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US Navy SV-2B Survival Vest


Bob Hudson
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Found this one at a swap meet - I saw a lot listed online but none with the contents.

 

From I can gather the Navy has now replaced SV-2B Survival Vest with the CMU - 33. There is an SV2B holster but I have not figured out where it attaches (it has snaps on the back).

 

 

sv2.jpg

sv2back.jpg

sv2label.jpg

 

sv2knifepocket.jpg

sv2knife.jpg

 

(The round black thing fires small flares)

 

sv2compasspocket.jpg

sv2compass.jpg

sv2compass2.jpg

 

sv2lightocket.jpg

sv2lights.jpg

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pwmiraldi67

hello

If Im not mistaken, the holster should snap inside one of the larger pockets. I had one just like this and it had a black leather holseter for a .38 inside the right large pocket, you might find the male ends to the snaps in there?

 

paul

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craig_pickrall

Bob, according to the USN drawing ID'ing part pockets for the SV2B the holster should fit in the large pocket that is to the left front (as worn) in your first pic. All of these I have seen had the leather holster as well. It might be the nylon holster fits in another location. This is a 93 dated vest but it may be the holster is a later addition.

 

I can take some pics if needed.

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Guest RT Ohio

I believe that this holster being shown, is for a later vest that uses a basic vest with snaps all over it along with loops. This is so you can attach the pockets that come with the vest in any manner that suits the individual.

 

Another observation is that the holster is definately for a Beretta M9 with a spare mag in the mag pouch sewn onto the outside of the holster. Normally the SV-2 series of vests, especially during the Vietnam War were outfitted with a holster that was sewn inside a pocket (can't remember exactly which one).

 

Now you cannot confuse this vest with the Mohawk vest worn by OV-01 pilots which is an SV-2 with shoulder straps made of mesh. That vest had the same holster and bandoleer but both the holster and the bandoleer were snapped onto the snaps around the bottom of the vest. Early holsters were meant for a S&W 2" .38cal revolver. There was also a strip of nylon (bandoleer) with snaps all along the backside that held and additional 12 rounds of .38 ball ammo. This was attached to the bottom of the vest.

 

Confusing? It might be because I'm jumping all around the subject of the SV-2 series of vests.

 

Let me know if this makes any sense?

 

Bottom line is that it is a holster made during the 90's - present day for a Seni-auto handgun such as the M9. think.gif

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I believe that this holster being shown, is for a later vest that uses a basic vest with snaps all over it along with loops. This is so you can attach the pockets that come with the vest in any manner that suits the individual.

 

Another observation is that the holster is definately for a Beretta M9 with a spare mag in the mag pouch sewn onto the outside of the holster. Normally the SV-2 series of vests, especially during the Vietnam War were outfitted with a holster that was sewn inside a pocket (can't remember exactly which one).

 

Now you cannot confuse this vest with the Mohawk vest worn by OV-01 pilots which is an SV-2 with shoulder straps made of mesh. That vest had the same holster and bandoleer but both the holster and the bandoleer were snapped onto the snaps around the bottom of the vest. Early holsters were meant for a S&W 2" .38cal revolver. There was also a strip of nylon (bandoleer) with snaps all along the backside that held and additional 12 rounds of .38 ball ammo. This was attached to the bottom of the vest.

 

Confusing? It might be because I'm jumping all around the subject of the SV-2 series of vests.

 

Let me know if this makes any sense?

 

Bottom line is that it is a holster made during the 90's - present day for a Seni-auto handgun such as the M9. think.gif

 

 

Thanks - this looks like an early 90's vest so he may have picked up the holster later and found it fit nicely in the right front pocket (which it does).

 

sv2label.jpg

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  • 3 years later...

This week I came across the older SV-2 vest - there's no labels. Does anyone have dates for the SV-2's? I read that the SV-2B was from the 80's ans 90's., but can't find any firm dates on the plain SV-2.

 

This one had no gear in it. The holster is sewn into a pocket behind the knife pocket:

 

1.jpg

 

2.jpg

 

3.jpg

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Interesting rigger mod to the rear straps to be adjustable it looks like. Usually it has those webbing straps like your older vest has. This vest also appears to have been rigger modified for rotary wing use since it has the extraction belt sewn around the top of the vest.

 

I don't have any SV-2s myself but from what Ive seen from all the ones for sale, the holster that is removable is from 1995 and one contract dated SV-2Bs. It would velco and snap into the zippered pocket behind the knife pocket, similar to how the OV-1 survival vest stores its holster while in flight. Pre 95 contract vests have the sewn in .38 holsters.

 

Cant really see very clearly but it also looks like it has the SRU-36/P HEEDs bottle holster attached to the vest between the knife pocket and the LH main pocket.

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Hi,

 

USN SV2 survival chronology is the following :

 

SV2, MIL-V-81523 is from 13 march 1967 and join the fleet during summer 1967,

SV2A, MIL-V-81523A is from 17 january 1969

SV2A, MIL-V-81523A Amendment 1 is from 23 february 1972

In MIL-V-81523A Amendment 2 from 7 november 1973 SV2A designation was changed to become SV2B.

 

 

Best

Cro

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Interesting rigger mod to the rear straps to be adjustable it looks like. Usually it has those webbing straps like your older vest has. This vest also appears to have been rigger modified for rotary wing use since it has the extraction belt sewn around the top of the vest.

 

I don't have any SV-2s myself but from what Ive seen from all the ones for sale, the holster that is removable is from 1995 and one contract dated SV-2Bs. It would velco and snap into the zippered pocket behind the knife pocket, similar to how the OV-1 survival vest stores its holster while in flight. Pre 95 contract vests have the sewn in .38 holsters.

 

Cant really see very clearly but it also looks like it has the SRU-36/P HEEDs bottle holster attached to the vest between the knife pocket and the LH main pocket.

 

Interesting comments about the mods: the picker I bought it from said when he got it he was told it had the labels removed to make it sterile for ops in places where US forces shouldn't be. Were any of these in fact used for special ops purposes?

 

Here's that possible HEEDS holster located next to the front zipper:

 

6.jpg

 

7.jpg

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The vest I was referencing about with the rigger mods was the newer one you have at the top of the page. Look at the long knife pocket on the front, if facing the vest, from your pic it looked like the HEED holster was sewn in there next to the knife pocket and the left hand main survival kit pocket.

 

 

The 2nd older vest you have just seems to be an older SV-2 or 2A, and the pocket you took a pic of is the radio pocket. The parachute shroud knife also goes in the small narrow slot on the front of that pocket. The velcro on the knife/holster pocket visible in your pic is for a CRU-79 oxygen regulator pocket.

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Hi,

 

USN SV2 survival chronology is the following :

 

SV2, MIL-V-81523 is from 13 march 1967 and join the fleet during summer 1967,

SV2A, MIL-V-81523A is from 17 january 1969

SV2A, MIL-V-81523A Amendment 1 is from 23 february 1972

In MIL-V-81523A Amendment 2 from 7 november 1973 SV2A designation was changed to become SV2B.

Best

Cro

 

 

Great Info, thanks for posting. Do you have a good source for types of flight gear and dates of use?

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northcoastaero

Rotary wing and some fixed-wing aircraft (P-3 Orion, etc.) that did not use the MA-2 (PCU-33/P series and PCU-56/P series) torso parachute harness were modified

with the pick-up belt around the top of the vest. I believe the zipper on the side of the radio/line cutter knife pocket was introduced with the SV-2B. It is possible

that there were early versions of the SV-2B in olive drab nylon-later ones were sage green. The SV-2 (not SV-2A, B) had a radio battery pocket attached to the

side of the radio pocket and I believe that the SV-2 did not have velcro strips on the left side of the larger pocket, where as the SV-2A and SV-2B did. The velcro

strips may have been originally for the Mark 2A anti-g suit hose flap which had a small velcro tab on it-very early Mark 2A anti-g suits did not have the velcro tab.

Check out the book: United States Combat Aircrew Survival Equipment by Michael S. Breuninger. Hope this helps.

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  • 11 years later...
On 3/19/2008 at 10:11 AM, Guest RT Ohio said:

I believe that this holster being shown, is for a later vest that uses a basic vest with snaps all over it along with loops. This is so you can attach the pockets that come with the vest in any manner that suits the individual.

 

Another observation is that the holster is definately for a Beretta M9 with a spare mag in the mag pouch sewn onto the outside of the holster. Normally the SV-2 series of vests, especially during the Vietnam War were outfitted with a holster that was sewn inside a pocket (can't remember exactly which one).

 

Now you cannot confuse this vest with the Mohawk vest worn by OV-01 pilots which is an SV-2 with shoulder straps made of mesh. That vest had the same holster and bandoleer but both the holster and the bandoleer were snapped onto the snaps around the bottom of the vest. Early holsters were meant for a S&W 2" .38cal revolver. There was also a strip of nylon (bandoleer) with snaps all along the backside that held and additional 12 rounds of .38 ball ammo. This was attached to the bottom of the vest.

 

Confusing? It might be because I'm jumping all around the subject of the SV-2 series of vests.

 

Let me know if this makes any sense?

 

Bottom line is that it is a holster made during the 90's - present day for a Seni-auto handgun such as the M9. think.gif

This holster is for a later version of the SV-2B that contemplates the use of the M9 pistol versus the .38 revolver. I have such a vest new in the wrapper and the holster is attached basically where the earlier revolver holster would have been.

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