Salvage Sailor Posted October 12, 2019 Share #126 Posted October 12, 2019 Australian made Greys (old photos, sold this one years ago and probably should have kept it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvage Sailor Posted October 12, 2019 Share #127 Posted October 12, 2019 USN button up trousers, 1944 Naval Clothing Factory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanmc1114 Posted October 22, 2019 Share #128 Posted October 22, 2019 Participants of the TRIDENT Conference on the lawn of the White House on May 24, 1943. Admiral King can be seen wearing the gray uniform in contrast to the other three American officers all wearing khaki. The photo caption reads: "The president and prime minister with their Combined Chiefs of Staff at the White House on May 24, 1943, the last day of the TRIDENT conference. Standing from left to right: Field Marshal Sir John Dill, the senior British officer stationed in Washington; Lieutenant General Sir Hastings L. “Pug” Ismay, chief of staff to Churchill; Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles F.A. Portal, chief of the British air staff; General Sir Alan Brooke, chief of the Imperial General Staff; Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, the British First Sea Lord; Admiral William D. Leahy, Roosevelt’s chief military adviser; General George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army chief of staff; Admiral Ernest J. King, the U.S. chief of naval operations; Lieutenant General Joseph T. McNarney, an Army Air Forces pilot who served as Marshall’s deputy chief of staff. The senior AAF commander, General H.H. “Hap” Arnold, spent the conference in the hospital for treatment of a heart condition.” Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King arriving at his headquarters for the Potsdam Conference - July 15, 1945. Those rank boards he is wearing would have to be among the rarest of rare, I would think. The staff officers of Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, U. S. Navy, ascend steps to their quarters near the "Little White House" (residence of President Harry S. Truman during the Potsdam Conference) in Babelsburg, Germany. Left front, Vice Admiral G. M. Cooke, Jr. Chief of Staff for Cominch; right front, Rear Admiral H. L. Naples of the Military Mission to Moscow; left rear, Captain A. S. McDill, aide-de-camp to Cominch; and right rear, Commander E. J. Gough, Medical Corps, U. S. Naval Reserve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Minton Posted October 22, 2019 Share #129 Posted October 22, 2019 Interesting that in the previous two photos all of the officers are wearing gold chin straps on their combination covers, rather than black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw83071 Posted October 22, 2019 Share #130 Posted October 22, 2019 This topic is great. I am fascinated by King and am currently reading master of Sea Power. Very complex man. I really like the gray uniform. It is amazing how many people have no knowledge of this uniform. Anyway below is a pair of Ensign shoulder boards I recently purchased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanmc1114 Posted October 22, 2019 Share #131 Posted October 22, 2019 Admiral Ernest J. King (CNO/COMINCH), center, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (CINPAC-POA), left, and Admiral William F. Halsey (COMSOPACFOR), right, at CINPAC HQ, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 28 September 1943, when King held conferences there. I don't have any details on when or where this was taken. Admirals Raymond Spruance, Ernest King and Chester Nimitz and Army General Sanderford Jarmon somewhere in the Pacific. Note Admiral King is wearing his Naval Aviator wings on his pocket flap. Video footage of Admiral King wearing his gray uniform along with General Marshall https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/navy-admiral-ernest-j-king-general-of-army-george-c-news-footage/509674979 Video footage from the Quebec Conference shows Admiral William D. Leahy wearing the gray uniform https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/allied-military-leaders-sitting-around-table-talking-us-news-footage/815012352?adppopup=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Minton Posted October 22, 2019 Share #132 Posted October 22, 2019 Some less common gray shoulder boards. From left to right: US Public Health Service Unknown (possible manufacturing sample with NNC corps insignia) Navy Nurse Corps Medical Corps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted October 22, 2019 Share #133 Posted October 22, 2019 Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King arriving at his headquarters for the Potsdam Conference - July 15, 1945. Those rank boards he is wearing would have to be among the rarest of rare, I would think. Interesting that there are no "scrambled eggs" on the visor of his hat. I could understand if the hat badge and chinstrap were black, but they're the bright normal finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin B. Posted October 22, 2019 Share #134 Posted October 22, 2019 Interesting that in the previous two photos all of the officers are wearing gold chin straps on their combination covers, rather than black. You had to have a gold chinstrap for blues and whites and could also wear it with khakis and grays, so the black chinstrap was an extra purchase that never really caught on. Interesting that there are no "scrambled eggs" on the visor of his hat. I could understand if the hat badge and chinstrap were black, but they're the bright normal finish. If King had got his way, gold chinstraps and scrambled eggs would have been worn on dress uniforms only, but he had to back down and they became optional for working uniforms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw83071 Posted October 22, 2019 Share #135 Posted October 22, 2019 King's garrison cap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin B. Posted October 23, 2019 Share #136 Posted October 23, 2019 One Hospital Corps officer in gray, one in khaki, NAS New Orleans, 1945. https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/80-G-K-05000/80-G-K-5310.html Commander John H. Balch, USNR during World War II. During World War I, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in action at Vierzy, France on 19 July 1918 and at Somme-Py, France on 5 October 1918. He served with the Third Battalion, Sixth Regiment Marines. A smattering of grays, including Admiral Mitscher, in the ComEighthFlt staff, 1946. A bit of a surprise, Adm. Leahy in grays and King in blues at the Quebec Conference, August 1943. RN admirals in whites, RCN in blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvage Sailor Posted February 16, 2020 Share #137 Posted February 16, 2020 USN GREYS - Manufacturers, Distributors and Tailors labels montage from Uniforms in my collection. PORTLITE UNIFORM HASPELL NEW ORLEANS HASTINGS CALIFORNIA & HASPEL NEW ORLEANS (Distributors) BROWNING KING NEW YORK JOHN WANAMAKER SHULMAN & CO. NORFOLK VA THE HALLE BROS. CO CLOTHCRAFT - (under contract by) THE JOSEPH & FLEISS CO. NAVAL UNIFORM SERVICE, U.S. NAVY (also by the NAVAL CLOTHING FACTORY) L. LEWIS & SON NEW YORK FRANK COHEN NEWPORT R.I. JACOB REED'S SONS PHILADELPHIA JACKSON-RAYMOND SANFORD SHIRT CO. BALTIMORE, MD KUPPENHEIMER, GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS MURDOCH'S SYDNEY AUSTRALIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvage Sailor Posted February 16, 2020 Share #138 Posted February 16, 2020 USS Wyoming (Battleship # 32, later BB-32 and AG-17), 1912-1947 Under the terms of the 1930 London Treaty, Wyoming was "demilitarized" in early 1931, becoming a training ship, with the new hull number AG-17. With half of her twelve-inch guns removed, she served in that function for the rest of the decade, and beyond, making midshipmen cruises across the Atlantic on several occasions. She also took part in a number of amphibious landing exercises, providing experience that would be vital to the Navy and Marine Corps during the 1940s. In November 1941, with formal U.S. participation in the Second World War clearly in the offing, Wyoming took on the mission of training thousands of sailors in the art and science of gunnery. Throughout the war, she operated in the Chesapeake Bay area, reportedly firing off more ammunition than any other U.S. Navy ship. Wyoming's remaining big guns were replaced with more five-inch and smaller weapons in early 1944, reflecting an increasing emphasis on anti-aircraft requirements. In July 1945 she became an experimental gunnery ship with what soon became the Operational Development Force, serving in that capacity until August 1947, when she decommissioned and handed the function over to USS Mississippi (AG-128). USS Wyoming was sold for scrapping in October 1947. Photo #: 80-G-334378 USS Wyoming (AG-17) Chief Gunner's Mate Eugene Metzel, USN, who has served 24 years on board Wyoming, looks at the bronze plaque commemorating her First World War service with the Grand Fleet. Photographed in 1945. Chief Metzel is wearing the World War II era service dress grey uniform. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvage Sailor Posted February 16, 2020 Share #139 Posted February 16, 2020 USN Stewards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvage Sailor Posted February 17, 2020 Share #140 Posted February 17, 2020 Newly discovered in my "what the heck is this" photo collection. Skipper of the crash boat at NAS St. Simons, GA April 30th, 1944 in USN Greys with the proper black hat chinstrap and buttons, but wearing a gold eagle Full photograph - Rescue Boat Crew, NAS St. Simons GA 1944 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29navy Posted February 17, 2020 Share #141 Posted February 17, 2020 Newly discovered in my "what the heck is this" photo collection. Skipper of the crash boat at NAS St. Simons, GA April 30th, 1944 in USN Greys with the proper black hat chinstrap and buttons, but wearing a gold eagle Not sure of what you mean by gold eagle. The Officer crest on the gray hat is supposed to be the standard crest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sigsaye Posted February 17, 2020 Share #142 Posted February 17, 2020 Not sure of what you mean by gold eagle. The Officer crest on the gray hat is supposed to be the standard crest.. No, theRegulation hat crests got both officers and CPOs were Blackened. But, most didnt bother, or couldnt get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin B. Posted February 17, 2020 Share #143 Posted February 17, 2020 Black cap badges may have been proposed at some point, but they never got approval; the standard "bright" cap badges were regulation for gray working. An official Navy Department photo of the new accessories: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pararaftanr2 Posted February 17, 2020 Share #144 Posted February 17, 2020 Black cap badges may have been proposed at some point, but they never got approval; the standard "bright" cap badges were regulation for gray working. An official Navy Department photo of the new accessories: gray_cap_boards.jpg Not sure of your source for that information, but they did exist, and were probably worn by some regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sigsaye Posted February 17, 2020 Share #145 Posted February 17, 2020 I remember seeing photos of the darkened cap devices. I dont think they were all that common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin B. Posted February 17, 2020 Share #146 Posted February 17, 2020 Not sure of your source for that information, but they did exist, and were probably worn by some regardless. I know they existed, but I have never seen a contemporary photo of anyone wearing one. As for the source, a black cap badge never appears to my knowledge in regulations or orders 1941-1951. Obviously I can't cite the absence of a reference, but I can say for sure that a black cap badge does not appear in BuPers JJ55-3 16 Apr 1943, "Officers' Working Uniform -- Changes in" which announced the change from khaki to gray. No mention of a black cap badge in Navy Department Bulletin R-1126 08 Jun 1943, which added the black chin strap and deleted scrambled egg for "other than formal occasions." No mention in SecNav circular letter of 02 Jul 1943 which made black chinstraps and scrambled egg optional. No mention in BuPers circular letter 153-43, 08 Nov 1943 which added the gray uniform description to the Uniform Regulations, which reads under "11-32 Caps, Working Uniform (for all officers and chief petty officers)": These items shall be designed to conform to combination cap (blue and white) and the garrison cap as prescribed for commissioned, warrant and chief petty officers, except that the cloth top of the former and the cloth of the latter shall be of the same color as the uniform. If anyone has an official reference for authorization of a black cap badge I would be happy to see it, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Minton Posted February 17, 2020 Share #147 Posted February 17, 2020 Not sure of your source for that information, but they did exist, and were probably worn by some regardless. Question: is the eagle blackened, or just heavily tarnished? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pararaftanr2 Posted February 17, 2020 Share #148 Posted February 17, 2020 There is zero tarnishing. It appears to be a conventional silver and gold colored insignia that was darkened. I don't know what process would have been used to achieve this, but it is not paint, or tarnish. More likely a chemical process, or plating, I'd think. On the reverse side, you can see the original color of the metal in small areas, as shown in the photos. The resulting color is a very, very dark gray, not black. This came with the black cap braid and black buttons. I do not see a manufacturer's mark on the reverse. Reverse side: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jweitkamp Posted February 18, 2020 Share #149 Posted February 18, 2020 The darkened insignia for both officers and CPO’s were used on forest green uniforms by naval personnel attached to USMC formations, primarily (but not limited to ) medical corps members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pararaftanr2 Posted February 18, 2020 Share #150 Posted February 18, 2020 The darkened insignia for both officers and CPO’s were used on forest green uniforms by naval personnel attached to USMC formations, primarily (but not limited to ) medical corps members. The insignia you describe were "bronze" colored, not darkened, or black, as intended for the gray uniform. They are not interchangeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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