MAS36 Posted June 9, 2007 Share #1 Posted June 9, 2007 I bought a cap like this at an Army / Navy surplus store called KAPLAN's in San Francisco for $5.99 a couple days ago, and the store owner said it was original WWII surplus. the price tag was marked original US Navy issue N-1 hat - $5.99 anybody know what kind of hat this was used for? is it a deck cap worn with the USN deck jacket on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier? or possibly some type of aviation crew member's cold weather skull cap? since it only cost $5.99 I bought it to use on a display worn under a WWII grey M1 helmet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Robinson Posted June 9, 2007 Share #2 Posted June 9, 2007 I bought a cap like this at an Army / Navy surplus store called KAPLAN's in San Francisco for $5.99 a couple days ago, and the store owner said it was original WWII surplus. the price tag was marked original US Navy issue N-1 hat - $5.99 anybody know what kind of hat this was used for? is it a deck cap worn with the USN deck jacket on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier? or possibly some type of aviation crew member's cold weather skull cap? since it only cost $5.99 I bought it to use on a display worn under a WWII grey M1 helmet It's definitely WW2 vintage but I don't know the exact nomenclature. But I do have this photo of a WW2 20mm gun crew wearing what looks like your cap. It's obviously intended for cold weather deck wear onboard a ship. These are pretty common for some reason. I see them in unissued condition in army surplus stores. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 9, 2007 Share #3 Posted June 9, 2007 I bought a cap like this at an Army / Navy surplus store called KAPLAN's in San Francisco for $5.99 a couple days ago, and the store owner said it was original WWII surplus. the price tag was marked original US Navy issue N-1 hat - $5.99 anybody know what kind of hat this was used for? is it a deck cap worn with the USN deck jacket on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier? or possibly some type of aviation crew member's cold weather skull cap? since it only cost $5.99 I bought it to use on a display worn under a WWII grey M1 helmet That has a 1942 contract number and they made those in blue and OD. This is a "deck hat" and anyone on deck on any type of ship in cold weather could have worn these. It was in 1942 that the Navy realized that blue jackets and caps could cause Navy landing boat crews to be mistaken for Germans during the fog of war, so they started making caps and coats in olive drab to make the sailors look more like US soliders. The hats are often called "flight deck hats" in a effort to tie them to naval aviation, but really they were just plain "deck hats". Here's an N-1 style deck jacket: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAS36 Posted June 9, 2007 Author Share #4 Posted June 9, 2007 here's the deck cap shown worn under a WWII USN grey painted M1 helmet as worn during cold weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAS36 Posted June 9, 2007 Author Share #5 Posted June 9, 2007 view of the rear neck flap marked U S N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockyfan1 Posted June 10, 2007 Share #6 Posted June 10, 2007 MAS36, I was the owner's grandson who was at the register when you bought the cap. That's where I found a lot of the stuff that helped start off my collection. Hope to see you again! Mickey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29navy Posted June 10, 2007 Share #7 Posted June 10, 2007 The official name is HELMET, WINTER, N-1. The OD (green) version came out in 1943. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Costa Posted June 10, 2007 Share #8 Posted June 10, 2007 appears to be a very close example of the tankers cold weather hat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAS36 Posted June 10, 2007 Author Share #9 Posted June 10, 2007 MAS36, I was the owner's grandson who was at the register when you bought the cap. That's where I found a lot of the stuff that helped start off my collection. Hope to see you again! Mickey hi Mickey I remember seeing you near the register when I bought the hat, sometimes I find some interesting surplus at Kaplan's the store use to carry more WWII stuff but now it's getting hard to find, Ive been shopping there for over 20 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAS36 Posted July 1, 2007 Author Share #10 Posted July 1, 2007 found another USN N1 deck hat but this one is a dark navy blue without a visor, I think this one could be a later version, maybe Korean war or Vietnam era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted July 1, 2007 Share #11 Posted July 1, 2007 found another USN N1 deck hat but this one is a dark navy blue without a visor, I think this one could be a later version, maybe Korean war or Vietnam era? The blue ones are also WWII. I have a couple of them. One non-ebay dealers lists those fror about $60-65. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now