Navy Working Uniform: Why Do We Keep Messing With It?
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- Опубліковано 15 січ 2017
- Once again, the Navy has changed the regular Sailors' working uniforms. What worked in the past and what didn't? What are all the different pros and cons? Will woodlands be the great savior? The Salty Seaman breaks it down.
I wore dungarees for 7 years and loved them! The polyester crap that followed them was a safety hazard for the engineering types. If you got up against a steam line the crap would melt and stick to you! The only people I ever heard complaining about dungarees were Yeomen and Operations Specialists!
Yeah who thought polyester was such a good idea.
@@MrBioniclefan1 the same people who thought plastic shoes for dress and NSUs was a good idea. But what do I know? I'm still a boot.
Thank you, Gary.
Ball Bearing waves.
NWU type 1 was meant to hids stains, not for camo
I was in the Navy from 1960-1964. Left as an AE2. Salty Seaman- STFU! Dungarees were fine with me. Never had a wear or tearing problem. Wore them to work on C121G aircraft which included climbing inside the wing fuel tanks crawling through wing spars to replace fuel level sensors and working in greasy oily engine cowling and cargo compartments. The only problem I had was the iron on patches, they wouldn't stay put. I also never had any issue with undress blues, undress whites or dress blues. The problem for the last 30-40 years is the Navy has listened to all the whining instead of telling sailors to STFU and live with it. It is what it is. Oh, and the ball cap and Dixie cup hats were fine too. Loved them.
ad that silly ass garrison cap, i feel like telling anyone wearing them "two with sauerkraut and mustard!"
Jay one of the reasons any military listens to their men and women is an attempt to make their work life a little better for them with things the military can change for them. In the long run soldiers are expensive in the west to train. Often retention is a problem. Making minor changes here and there in the hopes of rention and a slightly better work enviroment is something they should do. Anyhiw the choices in the end are usually made from people at a much higher pay grade then the average soldier so i dont know why you are complaining.
Thank you Jay.
Jay - well said...thank you. Salty semen..STFU 🇺🇲
I got embroidered patches sewn on in PI for a pittance.
I served in the Navy in Guam from 1970 until 1974. I loved the dungarees. In the high humidity of Guam they were very comfortable. I was an AT working on C130 aircraft. Can't remember ever ruining a shirt. One of the main reasons for me joining the Navy was the fact that our uniforms were different from the other branches. If you want to just blend in to join the army. Unique is good.
Every admiral or general has to have his pet project to make his mark on the service after he retires. That's why we keep getting new uniforms, and why every service had to have their own after the BDUs.
Am I the only one who misses the old Dungarees, I wore them as a Sea Cadet before joining the Navy and I was so proud wearing my Dungarees, It had it's issues but I always wore them proud!
The biggest complaint i remember about the Navy's working uniform (dungarees, utilities, NWU) was you could were it just anywhere off base. It was only allowed for "quick stops."
do a battleship gray BDU, simple as that
I like it.
Don't like blending in with the sea? Water is blue. You'll stand out like a confederate in the union.
Don't like getting stained by paint or grease? It can be a color and material that won't stain easily and it it does stain, you won't notice it.
Want comfort and pockets? Then BDUs are just the thing for you
Exactly!
I’m pissed off with the new uniforms. The navy should stand out!
It would be cool if they turned orange if they got wet and back to gray when they dried.
I remember I used to call the Seabees jar heads in hard hats.
You know that there are actual jarheads in hard hats? Right? It's basically the entire 1300 MOS.
Well it makes sense I just mean how Seabees are big dudes and they were camouflage. They look like devil dogs to me the only marines I usually saw were air wing. In the brig I was with almost a whole division of Seabees who were there for crank there were a lot of marines there to one of the guards I remember he had Mt. Suribachi not sure I spelled that right on his badge I know mos means rating.
Hernan Posada It's a bit more broad than ratings. 1371 is a specific MOS, (combat engineer to be exact) equivalent to a rating. 1300 is an MOS field which includes basically all your "dig a ditch" specialties.
Marines with tool boxes. My 8 point cap came with a globe and anchor on it that had to be lightly sanded off. We also had a turnbuckled frame for shaping and starching it.
We were told to use lighter fluid to remove the globe and anchor from our 8 point. I served in the mid 70's with MCB133. If our "greens" we ripped or stained we just turned them in for replacement, no cost to us.
Hugo Boss used to pretty nice military uniforms back in the forties.....
Should I have mentioned the stupid "bell bottoms allow you to take your pants off and use them as a floatation device" argument? Cause a Marine went overboard in the 90s and did the same thing in Cammies. That weren't bell bottom flared. Used his non dungaree pants as a flotation devices and was rescued after a few days in the Gulf.
It's a really dumb argument for an ugly, useless pair of pants. #comeatmebro
We practiced this in 1966 in the pool at San Diego RTC with both the trousers and the shirt!
The Salty Seaman blueberries also have this feature. we practiced this in RTC Great Lakes
Patrick Bass yes I remember that you tie the knot at the end got them wet scoop them up to get air in and they would look like a balloon in the water I could not get the Knack of it they taught us in that indoor pool they had at Great Lakes remember they pushed you in the water and used poles to keep you from getting back out and then you had to jump off that platform so many guys had no idea how to swim thank heavens I was at Great Lakes in the summer
I do have a question. Why is there not some kind of compromise? Keep the BDU cut and fabric which seems to be comfortable good to work in but just go to a solid color scheme like older uniforms to actually make them look a bit more sharp than just a camouflage pattern?
Is that just terrible or something?
The pants weren't bell bottom to use as a flotation device. They were bell bottom so it would be A) easier to get off in the water if you had to go in the drink and B) because traditionally you rolled up your pants when cleaning the deck. Those things were covered ad nauseam in those fabulous classes in boot camp. Did they stop teaching about Naval tradition in boot camp when you were in?
Spot on about the original Dungaree uniform. The chambary shirts ripped easy, all 4 pockets on the jeans were mostly decorative and also ripped away easy when snagged on something (which actually in some instances was a good thing for safety reasons). You mentioned the "Chukka" boot, but didn't elaborate. They were the most UNCOMFORTABLE. There was zero ankle support in them. No one I knew minded the bell bottom look....we were in the navy after all. When underway (on a submarine) we ALL changed into "poopy suits" (coveralls) for convenience....easy to get into when battle stations were manned. The shoes underway were our personal sneakers Most of us had Velcro instead of laces, again if one needed to jump out of their rack and expedite going wherever they needed to be.
I was also a bubblehead and wore poopy suits then black. Only the lifer dogs bothered decorating them with badges. The work boots were called boon-dockers and were the same identical boot worn by the US Postal Service. I didn’t mind the boon-dockers. The stupidest single uniform SNAFU in the late ‘70s was the fact that it took them 5 years to reintroduce the crackerjacks even though the naval honor guard had never stopped wearing them at the Washington navy yard, a mind blowing factoid about the supreme idiocy of the naval bureaucracy. It’s also stupid that the sea services have these totally impractical not to mention stupid looking white uniforms which should all be dyed khaki.
I was a fleet sailor during the 80's - the bell bottoms got caught on EVERYTHING!!!
I'm an ex-PO2, 1971-1975. No one I knew had ripped dungarees. The BMs had a lot of paint on theirs. No one I knew wore issue uniforms after boot camp. Everyone wore Seafarers. Seafarers were tons better than the issue crap.
I did 3 years in East Africa and then became a Plank Owner of USS Nimitz, CVA, then got out the day she sailed.
The seafarers were extremely popular and cheap to replace. During the transition in back to crackerjacks people started wearing the old white hat with the seafarers. In a photo of the crew of the John Marshall in the mid ‘nineties over ten years after I got out I laughed that half the crew was wearing white hats with their seafarers while the other half were wearing command ball caps. Doesn’t the word “uniform” mean everybody dresses the same? But then just to be obnoxious I used to wear dress white crackerjacks to the office at Pearl when the entire crew was wearing salt & peppers in 1978. Although I got away with it I stopped doing that because I’m not really an exhibitionist. But women really liked the crackerjacks.
1. Easily Destroyed Shirt: 1990-1997 - Submariner which did plenty of my time in the bilge painting and cleaning. I also did plenty of time loading torpedoes and performing maintenance on the active sonar in the sail and superstructure. I can remember ONE TIME where I ripped a shirt in the superstructure squeazing past a sound mount to get grease fitting for the 6 inch launchers. Not sure what to say here but not in my experience. As a matter of opinion, the comfortableness of the shirt is the most important aspect of the shirt. The shirt sleave was great during the summer and the long sleeve when paired with the sweater and coat was warm enough. As to painting, my command always and I mean always mandated wearing a painting suit in order to save our clothes. So maybe your command were dumbass's and did not care about your uniform. Nothing to say about that.
2. Dungeree: So your main complaint is the pockets? Hey maybe don't smoke or dip! You would have saved yourself some future cancer and money. If you are going to complain, I would say the bell bottom of the jean was more of an issue. I know for my self that ladders on the sub could eat the bell bottom going down if not paying attention. But I would say since made out of blue jean material, The pants breathed and stretched well which made it comfortable when actually working. So in the end for my self, I had no issues. Only solution would be to make straight legged.
3. Dungeree: Prison uniform....Well you got me there but there was a fix and cost 25 cents. In order to save me money on replacement pants, I used to re-blue my jeans so my chief did not rag me about it. So to answer your question, I say new dungerees are fine but worn look like crap.
4. Utilities....I was not in during that time so no comment.
5. New BDU: I never wore so this all out of my ass. So this is my future complaint. How is this not an easier uniform to rip versus dungerees? It is a blousy uniform which will get hung up on every mount, screw, handle, or piece of equipment on the ship. I can also see certain commands wanting sailors to iron their BDU and have it looking sharp which is difficult to impossible with a blousy uniform.
Summary: In my experience the dungrees were fine. It was cool during the summer. It was easy to layer a sweater and coat in the winter. It lasted a long time in my experience with very little abnormal care. It was economical to replace when needed. It could as needed such as when on shore duty or at training be made more professional by starch and ironing. I not sure what more you want from a uniform. Very rarely does the Navy actually provide a uniform which is comfortable, easy to care, relatively cheap, and with a little effort can be made to look somewhat professional. So in my opinion, dungrees were just fine and just needed updating with maybe higher quality shirt and straight legged pants. Later.
I always thought the we should have gone with the non-camo dark blue BDUs like the Coast Guard has.
Did my bootcamp at Great Lakes in '81, was issued the dark blue utilities (w/medium blue shirt). Then in '82 they fazed them out and went to dungarees w/light blue shirt again...which sucked working in the engine room...could never get rid of the stains.
except for specific jobs (SEAL, See Bees), why not just wear the overalls as the working uniform, its comfortable, practical for industrial environments, which ships basically are, and its blue
its what we use on the subs
Mr Cat *Sea bees
Seabees ,no space.
Seabees.
kk, seabees then, my point still stands
I used to call them "Brady Bunch pants". I wore coveralls WHENEVER possible, haha!
really like hearing about your experiences. thanks for sharing!
I served as a Master-At-Arms from 2010-2014 I wore both the NWU's and the NWU type 3's and I will say that the running joke of the NWU's were Air Force peeps constantly asking if the uniforms turned orange in the water. They were more for blue side Navy because as a base police officer I wore the NWU's however the green side Navy, Seabees and MA's who were attached to a Marine battalion wore the woodlands up until the type 3's came out and then they made the switch. When I deployed after shore duty I was issued the type 3's and one thing I liked about them were that they also issued us frog skin tops to wear out on mission. They were very light weight and breathable (I'm wearing it in my profile pic) and were great for being out in the scorching heat of the 5th fleet.
Looking back I went through this wierd ass phase where I opted for my Utilities over my coveralls while we were, of all places, in the shipyards. Common sense hit me halfway through our stay and I switched full time to coveralls.
you forgot the silly-ass blue/lt blue "woodland pattern" before the digital. that looked like fucking pajamas! thank god, as a "bee i got to wear the green woodland "ute's" which i thought were the best of any of em. and the nylon ones were good in the mississippi heat :)
I was in the Navy from 1991 to 1995. I liked the dungarees, but you are right about them. I liked the fact that they were easy to put on. You could even put them on while wearing shoes.
However, when I was in Millington, we were not allowed to wear them off base because they looked too much like prison clothes. You can imagine how that made us feel.
When i joined the Navy in February 74 the US Navy was transitioning from dungarees to the darker polyester uniforms which I liked, while sailors who were in longer than me wore the dungarees. Two years later and my uniform was discontinued and I started wearing dungarees but didn't like them because they faded from washing them and once they faded I couldn't wear them any longer. Fast forward to 2018 and I think the Navy finally got it right. Takes getting used to though because non CPO's wear a khaki shirt and that really confused me at first.
Go back to the present blue camo pattern but change the colors to overall grey with white and black digital patterns. Use the Sea Bee's pattern for land based assignments?
I’ve thought the same or similar thing but unfortunately that would make too much sense for the navy. I’ve noticed based upon my former neighbor who I grew up with and attended Annapolis that the more sensible officers seem to get out when their 5 year hitch is up. This is why the navy has so many warrant officers and limited duty officers. They can’t hang on to the regular officers. I was a QM2/SS and dropped out of OCS at Newport, RI after just 3 days. I had too much difficulty suppressing my vomit reflex being surrounded as I was by all those officious douche-bags.
Never wore the blueberries, but when they were talking about introducing it right before I retired we were told the patter was supposed to help hide stains.
When I was in this man's navy, I used to wear dungarees and I loved them,
The Salty Seaman I was talking to a 0-3 Lieutenant about a week ago. He worked for the Admiral that was working on the military budget plan some time ago. The reason, he said, why the Navy was going to the Type III is because of the Army. He said, and I am paraphrasing: the army has the majority control over the budgeting, because they're the Army. We, they Navy needed needed some more funding, or something like that, and the Army gave it to us, the Navy, on the stipulation that we change our uniform; something to match theirs. The Navy already had the Type III, and it is to be an easy change (dont have to go through the entire redesign process).
When I was in the Navy in the late 60's and early 70's, the dungarees didn't have those strange pockets that you pointed out, nor were they bell-bottoms. They had pretty much Levi type pockets and stove-pipe legs. The stove-pipe legs allowed for the pants to be removed over your boots and be used as a floatation device.
You missed the mid-70's polyester utilities. Medium blue shirt, available either as button front or pullover and dark blue trousers.
I wouldn't want to wear anything like a BDU on a ship. As I recall, there are spaces that are pretty warm and I'd rather be wearing a lightweight short sleeved shirt than a heavy jacket.
Both the Navy and the Air Force are desperately trying to convince the world that they are cool by having cammo uniforms just like the guys who are actually getting shot at.
Why does an Air Force mechanic need camouflage? Why does a Machinst Mate need camouflage? Coolness, that's all.
I had those pull overs.. They gave them to us in boot... I called them grapes and hated them. They were hot. I don't care what he says about dungarees, I loved them. As a hole snipe, they were comfortable.. Yoemen... He didn't really work so he doesn't really know how great they we.
Gold Winger The only thing I liked about that uniform was the utility jacket. The rest looked like a gas station mechanic.
" Why does an Air Force mechanic need camouflage? " To camouflage the grease stains? Grin.
Why does an Air Force mechanic need camouflage? Answer: Both Iraq and Afghanistan taught the Air Force that their Mechanics need not only repair planes by day but also need to prevent the enemy from breaking them by night. As a result of their experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Air Force has become more expeditionary oriented. Even Air Force Basic Training has come to more closely resemble Army Basic.
Why does a Machinst Mate need camouflage? Answer: Steam powered ships are becoming a thing of the past. Only the Wasp Class LHD's are left and the Navy is retiring them early to get rid of the last steam powered ships. The DDG-51's. LCS, have automated engine rooms. The CG-47's are also being backfitted with all electric auxiliaries and fully automated engine rooms. The first flight DDG-51's, after undergoing smart ship retrofits, had shrunk the crew so much that several crew berthing spaces were converted into crew lounges. With reduced manning and the Navy's new mission of littoral combat, the "Snipe" can find himself manning a gun on deck as is battle station.
Maybe the Navy just has a high ranking guy who is really into fashion and designs all those new uniforms.
Interessting. I served four years in the Federal German Navy and never once a comrade complained about our working Uniform. Everyone loved it because it was comfortable, pratical and looked cool. I did not get how anyone can come up with the idea to put seegoing sailors in camouflage no matter if blue or green.
Just spoke with a Navy Lieutenant at Great Lakes Naval Base when I was there (this past weekend) to talk to him about the new NWU as he was wearing the new green pattern and he likes them. I agree they do look more appealing to me.
As a deck seaman and BM3 on an LST (USS Cayuga LST 1186), our dungarees got trashed constantly. As an Assault Boat Coxswain, I felt that I had a target on my back, and on my front. On my second WestPac the CO made white t-shirts and the tan combat swimmer shorts the working uniform for everyone, which was great. Thanks CDR T.C.W. Witt, for being a much better CO than your predecessor!
I think your timeline might be off. I entered boot camp (Great Mistakes) 10-81. I was issued dungarees. While there, companies that were close to graduation wore utilities. They had switched over just prior, possibly Oct 1 (Gov't New Year). You omitted the combination cap they allowed with the working blues. That looked more professional than those silly "dog bowls". Every movie I can remember regarding the Navy had dungarees in it. Many being so steeped in tradition is why they lasted? Agreed, I never loved those front pockets, but the shirts weren't bad. OK, I was an FTM (later FC) so I never had to deal with ink stains. At sea we were never required to wear other than a T shirt. In the tropics we could even wear shorts. Guess it depends on the command. As of 10-87, newbies were still reporting with dungarees.
I also did boot at the Great Mistakes in 10-81. We ended up with an addition who was kicked all the way back to the beginning of boot from his 8 week (he had really f'd up). He had the utils but because we came in after the start of the new fiscal year we ended up with dungarees; I hated those things my entire time in. The thing that po'd me the most was getting rid of the combo caps for E1-6. Those damnable little doggie dishes they left us with are the most ridiculous things on the planet, especially in (now discontinued) summer and winter working uniform.
Those old utility blues were so damned comfortable. I loved them! Okay, so the pockets were too tight to be of much use. Beyond that, you couldn't ask for a more convenient uniform to work in. I don't care what it reminded people of. It was comfortable and convenient. I don't know how you managed to tear your shirt so much. I worked in Engineering and I hardly ever had to replace my shirts.
just after reporting to a new submarine, after dropping out of OCS, I reported for my interview with the captain sporting a giant creosote stain on my seafarer’s chambray shirt. I got dirty looks from him through the entire interview. Then he asked if I dropped out of officer training because I was a pothead. Being a smart-ass I told him so far as I knew weed was only legal in Alaska [at that time or 1980] and that I ‘d never been there. I think the entire naval obsession with dressing the officers differently from the men is sick. I got the fuck out and became a merchant seaman where in 8 years I never once worked on a ship where we had to wear uniforms. As we used to say: FTN.
When I was in, 1969-1973, the pockets on my dungarees were standard Levi type pockets and the legs were stove-piped not bell bottom. Never ripped a shirt and I worked on aircraft.
Mean the USMCs had the same uniform for 15 years would be cool if the navy could stick with one
My Dad has been retired from the Navy for 22 years, as an LDO. He has absolutely HATED the changes in uniforms since he retired, especially the NWU. Well, he is going to be an officiant when my sister retires from the Air Force later this month. Because she wants to wear the ABU instead of the dress uniform at her ceremony, he will be donning the NWU. This will be a hoot!!
I can remember when I was little, after Dad switched to Chief (and later got his commission), he got a lot of wear from his old dungarees and even the OD utilities just around the house or working on the cars or in the yard. Ugly as sin, but they lasted.
I'm a Seabee and I've been wearing Type III's since 2011. They're not bad. I liked my DUU's better, though they did stain more easily. I think one main working uniform for the Navy instead of two is an improvement, though I remember when we all (except the fleet) wore CUU's (BDU in other services) and I think that made more logistical sense.
Salty, I'm in the Type 3's now and they are a lot better than the blueberries. The uniform is lighter but also has velcro on the cargo pockets and chest pockets. Also the name/flag and Don't tread on me on the uniform are velcroed on as well. The rank in the middle of the chest slips on and off easier so if i need to grab another blouse quickly, its easy to slide it on. V/ IT2
The Olive Drab (Green) utilities the Seabees used to wear would fit the bill. You can have the shirts hemmed (short sleeve), you tuck in the shirt and you wouldn't have to blouse the boots. The wool OD sweater can be worn over the shirt in colder weather. Olive Drab is a basic military color that would fit in just fine on-board ship. It would hide stains better than blue and since it was meant for the Seabees as a working uniform it allows for freedom of movement.
Yeah, why do we keep foolin' with 'em? MY Dungarees 1970-1976 were just great, but, I was a Corpsman on a Guided Missile Destroyer...
I served from 1969 to early 1975 in the submarine service, we enjoyed the dungarees. We mostly wore Seafarer brand shirts and pants. When the Navy went to the polyester type in 1974 I bought a dozen shirts at the small stores in Groton CT for $0.50 each, loved those shirts.
I went in in 1976. We had a medium blue synthetic (polyester?) shirt that was actually quite comfortable. The pants were dark blue and again, comfortable to work in. Unfortunately the pants didn't hold up well. I was allowed to wear OD coveralls and I did wear them as often as possible. Since we were only issued one pair of coveralls I obviously couldn't wear them every day.
I never wore dungarees and I never wore the ridiculous looking "Dixie Cup" dress uniforms, and I would never have joined if I would have been required to. Our dress uniforms were really sharp, especially our summer whites. The "Salt and Peppers"-white shirt and blue black pants-not so much although again, I found them quite comfortable.
+Frowning Angel I got out September '75, about three months before I would have had to buy a full seabag of that dreadful, dangerous uniform (that also made 18-y/o sailors look as though they were wearing their daddy's clothes). And that existing locker space couldn't accommodate since the jackets needed hangers. And that didn't iron and stow folded inside out, making them vulnerable to ironing accidents and dirt in stowage. But that above all were made out of polyester that instead of protecting you in a flash fire would melt and stick to your flesh.
Why doesn't the Navy adopt the Coast Guard Uniform? Back when the other services were adopting the BDU's (which are a better fit for women incidentally), the Coasties adopted the same basic uniform, in a solid blue color, but without two of the pockets on the top which meant that you could tuck the shirt in. I would suggest that the Navy adopt the BDU style uniform in two slightly different colored versions, with a darker shade in a lighter weight for Summer wear, and in a darker shade for colder climates?
wore the dungarees for 9 years. The cheep dye faded pretty fast, but the pants used has so much dye in them that you could soak a new pair in hot water with older/faded dungarees and darken them up a bit. And don't think about wearing a new pair of pants without washing it about three times first or your underwear and all the skin from your knees up to your waist would turn blue.
Yeah I remember that now. blue balls lol
I got to the US Army reception station Fort Dix NJ about 9pm on Sep 28 1981 and wasn't issued uniforms (OD Green) until Sep 30. The next day Oct 1 (new fiscal year for military) they started issuing BDU uniforms, so when I finish basic ( then 2 weeks leave) and reported for AIT at Ft. Jackson SC in Jan. I had to purchase BDU's all out of pocket.
When I was in the Navy we only had the dungaree uniforms but since I worked in the engine room we mostly wore dark blue coveralls. circa '82-'87
I am thinking of becoming a master at arms in the navy what are some things I should work on to get there like are there some classes I can take in high school that will help me other that N.J.R.O.T.C or some things that I can study outside of school that will help me reach my goal
in terms of the uniforms it's a situation of the grass is always greener on the other side because I thought of the same thing when we switched from utilities to nwu
"What are they gonna do?" They're going come up with a different uniform that everybody hates. The NAVY WAY!!
Consistency is extremely difficult which totally explains the navy’s long persisting mental masturbation pertaining to all of these silly looking uniforms. But the other guys at a SUBVETs meeting were all totally appalled at the photos of the blueberry BDUs displayed in the free copies of ALL HANDS which they’d hand out. It would seem to me that the thing you want to blend in with is the ship itself and not the ocean since you’re supposed to not fall off of the damned ship, at least not on purpose. So how about haze gray BDUs or even haze gray jeans and shirts? Would that make too much sense for the navy? Apparently so.
@@marcmeinzer8859 tradition is much more important than common sense in the Navy.
I always liked the old chambray shirts and bell-bottom dungarees.
100% cotton, and comfortable as hell.
Yeah, so did I. They were especially good in tropical climates such as Guam where I was stationed in SUBRON 15. @@uncbadguy
@@marcmeinzer8859And the Tonkin Gulf.
Most people don't know that the bell bottom dungarees were used as a life preserver for when you fall or get blown off the flight deck and go overboard.
I still prefer the seafarers to anything which has come down the pike since then. I don’t understand the impulse to monkey with uniforms constantly. And most grotesque was the retirement of the old melton wool crackerjacks when the ceremonial guard continued wearing that uniform, a little known factoid. Then when they brought them back they spend years “wear testing” new fabrics. Duh! But having coveralls was a good idea as well. We wore black coveralls on submarines.@@uncbadguy
All the services should just wear what the Army wears. The OCP ACUs are actually a very effective pattern in many environments. There's no reason for all the services to have unique camouflage patterns. The Marines are a small force and do largely the same job as the Army. The Air Force often works alongside the Army and the Navy/Coast Guard don't need to blend in with anything (except when working on land. It would be cheaper logistically speaking and wouldn't affect mission readiness, not to mention, it would be more inconspicuous on the battlefield. Having a bunch of guys in different uniforms only helps the enemy identify who's who.
I can understand if the Navy wanted to go back to using dungarees because they're comfortable, but y'all want cammies, use ACUs.
When I went in we had the utilities then went to the dungarees which were an improvement over the utilities in durability. The utilities would tear if you sneezed while wearing them. Or the seams would fall apart as the thread broke due to how flimsy it was..
We were also in the process of going back to the Crackerjacks from the CPO dress uniform.
I came in in '99. Half my bootcamp issued working uniforms were dungarees and half were dickies. I preferred the denim.
I have worn both the winter weight and summer weight BDUs in the summer and their is a big difference. I wor them in the winter did not notes much. If it cold you put other stuff over your BDU pants. I love the army's new uniform.
CAF Maritime Command , myself, in the 70s.Our work dress was that pukey green. As a Mar eng tech, wore coveralls quite a bit. However the shirts certainly did get oil stained. My main beef about them was that they were a poly blend. This meant if they caught fire they melted on to you, rather than burning off.
Right! What on earth could they have been thinking? I got out three months before I woul;d have had to buy a full seabag of that junk.
I got a tour of a Canadian destroyer that tied up in Groton, CT at the submarine school. Used to be a canoe tripping guide in northern Ontario which is why I was always interested in anything Canadian. It does make more sense to be able to transfer to other type units if for instance your skills are easily translatable such as cook or clerk typist or whatever. But then they reverted back to being the Royal Canadian Navy albeit without the funny looking British sailor suits. I’m a fan of the British naval TV show WARSHIP which is also on UA-cam.
Great comments Salty Yeoman! You are right, modern uniforms are better but at the same time, I missed the Aviation Working Greens or our Navy Service Dress Khaki uniforms. There is a bit of nostalgia, identifying with relatives who served before I did. It also set us apart from the other branches of the service, just like our "cousins", the Marines who were clinging on to their traditional uniforms. I remember the Air Force flyers envying us wearing our Navy issue leather flight jackets, we looked "cool" - even in the days before TOPGUN, image was all-important. Ciao, L (USN Veteran)
Hi. I'm going into boot camp on May the 23rd. Do you have any advice for someone joining the Navy?
Wormie Magesword watch my videos about it!
www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjv5KX-j8nRAhVCQCYKHSqWCzcQwqsBCAwwAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fm.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUZC67yeZ7rU&usg=AFQjCNGZRZn95s30lCPGV5H23xX_rzMZaQ&sig2=acM2Y_walp2BYUjUDs3kbg
Thanks
How many sailors are there in the US navy
Wore dungarees for 5 years and then the dungarees 2.0 before I got out. I loved the dungarees had no issues with the pockets. The 2.0 was a gas station uniform. I wish I was thin enough to buy New Old stock of dungarees. Coveralls were great for comfort and quickness and ease of getting dressed in a hurry.
The Seafarers company lived on and sold the antique navy dungaree bell bottoms and chambray shirts for years but then it got difficult to find them on the internet. The company was founded in 1899 outside of the Brooklyn navy yard. My gut tells me that they went out of business or they’d be easy to find on the internet.
I think the blueberries are pretty. Our ABUs are useless as camouflage too and they're not even attractive.
As opposed to the Royal Navy who wore essentially the same uniform from 1945 to 2015 with very minor variations, and now wear the same uniform as the British Army but without sleeve pockets and in blue
weren't the current issue ones not fire resistant? idk I just read it somewhere that this was one of the reasons they needed new uniforms.
I was a deck ape and had no problem with the shirt tearing. Did maintenance on winches and anything you wore would get grease stained. Just save a couple pairs to use for watch and use the dirty ones for work. Had no problem with the bell bottoms or the small pockets either. A can of chew fit in the pocket and my keys hung from a belt loop. You don't need to carry anything else aboard ship save your id which was in the shirt pocket.
I wore Utilities in basic. Was one of the last groups to go through that still had to Iron them. later that year they replaced them with the non Iron pre creased ones and within 2 years they had the digital blue. the Utility uniform wasnt bad, but it wasnt as comfortable as the later uniforms.
On subs we didn't have any dye things. We had glow sticks, but we lost the privilege of ours because we kept playing with them.
Back in the 80's. We had to wear Dixie cup hats with the dungarees. We were only allowed to wear our command ball caps in the vicinity of our ships
Bernie EOD they changed that when I was in the middle of boot camp.
Maybe going back to the old black uniforms you used to use during the Great War might be a good idea? They do not stain easily, are thin enough for the summer, and also had a nice coat for colder weather.
I never liked how dungarees looked. But as you said, they were comfortable. Consequently, I never wholly disliked them. When we updated to the Dickies style work uniform in the early 2000s, I liked them better. I never understood the blue camouflage uniform.
Salty seaman I agree with what your are saying. The U.S. Navy should continue to use the light blue and blue for petty officers and white for seamen and still keep the dark blue for overalls. That is the traditional colour also the new cams are good for fighting fires. You also said it is very heavy, like fire servant clothes. It makes the uniform look like a sea force uniform.
I miss "dungaree inspection" on the pier after morning quarters. I got hit for something on every inspection until I made CWO2. Now drop and give me 20! Carry on.
I was a 4333 certified engine man from A-gang. If you even suggested anything for me besides coveralls, you'd never be able to find me again *skate**
Coast Guard actually got this one right. Coveralls as the normal working uniform. Was a sub guy so I wore mine ashore as well (in the utilities era.)
it always amazed me that the navy did not seem to take into account the most critical factor in designing a working uniform, and that is safety of the sailor wearing it; more specifically, fire safety. it seems obvious to me that the working uniform should be of a design and made of materials that provide the best protection for the sailor, from the most critical hazzard they could face on any ship, which we know is fire.
Totally missed the mid 70's dark blue uniform. Got out just before having to buy them. BTW: When I was in, the official dungaree pants were stove pipe not bell bottoms. Designed so that you could remove them over your shoes, to be used as an emergency flotation device.
I was old when I enlisted and was appalled that the sailor suits had been abolished [except for the honor guard, incredibly]. If the brass really wanted the men to have a conventional suit uniform then it should have been dress khakis, and it should have been the white uniforms that were abolished, and the dress blue crackerjacks should have been retained as the parade uniform, as indeed they actually were in the case of the honor guard in Washington. But then nobody asked me since they paid Admiral Zumwalt’s wife to design the copy of the chief’s uniform with only minor changes such as being sure the men got a really stupid looking cap device and silver buttons, which really looked stupid. And since junior enlisted were permitted to go on liberty in civvies after the early ‘70s nobody but fucking nobody ever wore those asinine uniforms. You didn’t miss anything. When I was in everybody used to go on liberty dressed as cowboys for Christ’s sake. If they wanted to be cowboys they should have gotten jobs on ranches. I wanted to be a seaman so I got out and joined the merchant marine.
The US Army Vietnam era nomex flight uniform was awesome. They were even better than the jungle fatigues. They were very comfortable and had a shit load of pockets in both the shirt and especially the pants.
I was USAF, on Guam, we would go to the Navy base and buy the bell bottom dungaree's and sell them to the hippies at Guam University. I wore them as off duty work pants for a while, but you couldn't sit down comfortably without the pants squeezing your nuts. The back pockets were worthless too, I lost my wallet several times before I chucked the damn pants.
Those blue uniforms really did look like Prison coveralls
Yeah, the pockets on the dungarees were stupid. I liked the shirt - but I was a twidget, so I didn't get dirty easily. I was issued the utilities in 1979 - which were very comfortable but were phased-out because they were polyester and would melt instead of burn. The pants were same as army's green pants with long deep front pockets going to the belt loops in front. The dixie cup was just becoming required for work attire as I left - stupidest hat on the planet. I always preferred the ball caps.
did they really use bell-bottoms so it was easier to roll up the legs when 'swabbed the deck', or whatever?
I hated wearing Utilities when I was in, The only time you would catch me in them was if it was mandatory for the occasion, like in A school. As far as the camos, they should have just made them grey to blend in with the ship and the enemy would think its a ghost ship, but if you fall overboard your shipmates can see you a lot better.
Also, don't forget that the NWU Type 1 (blueberry) isn't flame retardant. Type 3 is. That's the main reason for the switch.
Benjamin Fagan
Type 3s are not flame retardant. They are lighter and more comfortable though.
late 90's they went to simple blue Coveralls. Best working uni I wore in 20 yrs.
I thank GOD that I no longer have to deal with this Navy cap !
I used to do after was inspections on P-3's. That included greasing with molly- threm. I stayed clean. It was something you did.
Thanks for the video. My thoughts exactly. Dungarees were awful, pockets were useless and looked sloppy. I went to work at a maximum security prison after the Navy and guess what, the inmates wore a very similar outfit. I often thought while I was in that coveralls would have been best while at sea.
They should have stuck to blue. But regardless of the color, utilities are very practical. If you are hot drink water. Also to prevent overheating the Navy could allow those working in extreme heat environments to take the blouse off.
I liked dungarees. I noticed the quality decline from the early 80's to the late 80's. I think they were scrimping on quality to hold down cost.
Mike Gillihan sounds intriguing!
1974 - chambray shirts apparently weren't as cheap as you had to wear. I wouldn't say they were really rugged, but I wasn't replacing them all the time, as you suggest. My dungaree pants wore out quicker than the shirts - most of the time. Sometimes, I would find some made of heavier fabric in one of the small stores I visited. I suppose those were ancient stock, from the fifties or sixties, but never looked into it. The USS Forrestal was a godsend when I ran out of dungaree pants on a Med cruise. They had six pairs of those heavier dungarees, in size 30x34, and I took them all. The pockets were normal pockets, not those sewn-on patches.
Boondockers. Those things were RUGGED! They lasted, and lasted, and lasted, like the Eveready Bunny. They certainly weren't comfortable, but they were rugged.
Then, there were the "Working Blues". Double knit navy/black shirts and pants, cut sort of along a western style. I loved that uniform. It could be worn with or without ribbons, naturally, no one wore the ribbons by choice. Those were primarily for people like you, desk jockeys, but they worked for supply types as well. Deck apes had no use for them, snipes, A-gang, electricians, etc, couldn't be bothered with them.
To me, any attempt at a camo style Navy working uniform is just silly. You will NEVER find a situation in which the camo does you any good, unless you're on detachment with the Marines - then you want to wear what they are wearing. Camo blues? Why not just go Old Corps Marines, and paint a target on top of your cover, and another front and back?
Ehhh - that's my two cents on working uniforms.
I wore dungarees too, I enlisted in 1975. The only thing I didn't like were the pockets.
Served in navy 3 years 1966 68 loved the uniform why bitch about the pockets good enough for me.gm3rd class albert marsh.uss Oxford agtr1 uss halsey powell dd686
Well at least they are not considering introducing a redshirt;-) Here in Poland my buddy who was in a navy coastal defense unit simply wore the standard army camo uniform (wz. 93)
According to my Air Force brothers all the services are going to one uniform as mandated by congress because of the cost of each service having their own uniform. When I was in we had either green out desert camo BDUs winter or summer weight.
It started as a good idea to reduce the sea bag requirements and reduce costs to the Sailor turned into a monstrosity. Task Force Uniform was the initiative that brought forth the NWU and created one year round service uniform. Gone are the winter blue and summer white service uniforms. Unfortunately, any savings gained was taken away by the huge cost of the NWU's. I personally like the current NWU's. They are comfortable, easy to maintain and fit with the image of being a seaborne service.
I have a solution, the Navy should just authorize the wearing of frv's outside the ship and also be authorized to be worn for inport watch standing, as long as it's not covered with grease, paint or torn up. That would at least lighten the seabag of a blue water sailor.
Take it from a former Marine, retired Navy, I started my Navy career in Dec 72, right after 4 yrs in the Marines, I drew a complete seabag from Small Stores, valued at a amazing 199.00 dollars; Navy could not make up their minds about any standard uniform, remember the salt and pepper, not too mention the look alike CPO's Dress coat, EVEN had to change the buttons on my peacoat, Lucky for me I kept the old buttons, As sure as shit we changed back to the original Peacoat; All you salts out there during this time frame, 72-91, You know what I am talking about, Loved the Navy, But really did not like the Uniform Issues. Fair winds and Following Seas all you Shipmates.
Bell bottoms were so you could pull them off quickly in the event you fell overboard. Then you could tie the bottoms of the legs together, throw them over your head and make a very effective life preserver. I wore the bell bottoms & liked them. Did you get grease from your typewriter on them? C'mon dude, it wasn't a fashion show.