The flag of the United States Coast Guard is white with a dark blue Great Seal of the United States. The shield on the eagle's breast has a blue chief over vertical red and white stripes. Inscribed in an arc above the eagle is "UNITED STATES COAST GUARD"; below the eagle is the Coast Guard motto, "SEMPER PARATUS" ("Always Ready") and beneath that the numerals 1790 the year in which the service's ancestor, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, was founded. All inscriptions are dark blue.