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Named WW2 U.S. Navy Seabee Uniform Grouping


Longbranch
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Hello All,

This is my first post at this forum, and I thought I'd share a recent acquisition. This groupings consists of a set of WW2 U.S. Navy dress blues (jumper and trousers), undress blues (jumper and trousers), a USMS jumper, and the original flat-top hat with U.S. Navy ribbon. All of these items are named to the same individual, a Petty Officer Third Class, both on the tags and on white stencil inside the uniforms in several areas. The USMS jumper is interesting to me, as it's labeled to this individual, yet it's obvious this sailor went into the Navy instead of going into the Merchant Marine. Furthermore, it seems that he was a Seabee (as indicated by the CB diamond on the left sleeve) and I believe a member of the amphibious "Gator Navy" (as shown by the gator patch on the right sleeve). All patches seem correct to this uniform. Please feel free to make any comments, or inform me if I'm mistaken in any way. Overall, I felt it was a great lot, and everything is in excellent, moth-nip free condition. Hope you enjoy the pictures (even if they ARE lacking a bit in quality!).

 

I'm currently performing research on this individual to determine what ship he might have served on, but if anyone can tell me anything that might be useful based on what you see in the pictures, feel free to inform me!

 

WW2 Seabee Dress & Undress Uniforms:

 

Ammerman1.jpg

 

Ammerman2.jpg

 

Ammerman3.jpg

 

Ammerman4.jpg

 

Ammerman5.jpg

 

Ammerman6.jpg

 

Ammerman7.jpg

 

Ammerman8.jpg

 

Hope it was worth your time!

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Perhaps he was in the Navy, but detailed to the USMS, which was strictly a training organization and not to be confused with the Merchant Marine. Here's a quote from http://www.usmm.org/usms.html

 

"Thousands of active and retired mariners, Navy, and Coast Guardsmen were pressed into duty to serve as administrators and instructors in the U.S. Maritime Service."

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Perhaps he was in the Navy, but detailed to the USMS, which was strictly a training organization and not to be confused with the Merchant Marine. Here's a quote from http://www.usmm.org/usms.html

 

"Thousands of active and retired mariners, Navy, and Coast Guardsmen were pressed into duty to serve as administrators and instructors in the U.S. Maritime Service."

 

Yes, that's true, but enlistment records show that John T. Ammerman went into the service in 1943. However, all the information I've located indicates this USMS jumper is for a trainee, yet his Navy uniforms show him to be a Petty Officer Third Class. Furthermore, wouldn't the Seabee and "Gator Navy" insignia show he wasn't assigned to USMS training detail?

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Yes, that's true, but enlistment records show that John T. Ammerman went into the service in 1943. However, all the information I've located indicates this USMS jumper is for a trainee, yet his Navy uniforms show him to be a Petty Officer Third Class. Furthermore, wouldn't the Seabee and "Gator Navy" insignia show he wasn't assigned to USMS training detail?

 

Hi,

Nice uniform. Maybe he was in training and then was place in a cb unit. Interesting jumper with Machinist's mate 3rd class along with the cb insignia, and also amphibious insignia.

 

Jason

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Well, as for the MM3 jumper, CBs were not assigned to ships. They rode ships as passengers. However, CB units were assigned to the Amphibious Forces, so that explains the "CB" and "Gator" patches. Now, a CB Machinest Mate was not the same as a Ship MM. The CB MMs took care of shore based power generation plants and such. so a CB MM would be lost in a ships engin/fire room.

 

As for the MSTS jumper, the first thing I noticed was the patch pocket. Never saw an undress blue jumper with a patch pocket. If I had to guess, I would say that he started in MSTS and was transfered to the Navy CBs due to prior service skills/training/experience. I've seen that a few times.

 

Steve Hesson

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Thanks everyone for the additional info!

 

I assumed it was most likely he started out in USMS training and then was transferred to the Navy when needed. Also, in regards to my comment that I was trying to find what ship he might have served on, I didn't know whether or not he'd be a crew member on an amphibious landing ship. As you might be able to tell, Navy items are rather new to me. I've generally focused on WWII long arms and photography equipment, but I've decided to spread my horizons a bit and learn about some other items. So, any insight you may be able to provide is certainly appreciated, even if you're correcting me.

 

From what I've seen, USMS jumpers aren't like regulation Navy jumpers. The material is different, and the construction is simplified.

 

All in all, I felt this lot was very interesting with the inclusion of the USMS jumper and the dress blues with the CB and amphibious forces patches. I'm happy to see others share the same feelings! Fortunately, WWII Navy stuff is incredibly affordable compared to other segments of the hobby, so acquiring a few interesting examples isn't terribly difficult.

 

One more thing... I just dug up some more information on this sailor. I've even found some contact numbers for his two sons, who happen to live nearby. Maybe I'll be able to learn some more?

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