US Navy uniform - Shipfitter, Molder or Metalsmith

[MattOravik]

I picked this up at an out of the way antique shop the other day. I'm guessing it's a WWII uniform for a shipfitter 1st class? Includes 1 top, 2 pair pants, 1 hat, 2 scarves. Everything is named except the one pair of pants. They're unissued and it looks like he never got around to wearing them. He didn't mark his name in them like the other pair and they still have the tags.

 

-Matt.

[cbuehler]

Nice uniform for 1st class PO with 4 or more years of service as well. Its a shame that few people seem to care about Navy uniforms and equipment,

but at least it keeps something affordable!

I find it amazing at how small most Navy guys were in ww2. Finding a jumper over a size 36 is very difficult, although they were tailored to fit very tight.

 

CB

[dpcsdan]

Nice.

During the WWII period, this speciality mark was worn for three different ratings: Shipfitter, Molder, and Metalsmith.

[Lee Ragan]

Get that swabbie squared away! Tie that neckerchief in a square knot.

I also feel like the Navy (& Coast Guard), stuff is not appreciated enough. Thanks for sharing this one.

[MattOravik]

Haha I figured you guys would laugh at the way I had the neckerchief on there. I wasn't sure how it was supposed to be tied. The uniform needs to be cleaned, there is alot of lint on it.

 

I like collecting Navy stuff to but my problem is I know little about it and have no books to guide me.

 

-Matt.

[cpatrick]

A also agree about how underappreciated the navy stuff is! Ask any sailor who took part during the Battle of the Coral Sea, or who hunted U-Boats - it was often every bit as action packed as Utah Beach on June 6. I buy it whenever I "sea" it. (I'm so lame!)

 

Another interesting observation is that many WWII navy uniforms are found in horrible shape - especially those "Summer Whites"!!

 

Chris

[cbuehler]

One of the reasons the whites are found in rather salty condition is that they got a lot of washing and pressing in use. You could only wear them for a day or two in some instances before having to wash them again. And they were scrubbed hard!

Also, whites tend to get yellowed with age, especially if they were not rinsed thoroughly to get all soap residue out.

The whites are not nearly as commonly found as the blues either. I seem to see 3 or 4 blue uniforms for every 1 set of whites around.

 

CB

[dpcsdan]

Get that swabbie squared away! Tie that neckerchief in a square knot.

I also feel like the Navy (& Coast Guard), stuff is not appreciated enough. Thanks for sharing this one.

 

Like Lee, I should have caught the neckerchief... ;-) and, like CB says, you see way less USN white uniforms for sale or in collections. In addition, white rating badges are less desirable to collectors than "blue" rating badges. The exception to this rule appears to be the pre-1913 rating badges.