Questions About the United States Navy Peacoat

[Tec]

Just got that WWII peacoat today, it's in amazing condition. Even better condition than the 1961 coat that I have. As the seller mentioned in the listing, only some moth tracking on the left sleeve near the shoulder. Hard to see and definitely not an issue. The buttons will need to be resewn (I'll have all of them done because the ones that are still strongly attached aren't facing downward).

Everything else looks to be in mint condition. I don't like to use that word, but there are truly no issues with this coat. The lining seems to have been replaced, as it looks unworn and is smooth to the touch. There's no tag in the coat, although I do see there may have been one near the collar, somewhat canted to the left, not centered. Which would be strange if this lining is new.

Bad lighting today, so no pictures yet (I'd like to get the buttons done anyway).

My only issue with these WWII peacoats is that the lapels don't lie flat, as was mentioned in this thread. I don't really like buttoning it up all the way, so I'll see if I can train them to lie down a bit. I don't mind if they're not completely flat, but on this coat they pretty much just spring forward.

 

[Peacoat]

The coat was designed so that it would be buttoned up all the way, and this is how the clothing regulations read. Most sailors didn't like this arrangement and left the top buttons undone—leading to the unruly lapel. The Navy couldn't have this so it finally redesigned the coat, and we got the Post WWII coat with the lapels that are born lying flat and stay that way through the life of the coat.

 

[Tec]

The coat was designed so that it would be buttoned up all the way, and this is how the clothing regulations read. Most sailors didn't like this arrangement and left the top buttons undone—leading to the unruly lapel. The Navy couldn't have this so it finally redesigned the coat, and we got the Post WWII coat with the lapels that are born lying flat and stay that way through the life of the coat.

Indeed! I can see why they didn't prefer it buttoned all the way up. Other than the lapels, I feel like everything about the WWII coat is better, including the way that the pockets somewhat overlap when you put your hands in them (I imagine that helps more with warmth, but I also like the way it looks with my hands in that position).

I noticed the armholes are also slightly less wide than the post-WWII version. Pretty much everything is "sleeker," in a sense. I have fairly large arms from lifting and still felt like the 1961 coat that I have engulfed them. The WWII model is a bit trimmer, but not so trim like some of my other clothing items where you can see my biceps/triceps popping through the cloth when I bend my arms.

EDIT: actually, popping the collar on the post war models is nicer too. But I'm not one for doing that anyway, I'd probably just use a scarf. My beard is there anyway.

 

[Peacoat]

In the Army we were trained to not put our hands in our pockets. The Army's position is if one's hands are cold, wear gloves. If the Army had designed the Peacoat, I doubt there would have been any hand warmer pockets. I guess the Navy is a little more lax on those things.

My nylon flight jackets have hand warmer pockets, but then they were designed by the Air Force, and we all know about the Air Force.

 

[Tec]

We were trained the same way in the Air Force — never put your hands in your pockets. We always questioned (to ourselves) what the point was of even having pockets if we couldn’t use them. The only pocket allowed to be used was the left cargo pocket to place our berets in while indoors.

Although I did see other career fields use them to place jingly keys and such, which definitely wasn’t supposed to happen, haha.

 

[Recoil Rob]

I hate driving with a full length coat so I take it off and freeze until the car warms up.

I wore my 1973 for the first time tonight, these coats are the perfect compromise of length for driving and warmth.

 

[Peacoat]

I hate driving with a full length coat so I take it off and freeze until the car warms up.

I wore my 1973 for the first time tonight, these coats are the perfect compromise of length for driving and warmth.

I wore a full length wool overcoat over my suits for so many years it just became a natural part of my routine to slightly hitch up my overcoat as I got in the car. But I agree the 3/4 length peacoat is a more comfortable coat when one is sitting in a chilly car.

 

[Michael A]

I picked this one up at the end of season half price sale at my local vintage shop.
IMG_8189 by Michael A2012, on Flickr
IMG_8188 by Michael A2012, on Flickr
IMG_8187 by Michael A2012, on Flickr
Any notion on a date for it?
IMG_8196 by Michael A2012, on Flickr

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Peacoat]

@Michael A that is a nice score. A good trim fit and it is the highly sought 1949 version with the super nice wool shell. Congratulations.

 

[Michael A]

@Michael A that is a nice score. A good trim fit and it is the highly sought 1949 version with the super nice wool shell. Congratulations.

Thanks Peacoat. They had a minty nice size 38 that was labeled Kersey in the store earlier in the season, but someone scarfed it up while I was still contemplating it. I didn't think this one was as old as that one, but maybe I was mistaken. It is a nice piece of wool for sure.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[thewolverine]

I picked up one a few years back and have misplaced the receipt. I have pics of the tags/buttons and pocket. The buttons are
shiny blue as the camera made them look almost metallic. Thanks much!

 

[Peacoat]

Looks like a nice c. 1950 coat to me.

 

[EarlGrey]

Does anybody know what's up with the Sterlingwear website? I've been in the mood for another peacoat, but the website seems to have been wiped from what I remember several years ago...

 

[Peacoat]

Does anybody know what's up with the Sterlingwear website? I've been in the mood for another peacoat, but the website seems to have been wiped from what I remember several years ago...

A message shows the website is under construction.

 

[ZenEdge]

Well, I found a 1972 Pembroke midnight blue kersey wool peacoat in a size 38L and there are no signs of wear on the collar, cuffs or pockets. However, there are tiny holes visible in the lining of the sleeve leftover from when the coat had an arm patch. There are also a few moth tracks (not holes) on the front, back, and one sleeve. Nothing too bad, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for how to repair them? I read about felting, but I don't know how that would work since the coat is lined. I also read about using a razor blade to scrape off some wool from an inconspicuous area of the coat, like the inner cuff, and adhering it with a fabric adhesive to the worn spots left by the moth tracks.

 

[Peacoat]

That process seems to be more trouble than it is worth. I just don't let moth tracking bother me much.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Hey Peacoat, you'll enjoy this: here's links to download the US Navy Uniform Regulations for 1913, 1922, and 1941:
https://ia800200.us.archive.org/22/items/cu31924030896363/cu31924030896363.pdf
https://ia800309.us.archive.org/8/items/uniformregulatio00unit/uniformregulatio00unit.pdf
https://media.defense.gov/2018/May/31/2001925044/-1/-1/0/1941-USN-UNIFORMREGS.PDF

Edit: updated so that all links go direct to PDFs.

 

[Peacoat]

Hey Peacoat, you'll enjoy this: here's links to download the US Navy Uniform Regulations for 1913, 1922, and 1941:
https://archive.org/details/cu31924030896363/page/n6
https://archive.org/details/uniformregulatio00unit
https://media.defense.gov/2018/May/31/2001925044/-1/-1/0/1941-USN-UNIFORMREGS.PDF

Thanks. I enjoy these old uniform regs. I wish I had some way to keep them all together. They are an excellent research tool.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

Thanks. I enjoy these old uniform regs. I wish I had some way to keep them all together. They are an excellent research tool.

Just in case you didn't notice, if you scroll down, on the right side of the linked webpage, you can download them as PDF, Kindle, txt, ePub, or book. They're easier to read and see that way too.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Just in case you didn't notice, if you scroll down, on the right side of the linked webpage, you can download them as PDF, Kindle, txt, ePub, or book. They're easier to read and see that way too.

I just updated the links so that all three go direct to the PDFs. Just click on the links, wait until they load, then save onto your hard drive or whatever. They're all okay/safe sites for downloading, at least in my experience.