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Navy Scuba Diving Badges or Insignia


stratasfan
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stratasfan

Wow! An entire forum section that has no posts! I guess I can pick the odd topics! Well, I am hoping that someone might have some particular knowledge about Diver badges. This has nothing to do with relatives or anything. For once, this is completely just a personal interest. I LOVE the old TV show, "Sea Hunt" and have become really enthralled with the scuba diving. However, past "Sea Hunt", I don't know anything about Scuba divers in the military. I've read about WWII Frogmen and the UDTs, but no scuba. I saw somewhere a little photo of a piece of insignia that was a diving helmet. That intrigued me! I know that in "Sea Hunt", they had Korean-era frogmen who did a lot of the actual diving. I also know that the Frogmen eventually became the Navy Seals. So . . .

 

Do Navy Scuba divers have any particular insignia, either badges or patches? If so, when did they start or what different kinds are there? I could only find modern insignia online. Any thoughts would be welcome! I am very interested in this topic and would love to learn more! Are there actual Scuba Diving units that would have their own patches, etc.?

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Stratasfan here are images of Navy diving badges.

post-582-0-68054500-1400707533.jpg

 

if you Google "navy diving badges" all kinds of information comes up!

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stratasfan

Hi! Thanks for the pics and I did try looking it up. However, I couldn't find anyone telling what particular badges/patches were used at what time/era. I found these two patches, but couldn't find out when they were used. The scuba diver badge like you show above, I couldn't find when that was started either. In particular, I would love to know what was used when. Any ideas about that SCUBA diver badge?

post-151812-0-32700700-1400882735.jpg

post-151812-0-93414500-1400882735.jpg

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The top one pictured is a salvage diver.

 

Here is some history on the Navy Diver ratings.

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq78-4a.htm

 

From Wiki

 

"Additionally, there is a SCUBA diver qualification primarily for those stationed on submarines to serve as sub divers in a limited capacity. Navy SCUBA Divers are also trained at NDSTC at a 5 week course. Their duties consist primarily of conducting occasional inspections on the submarine they are stationed on. SCUBA divers maintain their Navy rating such as ET or MM as their diving NEC is a collateral duty not their primary one."

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  • 11 months later...

Does anyone know the date the Navy adopted the metal series of diving badges?

Thanks.

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Hi Able2,

 

The first metal diving badges were the gold Diving Officer and silver Master Diver adopted 16 june 1969 by BuPers notice 1020. The badges were available by august 1969. The other metal badges appeared in 25 may 1973.

 

Best

Croc

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  • 2 years later...
deadpeoplesjunk

I always thought the "S" badge was salvage, and "SD" scuba diver which appeared in the 50's. The metal double hose was approved much later and changed form.I know this thread is old, but I'll try to post examples from my collection this week. I have 2 metal badges with SD, one came with a group, the other from a junk shop. Both are plated, one pinback, the other clutçh

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Tonomachi

Since we are on the subject I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the pictured pieces below that I believe they call distinguishing mark cuff insignia for USN salvage divers. It is my understanding that the use of the red letter S on the breastplate was unauthorized. So my question is was it ever worn? A long time ago another collector told me that the red S meant Seal Team. I was told that when they were first formed they were classified and not allowed to wear any distinguishing insignia since they didn't exist so some wore this to distinguish themselves from salvage divers. I've only ever heard this once from this one collector so I thought I would throw it out there to see if anyone else has heard of this.

post-1389-0-33848500-1493933195.jpg

post-1389-0-50146200-1493933208.jpg

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  • 3 years later...

I know this is an older thread but figured I'd take a shot.

Just picked this up off the "bay.

I was wondering if anyone could give me an approx. age on this badge.

I have a later divers badge, 1970's. and the clutches are at 12 & 6 o'clock, not 3 & 9 like this one.

I think O.E.C stands for Officers Equipment Company.

I have a pair of  pin back jump wings made by Officers Equipment Company.

Any information will be greatly appreciated.

s-l64.jpg

s-l1600.jpg

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Also, this is a (rather poor)  picture of US Navy Lt. Ray Boehm, (UDT-21,  SEAL TEAM 2), in Vietnam sometime between 1962-1964.

Can anyone identify the insignia he is wearing on his beret?

Thank you in advance.

Roy_Boehm.jpg

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Doctorofwar

Here is a pic of the cover of Lt. Boehm’s book First SEAL.  There are multiple pictures of him wearing what appears to be the same beret- the insignia appears to be a USN officers hat device.  I couldn’t find a pic of him with the divers badge.

3ED7C869-0BD4-4E8D-A2F5-06EC979653E4.jpeg

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Thank you!

Is there a date on your picture?

Do you think he has a SCUBA badge on the beret in the picture I posted?

It might be a cloth badge since the metal breast SCUBA badge didn't come out until the late 60's.

🤔

 

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Most def 2 different badges.

War is hell. He was only about 38 years old in Vietnam but looks much older.

Roy_Boehm.jpg

3ED7C869-0BD4-4E8D-A2F5-06EC979653E4.jpeg.076947df0df4dd8719287a16d9d63bc8.jpeg

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Doctorofwar

Both pics are contained in the same book- they date from his tour as an advisor to the LDNN in 1963-64.  Looking at the pictures in print (I have the book in front of me) they look like the same badge to me- in the black and white pic there appears to be the bottom of two crossed anchors and the eagle at the top. The other pictures with the beret are less visible than these two, but all are from his 63-64 Vietnam tour.  My money is on them being the same USN hat device in each picture.  

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