Here's one for the real old timers, or keepers of historical trivia like MastersMate:

There was a query on the Auxiliary Board from a member who had seen several sailors wearing "Black" dixie cup covers (in documentary scenes about Pearl Harbor). I also remember seeing them in pictures and such, but never when I was AD (late 50s).

I can't find a picture showing them (anywhere on the Internet). . .

Did they exist? And for what reason?

TKS

...gjd

Maybe the black ones were for snipes to keep finger prints from showing???

Blue dixie cups were worn as part of the dungaree uniform through WWII. I've seen color pictures from the WWII-era showing them being worn. As issued they were a dark blue, and faded over time.

Watched an old movie once, where a bunch of guys had red ones.. I figured they were the DC's but not sure. I think it was the movie "away all boats".

I got a friend of mine, who was a WW2 Navy seaman 1st class... he was issued a blue dixie cup because he was a lookout/gunner on his destroyer. White hats were distinguishable on deck, where as the blue ones helped them blend in.

I always figured the blue dixie cups were for engineers, but he told me they were for topside personnel...

true or not, I dont know. just passing on.

Have been digging through my collection of "ALL Hands" magazine from the WW2 years to find something definite, but from what I've picked up, and going along with cuttercoasty, the blue "white hats" were a camoflauge technique to break up the white hat standing out against the gray hulls.

One interesting item that did stick out concerning the "white hat" was from May 1942 or so. The Bureau of Navigation strongly reminded all officers should inform enlisted men that throwing the hats overboard when they were dirty, and drawing new ones from small stores, was wasteful of scarce government property during time of war. Sailors were to be strongly reminded to wash their hats or face disciplinary measures.

Here's a link to a WWII-era pic showing the blue dixies being worn. You'll also notice the Chief in dungarees, and the mix of khaki and what looks like gray uniforms on the officers.
http://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/albums/us_navy/f4oia0.sized.jpg

I kind of remember some Chiefs (snipes, I think) wearing dungaries and chambray shirts -- but still with the khaki combination cap. It made sense. . .

...gjd

Late summer and fall of 1943, the USN announced the authorization of slate gray working uniforms for those on sea duty. They would be the same style as the non CPO undress whites and cap, except for color. This was being done as a camoflauge measure, and to ease up on the additional wear and tear that the dungarees were being subjected to.

From the same time frame, a couple of Coast Guardsmen on Guadalcanal were commended for concocting a dye from salvaged coffee grounds, constructing some sort of a dyeing vat, and using that mixture, dying the undress white uniforms to a khaki color for wear on the island. Easing a shortage of the real mixture.

The Torpedomans Mate rating was established in the Coast Guard. The USN destroyer escorts being manned by Coast Guardsmen were equiped with the tubes, and the rating was required.

The first 4 Coast Guard COMMODORES were promoted to that newly reauthorized rank.

The dungarees for Chiefs and Officers stayed authorized up until about 1960. Have read somewhere that it is the origin of the phrase " The Hat" to describe Chief Petty Officer. If a sailor was looking for the person in charge of a working detail, they would be told to look for the guy with "The Hat".

Obscure useless scuttlebutt for the weekend

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mastersmate,

Next time you're at Borders check out some books by a guy named Jeff Warner. He has a series on USN uniforms from WWII that are excellent and has some examples of the hats discussed in this topic.

I personally have seen a dixie cup that was dyed blue, but I have also seen one that was manufactured in grey and in black. You can tell they were made that way since the white cotton clothes stop is still it's original colour. In one of Mr. Warner's books is a red one and there might be another colour too. I can't really recall and since I'm underway, I don't have access to my books.

Also, according to the 1940 or 41 regulations for ship's shore parties, the undress white was authorized to be dyed a khaki colour in order to blend in. Great colour photos of these plus some of the short lived '43 issue grey undress jumper and trousers are in there. I never knew they produced these as well until I saw them.

Here's another off the wall uniform concept the USN was toying around with in 1946. For dress blues, they were looking at straight leg standard cut trousers in blue topped off with a blue version of the Ike Jacket or "Battle Jacket" as the Marines called them. I guess they never made it out of the trial phase since they're still wearing the old crackerjack blues.

quote:

I personally have seen a dixie cup that was dyed blue, but I have also seen one that was manufactured in grey and in black.

You might also remember the white dixie with the thin blue stripe (or piping) around the top rim -- worn by CG Acadamy cadets (at least when on the Eagle). I seem to recall they may have also had a white jumper with blue piping, but not sure about that. They did have a dungaree jumper. I know that's factual because I bought several of them for use elsewhere.

...gjd

Added on edit: Here they are -- when JFK visited back in 1962:

quote:

Here's another off the wall uniform concept the USN was toying around with in 1946. For dress blues, they were looking at straight leg standard cut trousers in blue topped off with a blue version of the Ike Jacket or "Battle Jacket" as the Marines called them. I guess they never made it out of the trial phase since they're still wearing the old crackerjack blues.

Out of that post war uniform experiment, about the only change that amounted was an alteration of the trousers from the 13 button broadfall front to a zipper front and slash pockets. The zipper front never made it to full time status, and as far as 1966 recall you might just get one or the other from small stores.

Have read that the limited supply of the gray jumper uniform was used by permanent shore patrol, and eliminated about 1948 or 49.

gjd - concerning the white Academy jumpers and their specific uniforms. In my second cutter, had a shipmate that had/wore as a work uniform, a dungaree jumper with flap and single chest pocket. He swapped them with a cadet during one summer training cruise.

quote:

In my second cutter, had a shipmate that had/wore as a work uniform, a dungaree jumper with flap and single chest pocket.

That's the one. I wore one of them quite often when I went back to the radio station (NMH). Nobody ever complained or even said anything about it. I think they, like most of us, thought there were things more substantive than uniform variations to worry about.

...gjd

quote:

Here's another off the wall uniform concept the USN was toying around with in 1946. For dress blues, they were looking at straight leg standard cut trousers in blue topped off with a blue version of the Ike Jacket or "Battle Jacket" as the Marines called them. I guess they never made it out of the trial phase since they're still wearing the old crackerjack blues.

Well, not so odd as you might think. Battle Dress was developed by the Brits in the 1930's, and worn by most of the Commonwealth nations, the U.S., the French( AND the Germans) by the end of WWII. There were versions in AF blue, dark blue, and khaki/OD.

The Kriegsmarine (KM) even issued captured British uniforms to its U-Boat crews as an underway uniform - with KM buttons and insignia.

On the cadet dixies with the stripe - I've still got my Dad's CGA-issued one - he was in the Class of 1960. I wish I still had the denim jumper described above.

quote:

Originally posted by Bluejacket1942:
Next time you're at Borders check out some books by a guy named Jeff Warner. He has a series on USN uniforms from WWII that are excellent and has some examples of the hats discussed in this topic...

Just checked on Amazon.com. They sell several of his books on WW2 Navy uniforms. It's an interesting subject to me, but not worth the more than $50 a pop for the books.

...gjd