Help with these naval shoulder boards?

[subsystem4]

I was hoping one of you guys could ID these for me. I got them in a lot of navy rates and strikers.

I suspect the one with the crossed anchors could be foreign because it doesn't have an eagle on the button.

The other looks like some sort of naval academy board. the insignia under the anchor is damaged but looks like a beehive on top of something.

any guesses?

 

[sigsaye]

Not USN. Maybe civilian steam ship company

[RustyCanteen]

There sure seems to be a lot of this stuff popping up in the last few days.

 

I agree with Steve, whatever it is, it isn't of any USN/USCG/USMS origin.

[Lee Ragan]

The bottom shoulderboard looks to be for a New York State Maritime Acedemy Cadet. (Ref. "Insignia of America's Little Known Seafarers, 2nd Edition", by Rudy Basurto.) This is a tentative identification because the illustration in the book isn't all that clear.

I have seen the other shoulderboard insignia somewhere (I think on this forum), but can't remember what it is for nor the organization. I think it's related to a civilain maratime organization. In any case, not military.

[subsystem4]

Thanks guys,

 

Lee is it possible the bottom one is an older board from the Suny Maritime College? The shield looks similar to me.

 

-Jay

[dag]

I think the button on the top board is Merchant Marine (I don't have my book with me, but I think that's correct)

[Lee Ragan]

Thanks guys,

 

Lee is it possible the bottom one is an older board from the Suny Maritime College? The shield looks similar to me.

 

-Jay

Jay, you could very well be right. My references on the SUNY Maritime College are extreamly limited.

[firefighter]

There is that dang button again, anchor with 2 stars.The bottom one does look like the shape of the NY state shield.

[senhoragua]

the bottom board is indeed from suny maritime (new york state merchant marine academy) and was used for deck-department fourth classmen from 1938 through the vietnam war era. flipping the board over and taking a look at the manufacturer's mark might give a better sense of period.

 

the shield is a stylized sun over mountains with ship on the sea (white & black mesh pattern) - they tried.

[senhoragua]

The top one has vexed me for years.  I finally figured it out:
 

It is an Appel & Co. produced deck officer shoulder board from the 1940s.  These were worn by deck officers on yachts - the sort of yachts that had crews associated with them.  The star-anchor-star button was a "default" yachtsman uniform button shared with the United States Merchant Marine Academy.  These buttons were first worn by crew members on yachts owned by New York Yacht Club members (who had their own club-specific buttons).