USNS ''William McLean'' (T-AKE 12) is a of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, named in honor of William McLean, a

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

, who conceived and developed the heat-seeking Sidewinder missile. The contract to build ''William McLean'' was awarded to

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, commonly referred to as NASSCO, is an American shipbuilding company with three shipyards located in San Diego, Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk and Mayport (Jacksonville), Mayport. It is a division of General Dy ...

on 12 December 2008. ''William McLean'' was launched on 16 April 2011, sponsored by Dr. McLean's niece, Margaret Taylor. The ship was delivered to the

Military Sealift Command Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

(MSC) on 28 September 2011.

Ship's badge

USNS ''William McLean'' has a

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

"Per fess nebuly enhanced, two piles reversed in chief point issuant from dexter and sinister base, Azure and Argent, all counterchanged, in base a compass rose Gules bearing a globe Celeste with grid lines of the second; a bordure of steel Proper." Her

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

is "From a wreath Argent and Azure two steel anchors erect Proper, superimposed by a seahorse rampant of the second gorged with a collar Gules charged with the Roman numerals "XII" Argent, all below an arced rope Proper tied to each anchor ring." Her

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

is "A scroll, with ends behind base of the missiles, Azure doubled Gules and inscribed with "SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM" (IF YOU WANT PEACE, PREPARE FOR THE WAR) Argent." and her

supporter In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. However, unlike the coro ...

s are "On either side of the shield a Sidewinder heat-seeking Missile erect Proper." The ship's

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

is "the coat of arms as blazoned in full color upon a white oval enclosed by a blue collar edged on the outside with a gold rope bearing the inscription "USNS WILLIAM McLEAN" at top and in base "T-AKE 12" in gold letters."

Symbolism

* Shield: "Dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally used by the Navy. Gold is also emblematic of honor and high achievement. Blue and white echo the colors of the sea. The nebuly partition line is intended to look like clouds as depicted in heraldry. The two narrow pointed wedge shapes with points going up through the clouds allude to two launched missiles locking in on their target. The counterchanged colors stand for unity and cooperation. The clouds and sky also refer to the aviation capabilities of the USNS WILLIAM McLEAN. The compass rose and globe emphasize the world wide mission of the T-AKE ship. The thick steel border denotes strength and resolve." * Crest: "The anchors, symbols of sea prowess, with the T-AKE being represented by one and the other, our Naval force. The rope connecting them signifies receiving the steady flow of cargo and ammunition from the T-AKE. The seahorse, strong and dependable, personifies the USNS WILLIAM McLEAN's being a work horse to the Navy providing a steady, secure stream of dry cargo and ammunition. The red of the collar inscribed with XII stands for the zeal and bravery of the mariners aboard T-AKE 12 and the warfighters it services." *Supporters: "The Sidewinder missiles commemorate William McLean, the U.S. Navy physicist who conceived and developed the heat-seeking sidewinder missile."

Deployments

On 22 December 2016 the USNS ''William McLean'' returned to

Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is a United States Navy base in York County, James City County, and Newport News in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. It provided a weapons and ammunition storage and loading facility for ships of the United S ...

from a 47-day surge deployment to the

United States Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...

in the Mediterranean Sea. ''McLean'' helped the Navy’s Multipurpose Amphibious Assault and Transport ships, and , as part of

Operation Odyssey Lightning The Battle of Sirte started in the spring of 2016, in the Sirte District in Libya, between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the loyalist forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA) backed by the United States. ISIL forc ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:William Mclean (T-Ake-12) Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ships Ships built in San Diego 2011 ships