New crackerjacks approved!
May 21st, 2012 | Uniforms | Posted by Sam Fellman
The wait is over: New crackerjacks are coming.
The Navy’s top officer has approved the long awaited overhaul of the iconic dress uniform, a modernization that officials say will make them more comfortable and functional. Both dress whites and dress blues, worn by E-6 and below, have been updated after a six year trial-and-error effort.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert “has approved the revised designs for the service dress blues and the service dress whites,” Rear Adm. Tony Kurta, director of military plans and personnel for the chief of naval personnel, said in a May 17 interview. “With the crackerjacks, it has been a long road, and that is for good reasons. We did multiple wear tests. We did tests of both different designs and differing materials.”
This is the first update for dress whites — worn by all sailors, with women wearing the combination cover instead of a “Dixie Cup” — since World War II. The uniform takes cues from full dress whites, a version of crackerjacks phased out in 1940.
The new whites now mirror the blues in appearance: They feature a yoke around the chest and black piping on the back bib and along the tailored cuffs at the end of the sleeves. Two stars rest in the back bib’s corners, just like the dress blues. The look of the dress blues, worn solely by male sailors, won’t change considerably. But the wear may be different. For one, getting in and out of the pants just got much faster — a zipper has been installed in the front, rendering the 13 buttons a purely decorative element. Two front pockets are on both sides of the zipper. No changes have been made to the female service dress blues, which has a white shirt and black tie underneath a black coat, in lieu of a jumper.
To see the new uniforms and their features, pick up a copy of the May 28 Navy Times on newsstands now. Or you can subscribe here.
NWUs: Good enough for POTUS
November 21st, 2011 | Personnel Uniforms | Posted by Sam Fellman
Sailors in the Navy working uniform stand at attention as the president passes by at a formal ceremony. // AP Photo
At a Nov. 4 ceremony in Cannes, France, honoring the U.S.-French alliance, President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy reviewed troops from both nations. Amid them, standing at attention, front and center, was a formation of sailors in blue-and-gray NWUs.
The fleet has often complained that the off-base restrictions on NWUs are too tight: In the U.S., you can’t wear them for personal appointments or shopping.
But if it’s good enough for a formal review by the president, isn’t it OK for the mall?
Asked that in a Nov. 8 interview, Greenert replied: “I have never had anybody approach me, ‘If it’s good enough for the president, it’s good enough for the mall,’ but again, I’ve stood in review … in the working uniform. And if that would be the appropriate uniform as [prescribed] by the event, then so be it.”
No word yet on whether he’ll relax the NWU wear restrictions, a step he’s considering.
The Navy and the budget: What’s getting cut?
October 10th, 2011 | Budget Carriers Navy Navy Times Uniforms | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Navy is about to start seeing significant reductions in spending for operations and maintenance, spare parts, new ships and aircraft, research and development, and personnel, all essentially the result of a flagging U.S. economy. In the new Navy Times, analysts and insiders assess the areas at risk, while readers offer suggestions on what they’d cut if they could be king for a day.
What sort of changes are they talking about inside the Pentagon? Try eliminating the scheduled 2016 nuclear refueling of the aircraft carrier George Washington, commissioned in 1992. How would readers save? Stop the perpetual uniform and sea bag changes.
The stories aren’t yet posted online, save for subscribers. But if you’re a subscriber with that access or are buying a newsstand copy, we’d like to hear your thoughts about what they have to say. Check out the stories, then come back and weigh in on the Scoop Deck.
By region, Navy swaps whites for blues
October 3rd, 2011 | Navy Traditions Uniforms | Posted by Sam Fellman
It may be time to break out your blues.
The date of the semiannual uniform change over from whites to blues is set by each of the 12 Navy regions, but wide swaths of the U.S. are changing over now.
Blues became the official dress uniform for sailors from Maine to Maryland on Monday, just in time for a cold snap hitting the east coast. Sailors in the Washington, D.C., area are also switching to blues.
But sailors in North Carolina and Virginia will have to wait two more weeks, until the third Monday in October, to don their blues. California sailors will switch on Nov. 7.
The southeast breaks into two separate regions, along a straight line from Midland, Texas to Savannah, Ga. Sailors to the north of this line switch on Nov. 7; sailors below it will switch over on Dec. 5.
“It’s going to be different for every region” said Capt. Jacqueline Yost, spokeswoman for Navy Installations Command, explaining that it is based on the climate.
Alaskan sailors changed over when they went back to work after Labor Day, as did those in Washington State. Other sailors don’t need to worry about it, though: sailors in south Florida stay in whites year-round.
‘Spiced’: A Very Special episode
April 6th, 2011 | Humor leadership Naval Safety Center Navy spice Uniforms Video | Posted by Dave Brown
Remember in the ’80s when sitcoms did Very Special episodes? Who will ever forget Jessie’s freak out when she took caffeine pills? Or the time Urkel got drunk and almost died? And don’t get Scoop Deck started on the time Brad got high, or on Uncle Ned’s drinking problem.
The sailors up at the Naval Submarine School in Groton, Conn., are reliving those glory days with “Spiced.” It’s a Very Special episode that naturally features puppets named “Josh” and “Greg” and the latter’s struggle with a very real problem in today’s Navy.
Spice and other designer drugs are scary stuff. And the part about getting kicked out of the Navy for using is no joke. Just ask any of these former mids or former amphibious assault ship Bataan sailors.
Thanks Josh and Greg. You made us laugh, and you made us think. You also taught us that sailors are referring to their Navy working uniforms as “N-dubs.” Brilliant.
An interesting item in the NOC
May 27th, 2010 | leadership ordnance Shore duty Uniforms | Posted by Phil Ewing
It's important to keep a sharp lookout at all times for things others may not have noticed. // MC3 Walter Wayman / Navy
This is a delicate item: An Amphibian Associate of ours and his eagle-eyed readers have spotted something hilarious in the new Naval Operations Concept, but it’s borderline scatological. It involves the glossy pictures that take up much of the document and the salty language common among average sailors out in the fleet. That’s probably all that’s safe to say here on the family-friendly Deck. If you’re easily offended, please do not click.
If you’re interested, first, check out page 23 in the NOC (31 in your PDF reader). Then go here. Then, for a clearer picture and a little background, go here.
Then ask yourself: How many admirals probably signed off on this report? Did none of them see this, or did they all just agree it was funny?
Brothers and sisters of the blueberry
May 17th, 2010 | merchant ships Uniforms | Posted by Phil Ewing
MC2 Josue Escobosa / Navy
Capt. Joseph Kuzmick of the carrier John C. Stennis got ready to conduct a Navy Working Uniform inspection last week on the flight deck of his ship, but the U.S. Navy isn’t the only fan of this ensemble. The “tactical blueberry” or “aquaflage” uniform has fans in the maritime profession even outside the military — although the pattern is a little different, check out the getup worn by this Japanese whaler.
Seven in Seven
April 16th, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Congress Foreign navies leadership Maritime operations Navy Personnel Seabees Ships Submarines The greenside The Middle East The Pacific Uniforms Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
Boatswains Mate Seaman Apprentice Jacob Starks salutes during a burial at sea ceremony on the flight deck of the frigate Klakring, which is on a six-month deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean as part of Southern Seas 2010. (photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Darryl Wood)
The Navy nabbed a lot of headlines again this week. Leading the way is news that the Navy’s 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will be named for Rep. John Murtha – a story first reported by Scoop Deck’s own Phillip Ewing. An unfortunate T-39 crash killed four in Georgia also made headlines, as did the Thursday announcement that changes were coming to the performance evaluation system and advancement policy (check Monday’s Navy Times for more on that). And the president also reaffirmed his 2011 Afghan withdrawal plan this week.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
Seahawk sortie links
January 25th, 2010 | Foreign navies Maritime operations Military Sealift Command Pirates Ships Uniforms | Posted by Phil Ewing
An SH-60 Seahawk from HS-15, the "Red Lions" took off this week from the carrier Carl Vinson off Haiti, transporting cargo and passengers much the same way today's links bring updates to you // MC2 Adrian White / Navy
Sonar dippin’, Mk 54 torpedo droppin’, VERTREP cargo haulin’, Hellfire missile shootin’, humanitarian aid deliverin’ links, standing by to fly you to the carrier for your lunch with the admiral, where you’ll probably get a lot of interesting updates like these:
- The hospital ship Comfort has about 1,000 beds, 80 intensive care wards, 12 operating rooms and a burn-care unit, but the flood of patients from Haiti means the ship is already at capacity.
- A French amphibious ship, the Siroco, has joined the international humanitarian armada off Port-au-Prince.
- Sometimes all it takes is an email: After the cruiser Bunker Hill got a note from some people worried about a priest on an island off Haiti, the ship went to check on him and delivered more than 1,100 meals and 2,200 gallons of water.
- Here’s an unusual development in another ongoing Navy mission: The destroyer Porter came to the aid of a North Korean-flagged cargo ship this weekend after it was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
- The plans are proceeding apace for the new Gulf Coast museum that organizers hope will include the cruiser Ticonderoga, the Navy’s first Aegis warship and first of the big dogs of the surface force.
- If you’re a chief or an officer and you’ve always wanted to look just like John Wayne’s Capt. Rockwell Torrey of “In Harm’s Way” — you’re in luck!
Check the tag on that T-shirt!
January 19th, 2010 | Navy Uniforms | Posted by Lance Bacon
It seems Navy Exchange Service Command uniform centers have been selling a blue T-shirt that is not authorized for wear with the blue-and-gray camouflage Navy Working Uniform.
The T-shirt in question is the 50/50 cotton/polyester version identified by “Soffe” in red letters on the collar label. Only the cotton version is authorized.
NEXCom has pulled the 50/50s from the shelf and is offering refunds (with receipt) or store credit (without receipt) for unworn shirts.
Interestingly, Navadmin 015/10 encourages sailors to retain (but not wear) the 50/50s “and await the outcome of a study to determine if it is suitable for wear in all/any environments.”
When will that study be out? I don’t yet know, but have asked the folks at Navy Personnel Command, so expect an answer very soon.
In the meantime, don’t come cryin’ if a chief grabs you up by the collar to see if you are 100-percent cotton. You’ve been warned.