In ancient times warriors used the Coat of Arms as a method of unit identity and as a means of showing the history of their family and battles that they have fought. GLADIATOR's crest has followed in the same traditions of yesteryear in the design of its crest.

The crest was designed in stages, first of which is the outer blue ring with gold rope. This has two meanings, first the blue and gold are the colors of standard Naval tradition and the gold continuous loop rope which signifies perfection in continuity and teamwork. This is followed by a bold red ring bearing the ships name, class and two stars. The color red is a symbol of committment and power and the two gold stars exemplify past battles of other U.S. Naval vessels which bore the name GLADIATOR.

The center of the crest uses symbols and wording to explain to others how things were in the past and how we feel about the future. The latin words "Momentum Consultum," meaning "Deliberate Urgency," is the way the ship will act in an actual minefield and "Victoria Indubitata," meaning "Certain Victory," is a metaphor for the ship's conviction to emerge triumphant from combat. The tridents and the net are symbols of both past and present, in the past the trident and net were used as weapons of ancient gladiators. Today the trident is a symbol of Naval education and sea power and the net is used to symbolize the sweepgear used by GLADIATOR when sweeping for mines. The wooden sword is a rudis, an ancient icon awarded to gladiators who continuously demonstrated feats of bravery and strength and no longer had to compete in the arena. The rudis is also raised in victory over a shattered mine, recognizing certain victory.

The center shield depicts the colors on the American flag, and denotes American patriotism and pride. The three red stripes recognize that the ship is the third U.S. ship to bear the name GLADIATOR. Finally the helmet, symbolizes a strong defense and the classic valor and courage displayed by gladiators in the arenas of old.