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Small craft qualification or rank patches?


Patchcollector
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Patchcollector

I've had these for awhile,and don't really have any idea about them,except that they are the cloth version of the Small Craft Badge,

in different colors.I'm posting them in the hopes that someone here will be able to tell me more about them,what the different colors mean,

and how and when they were worn.Thanks!

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You're sure they are not Thai? They look Thai made, have the colors of the Thai flag, and some of their badges can be very similar to ours. In having said that though, the flag on the ship appears to be the Stars and Stripes.

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Patchcollector
You're sure they are not Thai? They look Thai made, have the colors of the Thai flag, and some of their badges can be very similar to ours. In having said that though, the flag on the ship appears to be the Stars and Stripes.

 

Thanks Bull,yes that is a possibility that I had'nt thought of.I figured that they were Thai made,but was unsure

about anything else regarding them,except they seemed to match the Small Craft badges that I have.I had never

seen them in patch form,so I picked them up,as I always have my eyes peeled for unusual stuff.

Now you have me thinking..Perhaps they were used when towards the end of the war,we gave our boats

over to the South Vietnamese during the "Vietnamization" phase.I don't have alot of Riverboat stuff,so I'm hoping

that someone here that's into that area of collecting will know something about these.

These may have been made even after the war,I'm thinking early to mid 70's(?)

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I just found these online,not exactly like my patches but similar design.

These are the ones I have always seen, and the black on od for the cammies. I have never seen any with the colors around them. And, by the way, yes, they are qual badges.

 

Steve Hesson

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Patchcollector
These are the ones I have always seen, and the black on od for the cammies. I have never seen any with the colors around them. And, by the way, yes, they are qual badges.

 

Steve Hesson

 

 

Thanks Steve,wow,if you have never seen them,then I'm beginning to think that these will never be ID'ed! :lol:

I'm wondering if they may be some sort of Beret patch,maybe an experiment that they never went with?

From what I have read,the badges did'nt come out until right around or very shortly after the end of hostilities

in Nam,perhaps these were a precursor to the badges?They appear to be theatre made.

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Patchcollector

While searching for more info on the patches I posted here,I came across this awesome website,called Warboats.org!

It is full of amazing articles,videos,and pics of boat units,including Special Boat Units,Seal units,Torpedo boat Squadrons,

even foreign boat units!Here is the link:

 

Warboats.org

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I just found this one too

These are like the ones I am familuer with. It would have gone on coveralls or something like that. The ones with the colors around them..... Could be anything. Might have been some unit thing, Made up in Subic or Panama, some place like that... And that's just a guess.

 

Steve Hesson

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Patchcollector
These are like the ones I am familuer with. It would have gone on coveralls or something like that. The ones with the colors around them..... Could be anything. Might have been some unit thing, Made up in Subic or Panama, some place like that... And that's just a guess.

 

Steve Hesson

 

 

Thanks Steve,

You know I was just thinking,these could be for a party suit,or cruise jacket,maybe just novelty patches.

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I have a couple of the blue trimmed ones they came with a group of patches from COSRIVDIV XI

Along with blue US NAVY name tapes I will try to post pics if i can find them.

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Patchcollector
I have a couple of the blue trimmed ones they came with a group of patches from COSRIVDIV XI

Along with blue US NAVY name tapes I will try to post pics if i can find them.

 

Awesome!Thanks!I would really like to see them! :)

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Patchcollector

Wow,thanks!It's good to see them from someone else here,I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see another example!

I found this link to the site of a guy who served with COSRIVDIV XI.Here it is:

COSRIVDIV XI Site

Here is a pic from the site,showing the guy wearing a hat with an emblem on it,it's too

small to see,but I'm wondering if it may be the patch from this thread?

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Patchcollector
Found a pic of the Blue trim and a pic of the White trim now have to find one of the Red trim!!!

 

 

 

 

Thanks Bearmon,you're awesome!You've answered all the important questions that I had regarding these.

If it was worn,and how it was worn!I'm sure that the different colors were for the different qualification

levels,or,they could have been meant for different types of uniforms.Outstanding detective work,this one was a toughie! :twothumbup:

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Patchcollector
Found it

White Trim = Small Craft Command - Officer in Charge

Red Trim = Small Craft Command - Boat Captain

Blue Trim = Small Craft Command - Crewman

Black trim = Small Crraft Command

 

http://www.military-insignia.us/Pages/Navy...tionBadges.html

 

About 2/3rds down the page!

 

Bearmon

 

 

Well that was the last piece of the puzzle,hats off to you,Bearmon! :bravo: You even turned up one I did'nt have,the black trimmed one!

Thanks so much for all the help,I appreciate it! :)

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