My Grandpa's- A few US Navy Uniforms

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My dad went off to find a suitcase that he remembered a long time ago and he managed to find it. Only problem.... the bottom was falling out and it was in terrible shape:







Without looking at what was inside one can easily guess what condition the items within were in. So time has not been kind to my grandpa's old Navy uniforms but we will present them to you guys here in their current condition... Older than most of us reading this by at least a decade or two (and more for me).

Undress Whites:

A simple summer uniform worn walking out or while working if you aren't wearing dungarees. You can notice a lot of commonalities between this and the summer whites of today though the undress whites of today (which are going away anyways) have quarter length sleeves.





Notice the bell bottom flare on the trousers and the total vertical hip pockets.

The jumper, it has the regular things that make it stand out as a Navy uniform like the fabric flap (traditionally for catching grease and tar in the days of old when sailors did such to keep the salt water and parasites from their hair)







Notice the inside pocket on the chest. My Grandpa's name is still stenciled on the inside.

And somethings never change: A dixiecup.

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And introducing the Family Model Drew:



Undress Blues:
Here are Undress Blues the same as above but for winter use. Starting is the legging (or a legging) keep in mind this was once stark white. Like the ones in the photo of my grandfather. These are the Navy type and are sized as such so I'm assuming they are a 2-3R since Army 5Rs fit me well (and Navy sizes are bigger than Army) and these do not. I also think the buckle on them is much more complicated then its Army counterpart with the moving mid-section to help clamp the bottom strap.







Here is the jumper:

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Dress Blues:

And finally my grandfather's Dress Blues which have not been touched since he came home.

The Trousers: notice the very large flare of the bellbottoms (which are more pronounced then undress Blues but we have no example to show). The 13 buttons, the tie back.















Dress Blue Jumper:

His Dress Blue Jumper which is much more ornate then that of the undress.



Detail of Cuff striping and buttons:



Rate Badge (Boatswains/Coxswains were both underneath the crossed anchors in '43-'46) which is odd since he manned guns on Destroyers and Liberty Ships.

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Somethings never change. Modern Dress Blues still have that striping and the two stars:


His World War Two Victory Ribbon oddly encased in plastic and mounted crooked. We decided it was best to leave it as is.

A Red hashmark for 4 years service






And the old Donald Duck "Flat Cap":








The cap's leather sweatband had shrunk and our model's head was too big for the cap but it gives a better sense of shape:


It was awesome to see my grandpa's old uniforms and saddening to see some of the other undress jumpers torn to ribbons by moths and mice but we salvaged. I'd like to encase his dress blue jumper in a shadowbox at some point. We changed the storage method to a sealed rubbermaid container to keep the mice and moths out.

[Jim O]

Great stuff. Another "time capsule".

Thanks for taking the time to make the photos and for sharing them.

[cyberia]

That is very cool, Richard. I envy your ability to be able to open a suitcase and touch a piece of family history like that. Bad condition or not, they have to be priceless.

Thanks for sharing.

[Geek44]

Yeah thanks Richard and Drew. Awesome stuff to look at and learn about.

[Wolster]

Great stuff, really brings history alive to see this stuff and makes it a lot more real!