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Study: USN WWII Gray Uniforms 1943-1949

Featured Replies

#401
15 hours ago, sigsaye said:

I still would have only counted for 1 stripe. I think some one has the dates incorrect 


I have the dates correct. I was however, incorrect...he served on Five surface ships (I forgot about his Holland tours and and the Procyon).
 

  • USS Alert (AS-4) Dec 30, 1915 - Oct 20, 1917
  • USS K-7 Feb 1, 1918 - Nov 14, 1918
  • U.S. Submarine Base, San Pedro December 31, 1918 - February 15, 1919
  • USS Alert (AS-4) March 31, 1919 - August 22, 1919
  • USS H-3 June 1, 1920 - September 2, 1922
  • USS O-11 September 30, 1922 - December 15, 1922
  • USS O-16 December 15, 1922 - September 30, 1923
  • USS O-7 November 2, 1923 - April 7, 1924
  • USS Camden (AS-6) April 28, 1924 - June 12, 1926
  • USS S-49 August 2, 1926 - November 8, 1926
  • USS California (BB-44) January 11, 1927 - May 24, 1927
  • Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, RI May 24, 1927 - October 25, 1927 Course of Instruction, Torpedo School
  • USS Procyon (AG-11) October 31, 1927 - December 1, 1927
  • USS S-24 December 3, 1927 - June 12, 1928
  • USS R-14 June 12, 1928 - October 6, 1928
  • USS Holland (AS-3) October 23, 1928 - October 27, 1928
  • USS S-28  October 27, 1928 - February 23, 1929
  • U.S. Submarine Base, Coco Solo, C.Z. February 23, 1929 - March 2, 1929
  • USS S-15 March 2, 1929 - April 8, 1929
  • Receiving Ship, San Francisco, CA April 19, 1929 - May 4, 1929
  • USS S-26 May 4, 1929 - August 19, 1929
  • U.S. Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, T.H. November 21, 1930 - February 16, 1931
  • USS S-19 February 16, 1931 - April 5, 1933
  • USS S-1 April 5, 1933 - December 1, 1933
  • U.S. Submarine Base December 1, 1933 - October 20, 1934
  • USS Bushnell October 20, 1934 - December 4, 1934
  • Receiving ship, San Diego, CA December 4, 1934 Transferred to Fleet Reserve

 

  • U.S. Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, T.H. August 5, 1940 Recalled to active duty
  • USS Pompano (SS-181) August 10, 1940 - February 9, 1941
  • U.S. Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, T.H. February 9, 1941 -January 3, 1945
  • USS Holland (AS-3) June 6, 1945 Transferred to Fleet Reserve
#402
3 hours ago, 67Rally said:


I have the dates correct. I was however, incorrect...he served on Five surface ships (I forgot about his Holland tours and and the Procyon).
 

  • USS Alert (AS-4) Dec 30, 1915 - Oct 20, 1917
  • USS K-7 Feb 1, 1918 - Nov 14, 1918
  • U.S. Submarine Base, San Pedro December 31, 1918 - February 15, 1919
  • USS Alert (AS-4) March 31, 1919 - August 22, 1919
  • USS H-3 June 1, 1920 - September 2, 1922
  • USS O-11 September 30, 1922 - December 15, 1922
  • USS O-16 December 15, 1922 - September 30, 1923
  • USS O-7 November 2, 1923 - April 7, 1924
  • USS Camden (AS-6) April 28, 1924 - June 12, 1926
  • USS S-49 August 2, 1926 - November 8, 1926
  • USS California (BB-44) January 11, 1927 - May 24, 1927
  • Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, RI May 24, 1927 - October 25, 1927 Course of Instruction, Torpedo School
  • USS Procyon (AG-11) October 31, 1927 - December 1, 1927
  • USS S-24 December 3, 1927 - June 12, 1928
  • USS R-14 June 12, 1928 - October 6, 1928
  • USS Holland (AS-3) October 23, 1928 - October 27, 1928
  • USS S-28  October 27, 1928 - February 23, 1929
  • U.S. Submarine Base, Coco Solo, C.Z. February 23, 1929 - March 2, 1929
  • USS S-15 March 2, 1929 - April 8, 1929
  • Receiving Ship, San Francisco, CA April 19, 1929 - May 4, 1929
  • USS S-26 May 4, 1929 - August 19, 1929
  • U.S. Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, T.H. November 21, 1930 - February 16, 1931
  • USS S-19 February 16, 1931 - April 5, 1933
  • USS S-1 April 5, 1933 - December 1, 1933
  • U.S. Submarine Base December 1, 1933 - October 20, 1934
  • USS Bushnell October 20, 1934 - December 4, 1934
  • Receiving ship, San Diego, CA December 4, 1934 Transferred to Fleet Reserve

 

  • U.S. Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, T.H. August 5, 1940 Recalled to active duty
  • USS Pompano (SS-181) August 10, 1940 - February 9, 1941
  • U.S. Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, T.H. February 9, 1941 -January 3, 1945
  • USS Holland (AS-3) June 6, 1945 Transferred to Fleet Reserve

You are correct, I mis counted the stripes. They reflect actual active service for 24 years. 

  • 1 month later...
#403

Antique store find in Portland , OR yesterday. Slate gray with CPO M.O. (Motor Machinist Mate) Crow with a gray backed ruptured duck. Unfortunately there are no service hash marks on the sleeves. I don’t see these very often so I picked it up. 

IMG_8193.jpeg

IMG_8194.jpeg

#404

Assuming you don’t mean a service stripe was removed:

It was common for technically proficient civilians to go directly into the Navy as a CPO in order to have more authority in their role.  So you will find WW2 CPO jackets where the original owner had less than 4 years of service and hence no service stripe.  
Nice WW2  jacket with an obsolete rate    

#405

Nice to see the gray duck, I think this is the first one in the thread.

#406
1 hour ago, Justin B. said:

Nice to see the gray duck, I think this is the first one in the thread.

I missed that.  Really nice - rarely see them. Rare as ducks' teeth.

#407
21 hours ago, easterneagle87 said:

Antique store find in Portland , OR yesterday. Slate gray with CPO M.O. (Motor Machinist Mate) Crow with a gray backed ruptured duck. Unfortunately there are no service hash marks on the sleeves. I don’t see these very often so I picked it up. 

IMG_8193.jpeg

IMG_8194.jpeg

Interesting story about “Slick Sleeve” Chiefs. Direct ascension, was still happening when I was training recruits, Great Lakes, 1985-1990. Normally, it was things like CB ratings, coming in as PO3/2. But, I had one sister company who had a recruit, that upon completion of recruit training, was advanced to MAC (Chief Master At Arms). He had been a police LT, who had been in drug enforcement   His Company Commander, who was a PO2, had to take him to the Exchange, and so he could get his Chiefs uniforms, after graduation. 

#408
2 minutes ago, sigsaye said:

Interesting story about “Slick Sleeve” Chiefs. Direct ascension, was still happening when I was training recruits, Great Lakes, 1985-1990. Normally, it was things like CB ratings, coming in as PO3/2. But, I had one sister company who had a recruit, that upon completion of recruit training, was advanced to MAC (Chief Master At Arms). He had been a police LT, who had been in drug enforcement   His Company Commander, who was a PO2, had to take him to the Exchange, and so he could get his Chiefs uniforms, after graduation. 

Cool term - “slick sleeve chief”.   

#409

Interesting and informative thread.

#410
1 hour ago, KurtA said:

Cool term - “slick sleeve chief”.   

My dad went into the navy in 1947. He and his buddies, over the course of his career, used that term, or “Slick Arm”. Another was “Tojo Chief”. WW2 guys, like my uncle, who would never have made Chief without WW2. My uncle skipped PO1, going from PO2, straight to CPO. Dad worked for a BMC, who had been on the Houston. Captured as a Seaman Second Class, was advanced to Chief upon reenlisting at the end of the war.   He said he was a nice guy, didn’t know anything, but a nice guy. 

#411

Another example.  Close friend of my parents gave me this for my collection years ago.  He was a physical education major in college.  Joined the Navy to be a pilot, but that didn't work out.  So, he worked as a Physical Training Instructor for the Navy. 

Aviation Cadet, then CPO, then discharged.  Too bad he didn't put a gray duck on his uniform!

 

 

CPO1.jpg

CPO2.jpg

#412

'Slick Arm Chief'

 

ChiefCarpentersMateUnnamed002.jpg.a9794e47484126e72564e32e18b99e16.jpg

 

ChiefCarpentersMateUnnamed003.jpg.a51b31d25d6941592593a3145fc1aa74.jpg

 

...and single hashmark Chiefs...

 

IMG_2696.JPG.5ebd45161e0c574736666485dbd58889.JPG

#413
3 hours ago, Salvage Sailor said:

'Slick Arm Chief'

 

ChiefCarpentersMateUnnamed002.jpg.a9794e47484126e72564e32e18b99e16.jpg

 

I'd lay odds that one was a Seabee CCM.

#414
On 2/27/2024 at 11:56 AM, KurtA said:

Another example.  Close friend of my parents gave me this for my collection years ago.  He was a physical education major in college.  Joined the Navy to be a pilot, but that didn't work out.  So, he worked as a Physical Training Instructor for the Navy. 

Aviation Cadet, then CPO, then discharged.  Too bad he didn't put a gray duck on his uniform!

 

 

CPO1.jpg

CPO2.jpg

 

Great stitch job.  What do they call that, a "chain stitch?"

#415

Yes it is nice stitching.   Not sure what it would be called. 

#416
37 minutes ago, Slobo said:

 

Great stitch job.  What do they call that, a "chain stitch?"

It has a few different identifications. Some call it an X-pattern while others refer to it as a crossing stitch.

Chainstitch three-dimensional for depth and is done with a machine. All of the green seen here is chainstitch.  The soutache is a rolling chain while the stitching in the center is the back side of the lettering - the front of which is on the right.

20220717_192759.jpg

#417

Aye, cross-stitching

 

#418

GeorgeWorsham-06.jpg.7b2f3d5211ed8f1069f00d7b26d36135.jpg

 

George T. Worsham - USMM WWII

Third Officer in greys

  • 2 weeks later...
#419

This was a little unexpected: John Dall as a fugitive lamming in a stolen uniform in the 1950 movie Gun Crazy.

 

gun_crazy_01.png.21c7d7d141bf9653d91092a9574ae489.png

 

gun_crazy_02.png.54c7b21158a00448635921cc5807f5ee.png

#420

another rediscovered treasure

 

WWII Chief Radarman 

 

ChiefRadarmanGreyRate002.JPG.eb17dc488bc110b199a3ac07fb22cad5.JPG

 

ChiefRadarmanGreyRate003.JPG.af191cddf1b3d90b155dcf571ee01396.JPG

 

ChiefRadarmanGreyRate001.JPG.a188161c270dcf62c9dc5fa8a0f6f23b.JPG

 

#421
29 minutes ago, Salvage Sailor said:

another rediscovered treasure

 

WWII Chief Radarman 

 

ChiefRadarmanGreyRate002.JPG.eb17dc488bc110b199a3ac07fb22cad5.JPG

 

ChiefRadarmanGreyRate003.JPG.af191cddf1b3d90b155dcf571ee01396.JPG

 

ChiefRadarmanGreyRate001.JPG.a188161c270dcf62c9dc5fa8a0f6f23b.JPG

 

Sometimes. I think period Hashmarks are the hardest things to find.  

#422

I hit up a fellow collector today at the Sacramento Antique Street Faire. I got a stack of Navy shoulder boards from him that I told him I'd sell for him. When I checked the rest of what was in the lots he'd bought, I got these boards; Still in the cellophane a pair of slate gray Ensign, a MINT boxed set of Wolf Brown, in the cellophane LT and a single LT JG. It is crazy as you start finding one of something, then others come to light.  PS.. the slate gray CPO jacket I found is up for sale on the "bay"  selling site.  

IMG_8302.jpg

#423

I pulled this out of my collection storage a few days ago. I am looking for a few others that I am certain are still in the collection.

20240305_142357.jpg

20240305_142409.jpg

#424

I don't know who wore this CPO Airship Rigger Rate but it would have been worn on a US Navy gray uniform.

 

IMG_0777.JPG

IMG_0775.JPG

#425

This was posted a few years ago in the Rare Rating Badges thread, but it fits here too I hope. 

Airship Rigger CPO on gray Liona auto correct edit 2-13-21.jpg

Airship Rigger CPO on gray Liona back auto correct edit 2-13-21.jpg

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