Originally designated the Military Sea Transportation Service in 1949, the Military Sealift Command (MSC) was given its new title and role in 1970. It is the primary provider of oceangoing transportation for not only the Navy, but also the Department of Defense and other government agencies, with roughly 120 ships carrying out divided into eight different programs.
Much of the Military Sealift Command’s work is done unnoticed and behind-the-scenes, but the nature of the missions carried out by the two hospital ships in the Service Support program sometimes puts them in the media spotlight. The USNS Mercy has participated in the Pacific Partnership, an annual program aimed to help developing natures be prepared for medical crises, since 2006. The USNS Comfort was used to augment delivery of medical care following Hurricane Katrina, the Haitian earthquake in 2010, and most recently the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
A silver eagle facing to its right is the insignia for the rank of Captain in the Military Sealift Command, called Masters in the Deck Department and Chief Engineers in the Engine Department. Associated Department devices are a vertical fouled anchor (deck) and a propeller (Engine).