In 1876 the white piping on the collar was standardized to three rows for all enlisted wearing the jumper, with rank to be determined by the petty officer insignia and cuff stripes. Shoulder insignia indicating rank with chevrons was established in 1865, and rating badges were standardized and defined for all ratings in 1866. Next, the white strips known as “piping.” They started out as decoration, but starting about 1866 piping on the collar and cuffs were used to indicate rank, and some ratings wore shoulder insignia. Especially when the sailors might only have one or two shirts anyway.įun fact It was only in the early 1900s that US Navy sailors were required to cut their hair short, and only for reason of controlling head lice. To keep the tar off their jumper shirts sailors started wearing a button-on flap, which being smaller was easier to wash. To keep their hair from getting caught up in the ship’s rigging or equipment they tied their hair back in a ponytail and dipped the ends of their hair in tar to hold it together. Until the early 1900s there were no haircut requirements for sailors, and sailors normally let their hair grow long. Uniforms were traditionally folded inside out to keep the outsides clean. Even on today’s ships, storage space is limited and there isn’t much room for hanging uniforms. Uniform Creasesįirst, the uniforms are folded inside out for storage which creates the unique creases. The uniforms in the picture are “service dress blues,” which would be worn for ceremonial occasions or working in a job that requires being around the public or in a shore-based office. These uniforms are worn by enlisted sailors until they get promoted to Chief Petty officer, at which time they shift to a uniform similar to that worn by commissioned officers. Five US Navy Petty Officers In Their Service Dress Blue Uniforms I assume you’re referring to the more-or-less traditional uniforms worn by US Navy Sailors nicknamed “Cracker Jacks”? These uniforms represent America’s maritime heritage. There are a lot of traditions behind U.S. This turned out to be a question I really had fun answering.

Today I answered another interesting question on Quora: “Why are sailor suits made the way they are?” The question was too interesting to pass on, so I gave it a shot.

Us civil war navy buttons