarnation of the United States Maritime Service, providing for Warfighters by carrying military equipment, fuel, and humanitarian supplies across the globe wherever and whenever a need arises. And while the Military Sealift Command doesn’t transport troops to warzones—that process was totally relegated to air assets many years—its predecessor, the Military Sea Transportation Service, was responsible for delivering some troops to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
So it is only fitting that the MSC’s Officer Cap Device pays tribute to the design originally developed for the U.S. Maritime Service and also adopted by the U.S. Merchant Marine. Like the older insignias, the MSC Officer Cap Device features spread eagle facing dexter, surmounting a shield surrounded by a wreath of laurel. In place of the Maritime Service’s vertical fouled anchor is a black pennant with the “MSC” initials in gold.