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"Modern" USN life preserver belts 1950's & later


Bob Hudson
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I just bought a seabag full of Vietnam era gear that came from a Marine, although I have no idea who that Marine was. There were two of the orange Navy life preserver belts using CO2 cartridges. Would the Marines have used this, and who in the Navy wore them, deck crew and....?

 

thanks

 

1.jpg

 

1a.jpg

 

2.jpg

 

3.jpg

 

3a.jpg

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MastersMate

During the late 1960s through mid 1980s, that particular style was worn by bridge,CIC sonar, and crews in many of the interior stations during general quarters. You wouldn't be handicapped by wearing a positive buoyancy device inside the hull

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Looks like the type of flotation device used for aircraft passengers involved with overwater flight. Used in the 1960s up into the late 1990s.

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Hi Bob, I received one like that as passager on C2 COD flying to carrier in mid 90s

Best

 

Was it worn in the front ala le fanny pack?

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Unlike the WWII life belts, this one looks like it provides face-up flotation even when unconscious.

 

So did Marine Corps amphibious doctrine ever call for individual flotation devices issued to Marines at sea or heading to a beach landing?

 

This came with a bunch of 1960's gear that had been in a seabag for decades: it appears this Marine picked these up somewhere in his line of work back then.

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RustyCanteen

Hi Bob,

 

 

As noted above there were a couple different models of this (with some variations over the decades), some for aviation use and some for use on ship. Anyway to answer your question about the Marines having flotation devices for the ride to the beach, there are photos from the 1965 landings at Danang where the Marines are wearing what appear to be the blue/grey fibrous filled yoke preserver. Aka, the troop transport type.

 

As I recall the aviation version of this was for use by passengers, and not aircrew.

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Salvage Sailor

As the others have said, standard USN issue for shipboard use in the 1960's and 70's, General Quarters, drills, boat crews, etc. Aboard ship, the deck apes moslty wore Kapoks and we (the Ops pukes) wore these belts as we had to go in and out of hatches and have room to work. They were worn like a fanny pack and pulled around to the front when used.

 

I had a locker with about 25 to 30 of them on my workboat (LCVP) for use by the passengers if necessary whereas we (helmsman/engineer/linesman) wore orange Kapok lifejackets when heading for shore

 

Photos: Life belts in use by damage control party (difficult to see but they're there around our waists)

damage control party 001.jpg

damage control party 002.jpg

damage control party 003.jpg

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As the others have said, standard USN issue for shipboard use in the 1960's and 70's, General Quarters, drills, boat crews, etc. Aboard ship, the deck apes moslty wore Kapoks and we (the Ops pukes) wore these belts as we had to go in and out of hatches and have room to work. They were worn like a fanny pack and pulled around to the front when used.

 

 

Thanks for sharing those photos.

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Salvage Sailor

Same belt style vest being deployed

 

US Navy 030124-N-9769P-027 the procedures to don an inflatable life preserver during an abandon ship training scenario aboard the aircraft carrier

800px-US_Navy_030124-N-9769P-027_the_procedures_to_don_an_inflatable_life_preserver_during_an_abandon_ship_training_scenario_aboard_the_aircraft_carrier.jpg

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You may have to rename this post again. middle one is 1956 lower orange is 85 and the green one is 86. If they were being PMS'ed they would have had a light and whistle. no sure what year the toggle was added but it is for tethering your self to another sailor so that no one would get scattered. A Marine would have access to one for abandon ship and a Sailor would wear it in the pack on one side and the Gas Mask on the other.

post-2723-0-59558700-1501450275_thumb.jpg

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You may have to rename this post again. middle one is 1956...

 

Okay I renamed it to reflect the 1956 model.

 

Mine have the short rope with toggle: I had wondered about its purpose.

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MastersMate

Possibly "buddy lines". Toggle off the left side into the eye on the next guys right side. Keep all survivors in close vicinity..

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RustyCanteen

Since it is more or less a special variant of the same basic design, I will post some information regarding the LPP-1 preserver. (Aviation use for passengers) One of the major differences is the addition of special pockets or attachment points for survival gear.

 

Preserver

lpp1a.jpg

 

 

Belt and pouch

lpp1c.jpg

 

 

Special storage bag when not worn

lpp1b.jpg

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RustyCanteen

It seems the LPP1 was introduced in 1968:

 

lpp1june1968.jpg

 

And while it was supposed to be worn by passengers, it was authorized for wear by helicopter crewman while wearing the T-65 body armor (March 1969):

 

lpp1march1969.jpg

 

September 1969

lpp1sept1969.jpg

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RustyCanteen

January 1970

 

lpp1january1970.jpg

 

And this from October 1984 is interesting, because it seems people weren't sure how to wear it. I would imagine the author was speaking of the belt and pouch being worn upsidedown, which would mean the preserver would be deployed upsidedown once in the water; a bad situation.

lpp1october1984.jpg

 

And from a 1984 Antarctic survival publication, again mentioning the lifeline:

lpp1antarctic1984.jpg

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RustyCanteen

This is a NOS 1969 storage pouch for the LPP1, which features donning instructions to aid passengers who might be unfamiliar with a preserver:

 

front.jpg

 

Rear of the pouch flap

backflap.jpg

 

And the illustration again

lpp1b.jpg

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RustyCanteen

 

Okay I renamed it to reflect the 1956 model.

 

 

I think this was adopted in 1952 or around then. The 'J' at the end of the spec number probably refers to a revision, and there is a spec number for a preserver that matches in 1952 with the exception of the number ending with an 'A' instead of a 'J'.

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Each of these has a lifeline: a short piece of light rope: one end is attached to the belt, the other end has a wooden toggle and the rope has a loop tied into it. That loop fits over the toggle from another person's preserver, enabling two people to stay together. I don't know exactly how the attach: it's possible that it's done as a double connection for two people, like this:

 

2.jpg

 

Doubling up like that should make for a pretty secure connection in rough seas. But, it may also be possible that there's a single connection between two people, freeing a toggle and loop that could be secured to two more people, and they too could connect to others.

 

3.jpg

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