U.S. Maritime Service / Merchant Marine Buttons

[MrStiv]

I've been scouring the Internet trying to find out the status of these two buttons for Merchant Marine uniforms. I noticed that the one with two stars was featured on this Web site several years ago in a photo of what appeared to be a shoulder board, with someone indicating that it was for a 4th Class Midshipman.

 

But I think the responder was referring to the insignia on the shoulder board, not the button... here's the link to that post:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/180239-what-kind-of-merchant-marine-ranks-are-these/

 

I'm attaching a close-up shot of the button.

 

 

I also found an image of the other button (the one with "USMS" and no stars) on a Web site dedicated to Merchant Marine info, but it simply referred to it as....wait for it..."USMS Button." It appears only one image (of these sizes) are allowed per post, so I'll put the pic of the the USMS Button in a reply.

 

Any information on these buttons would be hugely appreciated.

[MrStiv]

Well, so much for posting an image in the original post...and I can't seem to find a way to delete the post and start again.

 

 

 

[MrStiv]

And this is the USMS button.....

 

[RustyCanteen]

The second button you illustrate was the standard post-1943 US Maritime Service button. Prior to this, the button design was different. A picture is worth a thousands words, but it had the USMS logo (shield and anchor) in the center, and said "United States Maritime Service" around the outer radius of the button.

 

 

The first button you illustrate is something of a hotly debated enigma. Here are some threads about it, but it seems (regardless of origin) to have been used as a generic maritime button for most of the 20th century.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/295293-button-help/

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/55981-another-navy-question/

[MrStiv]

Thank you RustyCanteen! I've seen images of the older USMS button with the inscription written around the perimeter and the shield and anchor in the center.

According to the book referenced in the linked post, the button with the two stars is for Merchant Marine Cadets. This is proving quite difficult to verify beyond dispute, but I'm still plugging away.

I also encountered something a little strange regarding shoulder board stripes for rank insignia, but perhaps I'm just missing something really obvious. On one of the few Web sites that seem to cater directly to Merchant Marine/Martime Service folks, it shows a shoulder board with a crescent moon (Steward?), but it has in both gold or siilver stripes/moon. What does the silver version indicate? (I wo8uld post the gold version with it but I can't seem to master the art of putting two images in one post.)

 

[MastersMate]

Silver/gold. company preference only...

 

Cruiseboat/small ship US flag vessels have crews that wear uniforms and are company designated as either Steward or Purser.. The few large ferry operations may have a crewmember that has a Coast Guard issued Certificate of Registry, that designates them a ships officer in the staff department. Those soft shoulder marks are very late 1980s onward...

 

Much like the stripes worm by commercial aviators.

[MrStiv]

Thank you, MastersMate!

 

Perhaps you could help me with another question and I'll try to keep it short. I have come across insignia like the crescent moon above but more commonly the fouled anchor that is enveloped in a wreath. The captions for the insignia with the laurel wreath seem to always indicate U.S. Maritime Service. But I also find some of them without wreaths. At The Lighthouse Uniform Company, they carry an Anchor Sleeve Device AND an Anchor and Wreath Sleeve device. (The Deputy Superintendent of the Merchant Marine Academy wears a wreathed fouled anchor on her sleeve, if that is any help.)

 

Also, in historical photos of Maritime Service shoulder boards, the insignia are always wreathed, but I cannot find new hard shoulder board with wreathed insignia.

 

I'm at a loss....is this to indicate some type of distinction between the Maritime Service and the Merchant Marine? Why wreaths on some and not on others?

 

Thank you heartily for any insight you may provide!

[Justin B.]

Thank you, MastersMate!

 

Perhaps you could help me with another question and I'll try to keep it short. I have come across insignia like the crescent moon above but more commonly the fouled anchor that is enveloped in a wreath. The captions for the insignia with the laurel wreath seem to always indicate U.S. Maritime Service. But I also find some of them without wreaths. At The Lighthouse Uniform Company, they carry an Anchor Sleeve Device AND an Anchor and Wreath Sleeve device. (The Deputy Superintendent of the Merchant Marine Academy wears a wreathed fouled anchor on her sleeve, if that is any help.)

 

Also, in historical photos of Maritime Service shoulder boards, the insignia are always wreathed, but I cannot find new hard shoulder board with wreathed insignia.

 

I'm at a loss....is this to indicate some type of distinction between the Maritime Service and the Merchant Marine? Why wreaths on some and not on others?

 

Thank you heartily for any insight you may provide!

 

Keep in mind that the US has never had a standard uniform for merchant mariners. The UK did, but even then companies were allowed considerable latitude to opt out. The US Maritime Service was and is a relatively small federal organization involved in standards and training for the merchant shipping industry. In WW2 MM personnel could wear USMS uniform but it was completely optional.

 

Insignia catalogs are just offering shipping companies and owners different choices. There is no real meaning, they just choose the designs, color and number of stripes they want to buy. The wreath might be "reserved" for USMS uniforms, I'm not sure. In addition to the crescent you see variations with a crossed knife and fork. And of course anchors, screw propellers for engineers, lightning sparks for electrical/radio, and so on. Just more choices for sale.

 

Justin B.

[MastersMate]

Justin hit the nail square on the head..

 

The vertical foul anchor has a long history of representing deck department or seaman branch. On larger merchant vessels, the requirements for the number of licensed officers is governed by US federal regulations. Basically, each us commercial vessel will have a Coast Guard licensed Captain or Master. Traditionally that has been represented by the 4 sleeve striped. Vessels over 1600 gross register tons will normally have an addition three licensed officers to take the watchkeeping duties. These has by common usage represent by three sleeve stripes for the chief or first mate. two stripes for the second mate and one stripe for the third mate. Those designations aligned with their additional duty on board. The first mate (senior) in charge of cargo and deck operations. Also able to take command should the Master keel over. The second mate is usually the navigation officer and the third mate is the safety officer. In todays licensing scheme, it is not uncommon to find each deck officer holding an unlimited tonnage master ticket. The stripes designate the job description on board. Engineer officers follow the same scheme. Chief engineer, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Assistant engineer.. The corps devices, if you will, followed the traditional foul anchor for deck department officers and the 3 blade propeller wheel for the engineer officers.

 

Previous insignia included the spark for the radio officer ( a Smithsonian relic), the crescent for the Steward department, crossed quill pens for the Purser department, and rarely used caduseus for the Medical department of the Ships Sturgeon. Present day usage strictly a company policy. If you ever get a chance to ride the Alaska Marine Highway ships between Bellingham, Wash and the Inside Passage to Alaska, you will see the usage of the shoulder marks and sleeve stripes and corps devices still in operation.

 

Hell, when I was sailing as Master or Mate on some of the smaller passenger vessels on the Inside Passage, during boarding and daily operations we used to joke that we could pass off as a full fleet Admiral in some banana republic navy..

[senhoragua]

The second button you illustrate was the standard post-1943 US Maritime Service button. Prior to this, the button design was different. A picture is worth a thousands words, but it had the USMS logo (shield and anchor) in the center, and said "United States Maritime Service" around the outer radius of the button.

 

 

The first button you illustrate is something of a hotly debated enigma. Here are some threads about it, but it seems (regardless of origin) to have been used as a generic maritime button for most of the 20th century.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/295293-button-help/

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/55981-another-navy-question/

I have been trying to track down the genealogy of the star anchor star button. So far, I discovered that the design was first used by the New York Yacht Club in the mid-1800s (the club name ringed the anchor device). It was later appropriated by the New York Nautical School (with their name replacing the club's name), and finally by the New York Merchant Marine Academy. When the United States Maritime Commission Cadet Corps (pre-cursor to the US Merchant Marine Academy) was using space at the NYMMA, they started wearing the same button only without any writing on it - this was between 1940 and 1941.

[Justin B.]

I have been trying to track down the genealogy of the star anchor star button. So far, I discovered that the design was first used by the New York Yacht Club in the mid-1800s (the club name ringed the anchor device). It was later appropriated by the New York Nautical School (with their name replacing the club's name), and finally by the New York Merchant Marine Academy. When the United States Maritime Commission Cadet Corps (pre-cursor to the US Merchant Marine Academy) was using space at the NYMMA, they started wearing the same button only without any writing on it - this was between 1940 and 1941.

 

Great information, thanks a lot.