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Color of paint on USN helmets


ccmax
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Here are 3 grey liners. The one on the left has WW2 A straps, the middle has Korean War A straps, the third I am not sure Korean or Nam. All 3 are grey. What is up with that? I will possibly be buying some helmets from an old Army Surplus owner that had closed his store about 5 years ago. The helmets were stored in his back room. Supposedly he has a USN helmet and liner. If there is a deal made, I will be posting them on this for discussion. Let me know what you think of the liners.

What do you mean by "What is up with that"?

 

Steve Hesson

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Here's mine. I've been told this is "shipboard blue" or maybe even airplane paint. It seems there are a few other similar ones in this thread. Sorry for the very poor lighting/glare.

post-7472-1282182632.jpg

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The navy has no "Non- Comissioned Officers" per say. That is an Army Marine term. We were NCOs by virtue of pay grade, but in Naval terminology, were refered to as either "Petty Officers" or "Chiefs". Being that the helmet is painted white, it would have primarily been used on a replenishment station or with cranes and booms for cargo handeling or loading/off loading of boats. These helmets were painted in various colors to ID specific stations in the detail. Markings on these helmets was purely local, meaning that who ever was responsible for getting them marked would make up the stencils. True, there were some standard abreviations which may or not be used. MT 5-2 PTR would mean Five inch Mount #2, Pointer. REP-2 LKR LDR would mean Repair Locker 2 Locker Leader. These markings were mostly so that the helmets got back to their correct station, and the same guy got the same helmet each time. Some times there may be a rate and name on them, just depended on how much effort someone wanted to put into them.

 

the helmet in the post avobe this from the LCI with "30" stenciled on it would mean it was simply helmet #30. That was commonly done with deck departments that were responsible for large numbers of the things. it was a way to account for them. Alos, you could "assign" a specific helmet to a specific guy that way. As I said, marking was mostly just accounting.

 

As far as using it for watch standing, slim chance. Liners were commonly used for that, but shells? When I was in boot camp, I was assigned to the Career Coounselors office for a week. When I left the office on mail runs and such, I wore a helmet liner with the leather chin strap. It was white and had "C/C" in two inch letters stenciled on the front. This allowed me to walk from place to place rather than run as was required by recruits not in formation.

 

Steve Hesson

Senior Chief Signalman

USN Retired

 

Steve, if you ever write a book on Navy helmets, I'll buy it. Thanks for all the info.

Bill

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Grey liners with Para A straps. Why would they be grey?
The Navy gets lots of "used" helmets. I had liners with these little straps several times while in the Navy. Over the course of the years, they just get a coat of paint from some Sailor who is detailed to paint them. When you deal with Navy helmets, unless you get one directly from a vet, you will most likely get something that has floated around the Navy for years, been on several ships as they are removed from decommissioned ships and put back into the system. We rebuild them with available parts, combining many different liners and helmets, cut off worn out chin straps and replace them with the clip on typs, paint them over and over with what ever available paint there is (I prefered to spray paint them, but a coat of anything gray will do in a pinch), mark them with what ever we think will keep them from getting stolen (I ahd one of my guys once paint San Diego Chargers lightning bolts on the side of his during the first Gulf War. And they last for ever that way. So basically, the para liners were meaning less to us, just what came in the system and was put on that ship. To be honest, we tended to cut those little straps off as they were just in the way.

 

Steve Hesson

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The Navy gets lots of "used" helmets. I had liners with these little straps several times while in the Navy. Over the course of the years, they just get a coat of paint from some Sailor who is detailed to paint them. When you deal with Navy helmets, unless you get one directly from a vet, you will most likely get something that has floated around the Navy for years, been on several ships as they are removed from decommissioned ships and put back into the system. We rebuild them with available parts, combining many different liners and helmets, cut off worn out chin straps and replace them with the clip on typs, paint them over and over with what ever available paint there is (I prefered to spray paint them, but a coat of anything gray will do in a pinch), mark them with what ever we think will keep them from getting stolen (I ahd one of my guys once paint San Diego Chargers lightning bolts on the side of his during the first Gulf War. And they last for ever that way. So basically, the para liners were meaning less to us, just what came in the system and was put on that ship. To be honest, we tended to cut those little straps off as they were just in the way.

 

Steve Hesson

Good explanation. Just wondering? So these liners were used in the Korean War and then the Navy had received them and painted them grey? I had these for many years but never paid any attantion to the colors. Well, this is why I had posted them. The thread is about Naval colors M1's. Thanks for the useful information. Bill

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I could not resist! As previously mentioned, the lack of any standards as to paint and abbreviations, and the decades of service a M1 might serve in the USN, make determination of the period difficult. So, what the heck! I threw a bunch in together! :blink: Most are WWII and some are identified, some PTO and some ETO. The "CAPT." is my latest recruit, rather dull compared to some, belonging to Lt Humsjo who skippered the LCI 502 and dropped British Infantry off on Gold Beach on D-Day. He latered skippered the LSM 524 in preparation for the Japanese Invasion. He passed on in 2008. A few others I have put in separate posts.........jpstout

post-3673-1282705119.jpg

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That's a fun photo, thanks for taking the time to do it up!

 

And I see a spank-tacular camo 2nd from the left....definitely one of the better camo schemes I've seen on a WW2 helmet. :crying:

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I could not resist! As previously mentioned, the lack of any standards as to paint and abbreviations, and the decades of service a M1 might serve in the USN, make determination of the period difficult. So, what the heck! I threw a bunch in together! :blink: Most are WWII and some are identified, some PTO and some ETO. The "CAPT." is my latest recruit, rather dull compared to some, belonging to Lt Humsjo who skippered the LCI 502 and dropped British Infantry off on Gold Beach on D-Day. He latered skippered the LSM 524 in preparation for the Japanese Invasion. He passed on in 2008. A few others I have put in separate posts.........jpstout

post-3673-1282705119.jpg

 

 

Very nice :w00t: I think I spy a lid that I was trying very hard to get on ebay a few weeks ago. Suppose I wasn't trying hard enough, since I lost it towards the end :lol: All my Navy lids are plain jane grey, nothing fancy yet.

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I could not resist! As previously mentioned, the lack of any standards as to paint and abbreviations, and the decades of service a M1 might serve in the USN, make determination of the period difficult. So, what the heck! I threw a bunch in together! :blink: Most are WWII and some are identified, some PTO and some ETO. The "CAPT." is my latest recruit, rather dull compared to some, belonging to Lt Humsjo who skippered the LCI 502 and dropped British Infantry off on Gold Beach on D-Day. He latered skippered the LSM 524 in preparation for the Japanese Invasion. He passed on in 2008. A few others I have put in separate posts.........jpstout

post-3673-1282705119.jpg

MMMMMMMMMMMMM! Just like home :rolleyes: Now, imagine that pile all being used on the same ship at the same time. That is what it is like with Navy helmets aboard ship. Each divisian and work space mostly does what ever they want with theri helmets, no rhyme or reason that is appearant to out siders, but out siders don't really need to know.

 

Steve Hesson

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To respect Cesar's original intent at the beginning of this thread, I updated the "Fleet" of USN M1 helmets with annotations on each helmet. Thanks for your interest........jpstout

post-3673-1282968775.jpg

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  • 1 year later...

Just wanted to bring this one back to the top as its a good thread on the question posted the other day on Navy helmet colors(s)

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GoldenCross
Just wanted to bring this one back to the top as its a good thread on the question posted the other day on Navy helmet colors(s)

 

 

Good call! Saw that one, and began to wonder myself!

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Just wanted to bring this one back to the top as its a good thread on the question posted the other day on Navy helmet colors(s)

Good idea Ron, I'm pinning this thread for future reference

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  • 1 month later...

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