BLAZON

SHIELD: Azure, a Gato (Shark) embowed pame' an arrow issuing there from all argent a chief wavy per fess dancetty of five gules and or.

CREST: On a wreath or and azure, a portcullis of the first surmounted by a scallop shell of the second charged with 13 gold mullets, palewise 1, 3, 5, 3, 1.

MOTTO: On a scroll or lined azure the inscription "THE GOALKEEPER" in letters of the last.

SYMBOLISM

SHIELD: The scarlet, yellow (gold) and blue colors refer to the Presidential Unit Citation, the five points (which simulate shark's teeth) in the chief alluding to the five patrols for which the first USS GATO was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, World War II, the yellow wavy area above the blue also representing enemy vessels, naval and civilian, against the red sky of war.

The shark, "submerged" beneath the waves, alludes to the name of the ship, the Gato being a small species of shark found on the west coast of Mexico. The open jaws and the arrow (simulating a torpedo) issuing therefrom alludes to constant readiness and aggressiveness in the accomplishment of its mission in the world's oceans, symbolized by the blue area.

CREST: The portcullis, a device to prevent access from or entrance to a castle, is used to allude to the pertinacity with which the first USS GATO hunted the north entrance of Bougainville Sound, the unswerving determination with which this was carried out leading Admiral Halsey to nickname the ship "THE GOALKEEPER" , a sobriquet fittingly used as the ship's motto. The scallop shell, a symbol of pilgrimage, is used in this instance to symbolize "patrol" , the 13 stars alluding to the 13 patrols made by the first USS GATO in World War II, and the 13 Battle Stars subsequently awarded.

This Coat of Arms was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry.