"It's a Gemsco" USN & USCG Patch Manufacturers

[Salvage Sailor]

DESRON 23 - Destroyer Squadron 23 the Little Beavers

Patch made 1963 to 1966

[Salvage Sailor]

USS OKANOGAN (APA-220) three war Haskell class Attack Transport in service 1944 to 1973

Okinawa, Inchon, Wonsan, Chinampo, Koje-Do, Danang, Chu Lai, Qui Nhon

Vietnam era patch made after 1966

[Salvage Sailor]

USS HOLLAND (AS-32) Hunley class Submarine Tender in service 1963 to 1996

 

This is her Poseidon patch circa 1972-1978. The Poseidon ICBM replaced the earlier Polaris ICBM system used by SSBN's serviced by the tender

[Salvage Sailor]

USS SIMON LAKE (AS-33) lead ship of her class of Submarine Tenders in service 1964-1999

[Salvage Sailor]

USS DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER (CVN-69) Nimitz class nuclear aircraft carrier in service since 1977

Communications Division - CR & CS. The patch is larger than the newer Gemsco card.

 

This patch also comes in a darker blue

[Salvage Sailor]

USS BENNER (DD/DDR-807) Gearing class Destroyer (Radar Picket) in service 1945 to 1970

This patch made between 1966 and 1970

[Salvage Sailor]

USS MC CAFFREY (DD/DDE-860) Gearing class Destroyer in service 1945-1973

This patch made between 1966 and 1973

[Salvage Sailor]

USS BIGELOW (DD-942) Forrest Sherman class Destroyer in service 1957 to 1982

[Salvage Sailor]

USS PATTERSON (DE-1091) Knox class Destroyer Escort in service 1970-1991.

Redesignated Fast Frigate (FF-1091) in 1975 This patch made between 1970-1974

 

[Salvage Sailor]

USS BOWEN (FF-1079) Knox class Fast Frigate (ex-DE-1079) in service 1971-1994

Reclassified FF so this patch made 1975-1980

[Salvage Sailor]

Naval Air Rework Facility - NARF Quonset Point, R.I.

Active between 1967 and 1974 at QP

[Salvage Sailor]

Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet - Three star flag rank billet

[Salvage Sailor]

Navy Chuting Stars - USN Parachute demonstration team

[Tonomachi]

Great thread and many thanks for sharing these photos. There was two sizes available for the US Navy Chuting Stars patch manufactured by GEMSCO. You mentioned civilian patches produced by GEMSCO on a light blue card. These two patches look like they are civilian scuba diver patches but are on the dark blue cards. So since these scuba patches are on dark blue cards are they considered military for a Naval dive unit?

[Salvage Sailor]

They're 'generics' which can be put on cruise jackets, etc.

 

 

Here's the second Scuba Diver card you posted showing the back side.

Thanks for posting the other scuba diver, I've never seen that one.

 

 

There are also other generic patches on the dark blue card - Eagles, Wildcats, Devils, etc. The lighter blue cards are usually made by Gemsco/Sembler and are typically sports, military atheletics or hunting related. This Moose example is from an ebay auction photo

 

 

More generics - White Wildcat, Surfer Girl, Green Devil - which also comes in Red and Gold

 

 

The Wildcat may have been made for a USN command as it's on the darker/larger card, but I doubt this without any period examples in wear.  The Surfer Girl and the Devil are on the 1966 lighter blue card (it replaced the Sembler baby blue card)

 

 

 

[Tonomachi]

They're 'generics' which can be put on cruise jackets, etc.

 

Here's the second Scuba Diver card you posted showing the back side. Thanks for posting the other scuba diver, I've never seen that one.

 

Thanks for the explanation.

[Salvage Sailor]

More 'generics' for cruise jackets including the Navy's 200th Birthday Bicentennial in 1975. We celebrated our 200th year in 1975, and then the country's in 1976. I might start a thread on these 1975-1976 Bicentennial patches too.

 

 

 

 

USN generic - this one was also made in different color combinations

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

The other Department of the Navy outfit.....they have something to do with collecting seashells on hostile shores. They also guarded the Naval base gates and hassled us, all in good fun of course.

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

Our civilian volunteers in the United States Coast Guard Auxilliary

[Salvage Sailor]

US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod Mass

[Salvage Sailor]

US Coast Guard Air Station Cape May New Jersey

[Salvage Sailor]

Naval Air Station Willow Grove, PA

 

Reverse - The Reserves and the Liberty Bell Squadron

[Salvage Sailor]

USS SEAHORSE (SSN-669) Sturgeon class nuclear attack submarine in service 1969-1995

 

cut edge circa 1970 - "the Thoroughbred of the Fleet"

[ADAM.12TN]

Awesome collection of patches! Please don't hurt me but I remember digging thru my dads Navy stuff when I was a kid and pulling patches off these cards.

[Salvage Sailor]

Thanks Adam,

 

Members, feel free to post any examples you may have in the original packaging (carded) along with a loose patch if you have one.

 

US Navy 200th Bicentennial 1775-1975