hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Share #1 Posted February 12, 2008 "GREETINGS & SALUTATIONS!" Thought I might show these wonderful old United States Navy rates. One was a Cook (Petty Officer 2nd Class) that shows what looks like a doughnut ring. The Machinist's Mate wore a 3-blade ship's screw over a diamond (Petty Officer 1st Class), the bursting bomb below showed the man was proficient as a Seaman Gunner as well. Petty Officer 3rd Class was two (2), not one (1) chevron like today! Petty Officer 2nd Class wore three (3) chrvrons and Petty Officer 1st Class wore three (3) chevrons and a diamond with the specialty mark embroidered into it. Chief Petty Officer was established in 1893 and the wore three (3) chevrons like today, but had three (3) arcs above, not one (1) above like now. The cloth was "white duck" cotten twill embropidered with indig-blue cotten thread, a purplish-blue colour. Until 1913, red chevrons were worn on both navy blue and white uniforms. The eagle and specialty mark on winter navy blue melton wool cloth was white cotten thread. Those men with 12-years good conduct with gold lace chevrons and a few had their eagle and specialty mark in silverwire bullion. I've got loads of these rates shown at webshots.com's photo albums you can go an see and download too! Respectfully yours, Sarge Booker of Tujunga, California ( [email protected] ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #2 Posted February 12, 2008 Below is another Machnist's Mate qualified as a Seaman Gunner, but in silverwire bullion. There is a white eagle with a single anchor below sor what was reputred to be a Seaman Gunner (Petty Officer 3rd Class) with gold lace chevrons for 12-years of good conduct and faithful service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #3 Posted February 12, 2008 1st Class Merit Badge given to boy sailors to wear on their jumper, a rope circle with a figure "8 Knot." The old English letter "A" for apprentice with an anchor displayed diagonally. 1881 Engineer's Department 4-blade ship's screw and anchor worn by Petty Officers. 1893-1897 Sailmaker's Mate (Petty Officer 1st Class) a sailmaker's clew used to hold a needle while repairing sailcloth, you can see the eagle evolving here to a slighty different appearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #4 Posted February 12, 2008 1883-1893 Chief Gunner's Mate, three scarlet red chevrons pointing down with three arcs above on white cotten duck with indigo-blue eable and crossed cannon. These were the first badges worn by the newly created rank of Chief Petty Officer in 1893. 1886 Apothecary (Petty Officer 2nd Class) a white caduceus with gold chevrons for 12-years good conduct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #5 Posted February 12, 2008 1898-1913 Chief Pharmacist wore this on their white summer uniform until 1913 when blue chevrons replaced the scarlet-red chevrons, probably because the red dye ran and stained the white uniform cloth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #6 Posted February 12, 2008 Petty Officers in the 1840s wore a badge something like this oval shape one with an eagle with a U.S. shield and anchor. Also an 1861-1865 Petty Officer eagle on blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #7 Posted February 12, 2008 Bugle Master 1st Class, worn between 1917 to 1945. 1886 Quartermaster 2nd Class, ship's spoked wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #8 Posted February 12, 2008 1898 Pharmacist Mate 1st Class, a red Geneva cross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #9 Posted February 12, 2008 Pre-1913 Chief Carpenter's Mate. Hospital Apprentice 2nd Class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #10 Posted February 12, 2008 Here is the first page of an unpublished book I did on Specialty Marks, there were well over one thousand (1,000) line drawings of specialty and distinguishing marks which included those from 1886 to 1996. The complete unpublished book is located in a photo album on webshots.com for you to see and download if you like. I used actualy specialty marks and drew them 400% larger than actual size in India on velumpaper. I plan to send the original artwork to an eBay seller as a gift for them to do what they wish with it all as no one ever stepped forward to ask for them, had them since 1994 when I started the project. The other scan is a modern-day Chief Electrician's Mate from the collectgion of my friend John Helvey, a fine fellow and a gentleman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #11 Posted February 12, 2008 1886 Schoolmaster 1st Class of a silverwire bullion open textbook and eagle, seem to have held up better or as good as bullion embroidery from 1941-1945, yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted February 12, 2008 Share #12 Posted February 12, 2008 Sarge, thanks for the display. There are some great old rates there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share #13 Posted February 12, 2008 Sarge, thanks for the display. There are some great old rates there. Dear Craig: Was unsure if there were any fellow collectors and researchers of United States Navy rates? Glad that you liked them, Craig! Hope there are others who like ourselves enjoy them as well, God willing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMIN Posted February 13, 2008 Share #14 Posted February 13, 2008 Excellent post, Sarge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share #15 Posted February 13, 2008 Excellent post, Sarge! ADMIN: You're welcome, speaking of rates, the artwork in my 1886 uniform regulations of the United States Navy shows these drawings, obviously those made and worn never looked like them. Quality control must have been very loose in the 19th Century? I like sharing what I have with others as the chances of ever seeing these rates is slim to none for most collectors and researchers, sad to report! Thanks, Admin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share #16 Posted February 14, 2008 1897 Gunner's Mate 1st Class Petty Officer with Seaman Gunner's qualification bursting shell below chevrons. Thought someone might find this interesting from this only rate from a white uniform, never used, probibly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River Patrol Posted February 14, 2008 Share #17 Posted February 14, 2008 Wonderful stuff! These tend to be overlooked by many collectors, but they are really quite stunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted February 14, 2008 Share #18 Posted February 14, 2008 You have some really nice items that are rarely seen. How long have you been collecting them? Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason G Posted February 14, 2008 Share #19 Posted February 14, 2008 Just incredible. Thank you very much for showing us. Stunning! Don't want to be a pain...but could you give us a link to the site? I can't seem to find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share #20 Posted February 14, 2008 Just incredible. Thank you very much for showing us. Stunning! Don't want to be a pain...but could you give us a link to the site? I can't seem to find it. JASON: http://community.webshots.com/user/eneryhodge is one of the places for the photo albums, and another is at http://community.webshots.com/user/hhbooker2 and my site is at http://www.militarybadges.info (Military Badges By Booker) which is non-profit, of course! KURT: Have been collecting since the mid-1940s as World War Two was ending and even in the late 1950s hardly anyone collected navy rates no matter how old and same for the army chevrons 1872 to the 1950s, at that time! I got in on the proverbial "ground floor" so to speak when there were ads in magazines for army patches, 100 for US$5.00 or less. When you bought chevrons, they weighed them instead of looking at the and counting them! I went to N.S.Meyer and was handed a shoe box and filled it and paid just US$10.00 to their Vice President who was also a collector, it was full of metal badges like submarine, naval aviation, etc.! RIVER PATROL: Yes, sometimes I go back and look at it and see detail I overlooked before. Lots of fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Ragan Posted February 15, 2008 Share #21 Posted February 15, 2008 Amazing stuff Sarge. A collector can spend a lifetime just chasing rating badges and many you have shown are next to impossible to find. I've been collecting rating badges for years and still don't have any of these oldies-but-goodies you have shown us here. Thanks for posting such a great reference for all of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share #22 Posted February 15, 2008 Amazing stuff Sarge. A collector can spend a lifetime just chasing rating badges and many you have shown are next to impossible to find. I've been collecting rating badges for years and still don't have any of these oldies-but-goodies you have shown us here. Thanks for posting such a great reference for all of us. Dear Lee: You're welcome, glad that you liked these oldies. Guess my lettering writing helped the most as I was able to get foreign military attaches, consulates, embassies, and overseas museums to send me insignia which I often traded or gave away and in turn was able to get some nice hard-to-find things like an original 1869 United States Navy officer's cap badge with a very small eagle. (1886 Apothecary 1st Class Petty Officer and Machinist Mate 3rd Class Petty Officer shown below.) Sarge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 17, 2008 Author Share #23 Posted February 17, 2008 "GREETINGS & SALUTATIONS!" Here is a silverwire bullion embroidered eagle and ship's steering wheel on this old rate. It is for a Quartermaster Second Class, 1886. Sarge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpcsdan Posted February 18, 2008 Share #24 Posted February 18, 2008 "GREETINGS & SALUTATIONS!" Here is a silverwire bullion embroidered eagle and ship's steering wheel on this old rate. It is for a Quartermaster Second Class, 1886. Sarge Now, Sarge, you know I'm on here...I believe I pointed you to the USMF... -dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhbooker2 Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share #25 Posted February 18, 2008 Now, Sarge, you know I'm on here...I believe I pointed you to the USMF... -dan DAN: Yes, you set me in the direction of this forum, thanks, Dan, much appreciated! Oiler 3rd Class, 1886, probably made in Germany for a U.S. Navy sailor while ashore. It has a powder-blue eagle, ship's screw, and bursting bomb on white duck with a basted edging and red scarlet chevrons. This was from a black & white photograph another collector mail me several decades ago to show it to me, too bad it was not in colour? Sarge 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