Symbol of a State: USS North Dakota
Symbolic representations of our Peace Garden State are displayed to the world in our Great Seal, coat of arms, state flag, and others. Great thought goes into crafting a unique, meaningful emblem to show the most important parts of North Dakota past and present. One of these long-developed, exceptionally symbolic crests rides aboard a nuclear submarine, the second Navy vessel to bear the name USS North Dakota. Revealed in 2012, this image features a collection of symbols also featured on the state’s coat of arms and other official emblems, put together in a way that shows a deep connection between the vessel and its crew to the state and its people.
USS North Dakota (BB-29)
The first vessel that bore this name was a United States Navy dreadnought battleship in the Delaware class. She was launched in November 1908 and commissioned into the Navy in April 1910, armed with a main battery of ten 12inch Mark 5 guns and two 21-inch torpedo tubes. She started service in a normal peacetime routine: trainings, fleet maneuvers, gunnery drills, etc. She visited Britain and France on goodwill visits in 1910 and escorted the British cruiser HMS Natal in 1913, which was carrying the remains of Whitelaw Reid, US Ambas
sador to Great Britain.
When World War I broke out, the Navy was preoccupied with political disturbances in Mexico. North Dakota provided support along the coast of Mexico from April to October 1914 before returning to Norfolk, Virginia. After the US declared war on Germany, North Dakota’s sister Delaware was part of the Navy’s wartime operations while North Dakota was not. She remained in US waters for the duration of the war, training personnel needed as the wartime fleet rapidly expanded. After the war ended, North Dakota spent the rest of her years in normal peacetime service. She was converted into a radio-controlled gunnery target ship in the mid-1920s before being removed from the Navy Vessel Register in 1931 and sold to a company in Baltimore for dismantling.
USS North Dakota (SSN-784)
The second vessel to don the name USS North Dakota is a 2013-launched Virginia-class attack submarine. She’s powered by a nuclear reactor and is capable of firing 12 UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, four Mk-48 torpedoes. The vessel’s crest, designated in 2012, incorporates many elements of its namesake state and the residents, both current and past. It’s an extraordinarily symbolic crest, combining elements of designs from the boat’s crew and North Dakota citizens. From constellations and revolvers to wheat and tomahawks, the crest pays tribute to many of the things that gave rise to North Dakota and the parts of our history that continue to shape our future.
USS North Dakota Crest (from USS ND Committee):
USS NORTH DAKOTA proudly displays the ship’s motto, “Strength from the Soil, Reapers of the Deep.” “Strength from the soil” is taken from the State of North Dakota Coat of Arms and the Governor’s Flag representing the connection between the USS NORTH DAKOTA and the State of North Dakota. “Reapers of the Deep” has a double meaning. It represents both the fighting spirit of the submarine warrior and the ties to the state’s farm heritage of reapers, which cut grain in the fields.
The green ribbon on which the motto resides represents the agricultural community as well as the colors of the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University.
The overall shape of the crest is that of an Indian arrowhead similar to that used on the North Dakota Coat of Arms. This represents the American Indian heritage of North Dakota.
Wheat flanks the Indian arrowhead shape and acts as its serrated cutting edge. This represents the North Dakota farming community.
Gold and silver sixshooter revolvers are prominently displayed on the crest. The front sights of the revolvers are formed by the gold and silver dolphins, representing the officer and enlisted submarine warfare community. Additionally, the revolvers represent the two tomahawk payload tubes the ship carries in the arsenal.
The red and green eyes of the submarine dolphins mounted on the six-shooter revolvers pay tribute to the port and starboard running lights of the professional mariner.
The revolver hand grips bear the words “Rough Riders.” This is a salute to the state’s connection to President Roosevelt. The “Rough Riders” were volunteers from the plains during the Spanish-American War. Members of the North Dakota National Guard as well as President Roosevelt’s Rough Riders served in combat for one year in the Philippines, supporting its occupation following the Spanish-American War.
The silhouette of the first USS NORTH DAKOTA (BB-29) is visible in the background skyline. BB-29 is additionally represented as one of the two gold stars flanking the words, “USS NORTH DAKOTA.” SSN-784, the second warship to proudly bear the name, represents the second gold star in this banner.
At the base of the arrowhead outline are two horse heads, representing the Nakota horses that roamed the prairies of North Dakota.
The constellation Orion shines above the BB29 silhouette in the sky. Orion, the hunter, signifies the warrior heart of the people of North Dakota and the warfighting crew of the USS NORTH DAKOTA.
Wrapping across the crest is a banner with two Native American tomahawks, representing the state’s Native American Indian heritage and Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, one of the weapons capabilities the USS NORTH DAKOTA can employ.
Finally, a Virginia Class Submarine prominently pushes through the ship’s crest, representing the sailors who man this great warship.
This symbolic crest that rides on the USS North Dakota’s bow returned to the US with its vessel and crew in January 2021 after a six-month deployment. During this time, its crew was tasked with executing the chief of naval operation’s strategy to support national security and maritime security operations. Its 130+ person crew was reunited with family at the vessels’ homeport at Naval Submarine Base, New London in Connecticut. The most recent news about the USS North Dakota was its change of commanders. Capt. Mark Robinson, who has been in command of the boat since 2017, was relieved of duty by Cmdr. Robert Edmonson III during a ceremony at the New London base in February 2021.
As this advanced submarine continues its service to the Navy, it carries an image of North Dakota across the world, an image that we as the state’s residents can be proud of.