WASHINGTON — Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced that he asked his chief of staff to investigate what was behind obscuring the name of the USS John McCain during President Donald Trump's visit to Japan.

Trump told reporters on Thursday morning it was done by someone who was "well meaning."

Shanahan, according to a Voice of America report after the acting secretary met with reporters aboard an aircraft carrier on its way to Singapore, said: “I would never dishonor the memory of a great American patriot like Senator (John) McCain. I'd never disrespect the young men and women who crew that ship,"

He then said that he had asked his chief of staff to look into the incident.

Trump himself weighed in on Thursday morning, telling reporters at the White House that "I didn't know a thing about that. I would never have done that." But he said whoever did it was "well meaning."

More: Trump: I was 'not informed' about order to move John McCain warship during Japan trip

More: What's driving Donald Trump's feud with John McCain? War record, Obamacare among the themes

“In terms of ship movements, the only ships I’ve moved is the USS Abraham Lincoln,” he added, in reference to the deployment of a carrier strike group to the Middle East.

On Thursday morning, Lt. Colonel Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Shanahan, said: "Secretary Shanahan was not aware of the directive to move the USS John S McCain nor was he aware of the concern precipitating the directive."

In this file photo released by the US Navy on November 27, 2018 the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) is pulled towards a pier after departing from a dry dock at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan. (AFP PHOTO / US NAVY / MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS JEREMY GRAHAM )

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, White House officials asked military officials to keep the ship "out of sight" during Trump's visit.

In addition to honoring the late senator, the warship is also the namesake of the senator's father, Adm. John S. McCain, Jr., a former U.S. Pacific Command commander, and his grandfather, Adm. John S. McCain, who was a distinguished World War II carrier task force commander.

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An email from a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official to U.S. Navy and Air Force officials noted that the directive that the USS John S. McCain must not be visible was a result of conversations between the White House Military Office and the Seventh Fleet of the U.S. Navy, according to the Journal.

The ship has been undergoing repairs after a 2017 collision, and would have been difficult to move. Instead, a tarp was hung over the ship's name ahead of Trump's visit, the Journal reported. A barge was moved in front of the ship to obscure the name after the tarp was removed. In addition, sailors, who often wear caps with the ship's name, were given the day off, according to the Journal.

On Wednesday night, the Navy Chief of Information Twitter account was reactivated after a five-year-long hiatus, putting out a statement that "the name of USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the POTUS visit to Yokosuka on Memorial Day."

The name of USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the POTUS visit to Yokosuka on Memorial Day. The Navy is proud of that ship, its crew, its namesake and its heritage. — Navy Chief of Information (@chinfo) May 30, 2019

The controversy over Trump and the late Sen. McCain has continued even after the senator's death in August last year.

A two-decade-long feud between the two centers on McCain's war record and lingering bitterness over McCain's vote to preserve the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. As recently as in April 2019, Trump railed against McCain during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, saying that McCain "did the nation a tremendous disservice" by not voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Meghan McCain, John McCain's daughter, weighed in on the controversy on Wednesday night, writing in a tweet that "Trump is a child who will always be deeply threatened by the greatness of my dads incredible life. There is a lot of criticism of how much I speak about my dad, but nine months since he passed, Trump won't let him RIP.

Trump is a child who will always be deeply threatened by the greatness of my dads incredible life. There is a lot of criticism of how much I speak about my dad, but nine months since he passed, Trump won't let him RIP. So I have to stand up for him.



It makes my grief unbearable. https://t.co/gUbFAla1VE



— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) May 30, 2019

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Contributing: Rebecca Morin

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan will investigate reports of hiding the USS John McCain