Plaques

It is traditional for Navy service members to receive a small plaque at the end of each assignment. This plaque usually includes a replica of the vessel's official seal or patch. Plaques are often presented at promotions, awards, or other similar events.

A selection of the plaques in AIMM's collection are on display in the museum at any given time.

Some highlights of our collection are:

USS Darter (SS 227)

SS-342_(USS_Bluegill) plaque USS Bluegill (SS 242)

USS Bream (SS-43)

USS Cavalla (SSK-244)

USS Raton (SSR 270)

USS Sawfish (SS 276)

SS-323 (USS Caiman) Plaque - Painted version of ship's emblem - a green caiman spitting fire on a red sheild with the word CAIMAN in black letters on the bottom. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, sheild-shaped baseUSS Caiman (SS 323)

USS Carbonero (SS 337)

Plaque of USS Carp's official emblem mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped plaque. USS Carp (SS 338)

USS Catfish (SS 339)

USS Clamagore (SS 343)

USS Cubera (SS 347)

SS-349 (USS Diodon) Plaque - Brass plaque with ship's emblem, a fish with a sailor's hat carrying a torpedo under the left arm and walking from right to left. Words SS-349 are above and USS DIODON are below. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Diodon (SS 349)

SS-350 (USS Dogfish) Plaque - Cast plaster plaque, painted in overall brass color, of ship's emblem - a shield with a dogfish shark in the lower right, with the words 'cave canem' diagonally above and a dog's head to the upper left. A constellation of stars is above this, with 'USS Dogfish SS 350' in a bar above all. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Dogfish (SS-350)

USS Hardhead (SS-365)

USS Menhaden (SS 377)

USS Picuda (SS 382)

USS Hardhead (SS-385)

SS-391 (USS_Pomfret) Plaque - Brass plaque with ship's emblem, a fish wearing a sailor's hat and carrying a torpedo across its body. SS-391 is on the torpedo body and USS POMFRET is in lower left side of the plaque. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Pomfret (SS 391)

USS Queenfish (SS 393)

USS Redfish (SS 395)

SS-396 (USS Ronquil)Plaque - Brass plaque with ship's emblem, a fish carrying a torpedo. The numbers 396 are on the fish's dorsal fin and the word RONQUIL is on a banner above. The U.S. Navy's submarine qualification insignia is at the top of the plaque. The plaqus is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Ronquil (SS 396)

SS-402 (USS Sea Fox) Plaque - Paninted plaque with ship's emblem, a light blue shark carrying a torpedo under its fins, with three sea mines in black underneath the shark on a yellow background. The words SS-402 are above and the words USS SEAFOX are below in red. Green rope surrounds the plaque. A stylized version of the U.S. Navy submarine qualification insignia is at the top. The plaque is mounted on a retangular base, with the long axis running vertically. USS Sea Fox (SS 402)

SS-409_(USS_Piper) plaque USS Piper (SS 409)

SS-410 (USS Threadfin) (Version A) - A painted version of the ship's emblem, with two grey and yellow dolphin fish (mahi-mahi) on either side of a white shield on a dark blue background. The shield is divided into four quadrants. The upper left quadrant has a shell, nose pointed down. The lower left quadrant has a fish and two fishhooks. The upper right quadrant has a three-pronged trident rising from the ocean's surface and the lower right quadrant has a torpedo, nose down. At the top of the plaque is a ribbon with the words POWER FOR PEACE and at the bottom of the plaque in a ribbon are the words USS THREADFIN SS-410. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Threadfin (SS 410)

SS-410 (USS_Threadfin) (Version_B) - A version of ship's emblem in brass painted plaster. The emblem features a stylized fish with a conning tower holding a large needle and thread. The numbers 410 are on the conning tower of the fish. The words USS THREADFIN are in an arc above the fish at the top of the plaque. The plaque is mounted on a wooded, sheild-shaped base. USS Threadfin (SS 410)

USS Tirante (SS 420)

USS Quillback (SS-424)

SS-478_(USS_Cutlass) plaque - A cast version of the ship's emblem, showing the traditional U.S. Navy Submarine service emblem in silver with blue water superimposed atop a gold anchor and crossed cutlasses. The words USS Cutlass are in an arc above and the hull number SS-478 are in an arc below. The letters and numbers are in red and the overall background is white. The plaque is round, approximately six inches in diamater with a gold rope border. The plaque is mounted on a wood shield. USS Cutlass (SS 478)

SS-479 (USS Diablo)-A cast, unpainted version of the ship's emblem, showing a imp or devilish creature with a tail running across the ocean floor while carrying a torpedo. The words USS DIABLO SS-479 are in an arc across the top of the plaque. This plaque is unmounted. USS Diablo (SS 479)

USS Pomodon (SS 486)

USS Volador (SS-490)

A cast plaster replica of the ship's emblem, a dolphin fish (also known as a mahi-mahi) with the word's 'USS Dolphin' above and the numbers 555 below. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Dolphin (SS 555)

USS Wahoo (SS-565)

SS-567_(USS_Gudgeon) plaque USS Gudgeon (SS 567)

A round metal commemorative plaque celebrating the 20th anniversary of the commissioning of USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the world's first nuclear powered submarine. A profile image of the submarine is in the middle, with the path of an atom superimposed. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Nautilus (SSN 571)

SSN-575_(USS_Seawolf) plaque USS Seawolf (SSN 575)

SSN-587_(USS_Halibut) plaque USS Halibut (SSN 587)

USS Scorpion (SSN 589)

USS Shark (SSN-591)

USS Thresher (SSN-593)

SSN-597_(USS_Tullibee) plaque USS Tullibee (SSN 597)

SSBN-598 (USS George Washington) plaque, a metal, photo-etched image of the submarine underway on the surface, taken from a low angle off the forward port bow. Below the photo is the image of the submarine qualification pin with the words 'USS George Washington' below. The plaque is mounted on a wooden rectangular base. USS George Washington (SSBN 598)

USS T-2 (SST 2)

USS Patrick Henry (SSBN 599)

USS Theodore Roosevelt (SSBN 600)

USS Robert E. Lee (SSBN-601)

SSBN-602_(USS_Abraham_Lincoln) plaque USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN 602)

SSN-606_(USS_Tinosa) plaque USS Tinosa (SSN 606)

SSBN-610_(USS_Thomas_A_Edison) plaque USS Thomas A. Edison (SSBN 610)

SSN-612_(USS_Guardfish) plaque USS Guardfish (SSN 612)

USS Flasher (SSN-613)

SSN-614_(USS Greenling) plaque USS Greenling (SSN 614)

USS Haddock (SSN-621)

USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624)

SSBN-625 (USS Henry Clay) - A cast brass version of the ship's emblem, showing the bow-on view of a submarine and conning tower with sail planes with a missile rising from behind the sail. A stylized version of the big dipper constellation and Polaris, the north star are above the submarine. At the very bow is a globe of the earth. The submarine is flanked by two dolphin fish (mahi-mahi), representative of the U.S. Navy's submarine qualification emblem. The latin phrase PRESERVATIO AB NATIO (Preservation of the Nation) are in an arc at the top of the plaque, and the words USS HENRY CLAY SSBN 625 are in an arc at the bottom. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Henry Clay (SSBN 625)

SSBN-627_(USS_James_Madison) plaque USS James Madison (SSBN 627)

USS Daniel Boone (SSBN 629)

USS Ulysses S. Grant (SSBN 631)

SSBN-632 (USS Von Steuben) plaque USS Von Steuben (SSBN 632)

ex-USS Sam Rayburn (MTS-635)

USS Sturgeon (SSN-637)

USS Whale (SSN-638)

SSBN-640 (USS Benjamin Franklin) - A oval-shaped, cast brass version of the ship's emblem, showing a bow-on view of a submarine atop a kite, flanked by a key and lightning bolt. This is flanked on each side by a dolphin fish (mahi-mahi). The words BENJAMIN FRANKLIN are in a arc above, with SSBN640 in a ribbon at the bottom. The ribbon is flanked on each side by six stars in an arc along the bottom edge. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, oval-shaped base. USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN 640)

SSBN-642 (USS Kamehameha) plaque - A shield-shaped painted cast plaster version of the ship's emblem, an image of Hawaiian king Kamehameha, with his name in a scroll underneath and the word 'imua' in a shield above. 'SSBN' is to the left of the king's image and '642' is to the right. The plaque is mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Kamehameha (SSBN 642)

USS James K. Polk (SSBN-645)

USS Puffer (SSN-652)

SSBN-654 (USS George C. Marshall) plaque - A round, cast brass version of the ship's emblem mounted on a wooden, shield-shaped base. USS George C. Marshall (SSBN 654)

USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657)

USS Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN-658)

SSN-665 (USS Guitarro) - A cast brass version of the ship's emblem, a submarine in starboard profile on a shield. The words SSN 665 are in a ribbon above the submarine with the U.S. Navy's submarine qualification emblem atop the shield. The shield then on a round background with the word GUITARRO at the bottom. The entire plaque is borded with rope. The plaque is mounted on wooden, shield-shaped base. USS Guitarro (SSN 665)

USS Hawkbill (SSN-666)

SSN-670_(USS_Finback) plaque USS Finback (SS 670)

SSN-673_(USS_Flying_Fish) plaque USS Flying Fish (SS 673)

SSN-674_(USS_Trepang) plaque USS Trepang (SSN 674)

USS Drum (SSN 677)

USS Silversides (SS 679)

USS William H. Bates (SSN-680)

USS Parche (SSN-683)

USS San Francisco (SSN-711)

SSN-717_(USS_Olympia) plaque USS Olympia (SS 717)

USS Ohio (SSBN-726)

USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730)

SSBN-731_(USS_Alabama) plaque USS Alabama (SSBN-731)

USS Montpelier (SSN-765)

AIMM would like to thank the many donors who contributed to this collection.

Copies of our artifact database are available for researches and other museums. Please contact the Curator for more information.