Is this an actual navy cap or not? Cold War ball cap patches

[yellowhammer history]

Saw this at a trift store and was wondering if it was actually a navy cap or something a veteran would wear?  I'm not sure about this one since it is 5.11 tactical. 

[Father V]

It appears to be the type worn while underway, not a veteran thing, though of course veterans can wear them if they wish.

[sigsaye]

10 hours ago, yellowhammer history said:

Saw this at a trift store and was wondering if it was actually a navy cap or something a veteran would wear?  I'm not sure about this one since it is 5.11 tactical. 

Ships ball caps, are NOT, an “Issue” item. The Navy authorizes commands to wear them. This means that each command, separately contracts them. They have specific guidelines (color, what’s allowed on them etc), but the commands have some latitude. I’ve had them plain , with images of the ship, ships logo, squadron logo, alligators for Amphibs, rates, what ever. Many commands give you your first one, when you check in. After that, you buy them in the ships store.   They also sell them in Navy Exchanges for assorted ships, I got my uncle a USS Pennsylvania cap once. But, yeah, doesn’t matter the label, it’s a standard cap. 

[yellowhammer history]

13 hours ago, sigsaye said:

Ships ball caps, are NOT, an “Issue” item. The Navy authorizes commands to wear them. This means that each command, separately contracts them. They have specific guidelines (color, what’s allowed on them etc), but the commands have some latitude. I’ve had them plain , with images of the ship, ships logo, squadron logo, alligators for Amphibs, rates, what ever. Many commands give you your first one, when you check in. After that, you buy them in the ships store.   They also sell them in Navy Exchanges for assorted ships, I got my uncle a USS Pennsylvania cap once. But, yeah, doesn’t matter the label, it’s a standard cap. 

I understand, I guess maybe a better way to put it is I'm trying to figure out if it might have been worn on the ship or something made later like the veteran caps that are around If that makes sense. In this case I looked up the submarine and it seems that it was decommissioned in 1995 but 5.11 tactical started in 2003 so It seems it was made after the submarine was decommissioned. 

[sigsaye]

10 hours ago, yellowhammer history said:

I understand, I guess maybe a better way to put it is I'm trying to figure out if it might have been worn on the ship or something made later like the veteran caps that are around If that makes sense. In this case I looked up the submarine and it seems that it was decommissioned in 1995 but 5.11 tactical started in 2003 so It seems it was made after the submarine was decommissioned. 

There you go. It’s the same as those worn on the ships, but, you’re right, souvenir. 

[blitz67]

I remember after 911 the Coast Guard did away with all unit ball caps, making us wear the standard Coast Guard ball cap which was a poorly designed ugly generic ball cap. It was a sign that the good times were ending and the beginning of the New World order was at hand, retirement day was the best day of my life. 

[sigsaye]

51 minutes ago, blitz67 said:

I remember after 911 the Coast Guard did away with all unit ball caps, making us wear the standard Coast Guard ball cap which was a poorly designed ugly generic ball cap. It was a sign that the good times were ending and the beginning of the New World order was at hand, retirement day was the best day of my life. 

When I first enlisted, my first ship still had the sized caps, rather than the adjustable ones. They were a wool flannel or something like that. My next ship had the adjustable that felt like plastic. I never liked ball caps so much. 

[Salvage Sailor]

On 4/2/2026 at 5:15 AM, sigsaye said:

When I first enlisted, my first ship still had the sized caps, rather than the adjustable ones. They were a wool flannel or something like that. My next ship had the adjustable that felt like plastic. I never liked ball caps so much. 

 

Aye,  They were sized ballcaps, not the adjustable 'snap-back' band ball caps.  Also, they were not fully embroidered but had a 'ball cap patch' sewn or ironed onto them.  The ballcap patches were sold aboard in the ships' store, purchased with the crews' welfare funds by the storekeeper for sale to the crew.  Snap backs came along around 1980 and onward.

 

Like these from one of my ships...

 

 

 

...and these from another of my ships, sold in the ships' store

 

 

 

 

More DDG examples, 1960's - 1980's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battleships (1980's)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aircraft Carriers

 

 

 

Navy Bicentennial 1775-1975

 

 

 

 

 

Cruisers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auxilliaries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorites, the 'Hot Potato' Salesman sample with the manufacturers instructions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submarine Rescue (ASR)

 

 

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

Destroyers & Frigates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gators

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minesweepers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shore Commands (NAVSTA, NSGA, COMM, etc)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAVOCEANO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hydrofoils 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have more but that's enough...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

...and for enquiring minds

 

A topic started by Bearmon on Ball Cap size patches -->>  REALLY small PATCHES - Ball Cap size

[yellowhammer history]

9 hours ago, Salvage Sailor said:

 

Aye,  They were sized ballcaps, not the adjustable 'snap-back' band ball caps.  Also, they were not fully embroidered but had a 'ball cap patch' sewn or ironed onto them.  The ballcap patches were sold aboard in the ships' store, purchased with the crews' welfare funds by the storekeeper for sale to the crew.

 

Like these from one of my ships...

 

 

 

...and these from another of my ships, sold in the ships' store

 

 

 

 

More DDG examples, 1960's - 1980's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battleships (1980's)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aircraft Carriers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruisers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auxilliaries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorites, the 'Hot Potato' Salesman sample with the manufacturers instructions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submarine Rescue (ASR)

 

 

 

 

So were caps that were embroidered used?

[Salvage Sailor]

Yes indeed, special made to order.

 

If you're interested in the different types of ballcaps by era I'd suggest that you peruse old cruise books, especially the aviation squadrons and commands.

 

Best place to view them is here -->> US Navy Cruise Books - The largest online collection of freely accessible US Navy Cruise Books

[Dave]

One interesting thing about hats is that they often indicated the "generations" on the ship by the style of the hat. All of my ships had hat designs that changed during my tours. It wasn't intentional...I think SUPPO just bought what they liked. But it ended up with hats that showed who was "old" and who was "new" onboard based on the design. We even had occasions where someone wore a hand-me-down "old style" hat and were made to change to a new style... "they didn't deserve to wear it". 

Good times...  

 

An old photo, but some of mine...

[sigsaye]

I’d forgotten that they had the patches on the front. I have a couple of those too somewhere. This is the only cap I held onto. 

[yellowhammer history]

Here's the two I have.

[Salvage Sailor]

Those are both Veteran's ballcaps, the Iwo Jima patch is made in China.  A period one would have the ship in a broadside view.  Most period USN ballcaps had no ship depicted, only the name and hull number and sometimes the rank.  A typical cap patch would have no rank and the 'crow' insignia would be attached to the cap patch.  (see photos below)

 

 

USS IWO JIMA (LPH-2) Examples

 

1969

 

1975

 

1985

1985

1985

1985

 

The Texas ball cap is a veterans reunion memento, USS TEXAS (CGN-39) in commission 1977 to 1993

 

 

USS TEXAS (CGN-39)

Circa 1985

1985

 

Following are all 1988, note the 'Long Horns' on the back of the caps

 

 

 

With Long Horns

 

[yellowhammer history]

2 hours ago, Salvage Sailor said:

Those are both Veteran's ballcaps, the Iwo Jima patch is made in China.  A period one would have the ship in a broadside view.  Most period USN ballcaps had no ship depicted, only the name and hull number and sometimes the rank.  A typical cap patch would have no rank and the 'crow' insignia would be attached to the cap patch.  (see photos below)

 

 

USS IWO JIMA (LPH-2) Examples

 

1969

 

1975

 

1985

1985

1985

1985

 

The Texas ball cap is a veterans reunion memento, USS TEXAS (CGN-39) in commission 1977 to 1993

 

 

USS TEXAS (CGN-39)

Circa 1985

1985

 

Following are all 1988, note the 'Long Horns' on the back of the caps

 

 

 

With Long Horns

 

I did post the USS Texas cap here https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/417171-question-about-this-cap/ it says decomm on the back. The iwo Jima cap was given to me by a veteran who said that that was the last ship he served on. Both caps say made in USA. So I don't know? I would think it was real?

[Salvage Sailor]

I stand corrected,

I did not see your previous post which showed the back side with the Long Horns.

 

The TEXAS cap could very well be a decommissioning ball cap but it could be from a later reunion for shipmates.  I have one from the BOLSTER which I got at a reunion long after I was aboard her.