Official US Navy Tiara (Females)

[Bob Hudson]

Fess up...you spent a good ten minutes sporting that thing in front of a mirror...

 

My wife did.....

 

We've since sold it to someone who had an urgent need for it and asked for express shipping.

[Justin B.]

Certainly not a very practical item, but it's nice to see something with that kind of embroidery work in this day and age.

 

Which reminds me, Dave (you know about all the obscure stuff) or anyone who knows: I think the embroidered combination cap device is still authorized, but are there any die-hards or individualists who still wear one?

 

Thanks,

Justin B.

[Dave]

Certainly not a very practical item, but it's nice to see something with that kind of embroidery work in this day and age.

 

Which reminds me, Dave (you know about all the obscure stuff) or anyone who knows: I think the embroidered combination cap device is still authorized, but are there any die-hards or individualists who still wear one?

 

Thanks,

Justin B.

 

I used to wear an embroidered hat device, but I wasn't really pleased with how it looked after a while. I did have a really nice "minty" WW2 one that I had on the hat I never wore, but I sold it and the hat when I got out of the Navy.

 

I was happier wearing a heavy sterling and gold WW2 vintage hat device...that was good enough to warrant quite a bit of attention.

 

Dave

[67Rally]

I was happier wearing a heavy sterling and gold WW2 vintage hat device...that was good enough to warrant quite a bit of attention.

 

Dave

 

I bet that cover never got out of your sight.

 

My brother-in-law's mounted medals were stolen from his dress blue jacket as it hung in the wardroom of his ship. Never recovered.

 

 

Thieves abound in today's navy.

[Dave]

I bet that cover never got out of your sight.

 

My brother-in-law's mounted medals were stolen from his dress blue jacket as it hung in the wardroom of his ship. Never recovered.

Thieves abound in today's navy.

 

No, I was on a small enough ship where people typically didn't do that. I did have a carpet stolen on the way back from the Gulf one time and the XO threatened to cancel liberty for everyone in Hong Kong until it was recovered. Needless to say, it "magically" appeared about an hour later (and it now sits rolled up in my garage...)

 

No one ever messed with any officer uniforms that I ever encountered...the only thing I ever ran into was the people on my first ship who tried to throw my ship's ballcap away. I was trying to get it to last my full tour and was...ahem..."salty". I just couldn't leave it out of my sight...I had to retrieve it from several trashcans during my time onboard though! Luckily, no one tossed it overboard and I still have it...and it's still salty. Otherwise, when I'd leave something like a jacket or coffee cup where it shouldn't be, my Sailors would often drop it off at my stateroom, or give me a call to tell me to come get it. I'd do the same for them, so it all worked out pretty well.

[Justin B.]

I used to wear an embroidered hat device, but I wasn't really pleased with how it looked after a while. I did have a really nice "minty" WW2 one that I had on the hat I never wore, but I sold it and the hat when I got out of the Navy.

 

I was happier wearing a heavy sterling and gold WW2 vintage hat device...that was good enough to warrant quite a bit of attention.

 

Nice, there are some beauties like that. Thanks, Dave!

 

Justin B.

[Bob Hudson]

It was ten years ago this month that the tiara showed up. A google search for US NAVY TIARA brings up the photo of my wife wearing it. Yesterday we found another one at an estate sale. My sister modeled this one.

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

The first one is on a blog post from ten years ago and I used to get at least one call year from female officers who wanted to buy it. 

[Justin B.]

It looks like the tiara met its official demise 01 Oct 2016, along with the boat cloak/cape:

https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents2/NAV2015/NAV15208.txt

 

"The infrequent use, procurement and low demand requirements of these items precipitated the decision to delete their use as Navy uniform components."

[Dave]

4 minutes ago, Justin B. said:

It looks like the tiara met its official demise 01 Oct 2016, along with the boat cloak/cape:

https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents2/NAV2015/NAV15208.txt

 

"The infrequent use, procurement and low demand requirements of these items precipitated the decision to delete their use as Navy uniform components."

 

Agh! They got rid of the boat cloak too? Dang...I always wanted one (though I never saw anyone wear one, nor did I know of where to buy one, save for a vintage one). 

[Bob Hudson]

2 hours ago, Dave said:

nor did I know of where to buy one

 

"Cloaks R US?" I used to find them in Coronado every so often but it's been a while. I once I found a Marine senior NCO cape! For those who don't know about Navy Department capes - "boat cloaks" - click the little arrow:

 

 

 

[P-40Warhawk]

Too bad they got rid of it, I can't imagine it being required for anything but the more formal of functions. That said it is an interesting piece of military headwear!

[sigsaye]

12 hours ago, P-40Warhawk said:

Too bad they got rid of it, I can't imagine it being required for anything but the more formal of functions. That said it is an interesting piece of military headwear!

The only thing the tiara was for was the Dinner Dress uniform.   My sister really wanted one when she made Chief. I’ll have to ask her if she actually got one. 

[Brig]

This monstrosity has been reintroduced into the Navy regs during the recent uniform board.

[sigsaye]

3 hours ago, Brig said:

This monstrosity has been reintroduced into the Navy regs during the recent uniform board.

My sister is retiring in June, (Master Chief).  She’s ordering one for her retirement they’re also bringing back the old style female “Bucket hat”. Of all the female Chiefs I know, none like the female version of the “Combination Cap”. They all prefer the old hat. 

[Brig]

6 hours ago, sigsaye said:

My sister is retiring in June, (Master Chief).  She’s ordering one for her retirement they’re also bringing back the old style female “Bucket hat”. Of all the female Chiefs I know, none like the female version of the “Combination Cap”. They all prefer the old hat. 

 

Because the decision-makers didn't give a sh*t what the troops actually thought, they made decisions based on gender neutrality in an attempt to appease the political flavor of the week.

 

Female Marines also overwhelmingly dislike wearing the male cover and male style blouse

[Father V]

Here’s the official fact sheet regarding Feb 2024 changes. Not yet on the app.

Fact_Sheet_NAV_031_24.pdf

For those who prefer instant gratification:

The official version:

NAV24031.txt
Source: https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Messages/NAVADMIN/NAV2024/NAV24031.txt?ver=MdZk1Rryjsh1saE1hOQezA%3d%3d

 

I believe the chaplain breast insignia is this:

Source: https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/References/US-Navy-Uniforms/Uniform-Regulations/Chapter-5/5201-Breast-Insignia/#Surface Chaplain Officer Qualification Insignia

The W-1 cap badge was a complication of the revival of W-1’s after being mostly dormant since the 1975 (last actual W-1’s 1995). This was apparently the classic crossed anchors, displayed prominently in Tom Hanks’ Greyhound movie.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/12/12/navy-appoints-first-w-1-officers-in-four-decades-whats-next/. That’s all history now.

[Brig]

No surprises there...roughly 90% of uniform board decisions across the services for the past 10 years have applied only to females

[Sir Plus]

I just got my hands on a navy tiara, admiral rank I believe. When did tiara's become uniform, WW2 or later?  The one I got also came with a Class A hat, see pics

[Justin B.]

It was introduced as the "headdress" and described as a "diadem" in the uniform regulations of 1951. It did not have ornamentation for senior ranks. It was worn with the "evening dress" uniform, equivalent to civilian white tie and tails, and not with dinner/mess uniforms, equivalent to black tie/tuxedo. Until 1963 women's dinner dress uniforms were variants of their service dress uniforms.

In 1963 the item was re-named the "tiara" and oak leaf ornamentation was added for commanders and above (change No. 2 to 1959 Uniform Regulations, 25 Jan 1963). In April 1964 the tiara was authorized for wear with dinner dress as well as evening dress (as above). In 1981 additional oak leaf ornamentation was authorized on the combination cap for women flag officers, but the description of the ornamentation for the senior officers’ tiara remained the same, so it is hard to say definitively that it belonged to a flag officer. As far as I can tell, the pattern of oak leaf embroidery on the tiara has never been illustrated in detail in USN uniform regulations.

Also authorized in 1981 and no doubt even more rare was a tiara for chief petty officers.

[Dave]

9 hours ago, Sir Plus said:

I just got my hands on a navy tiara, admiral rank I believe. When did tiara's become uniform, WW2 or later?  The one I got also came with a Class A hat, see pics

 

 

 

 

Those are some beautiful pieces! I know you'd find a ready buyer (maybe even buyers) for those now that they're back in regulation.