Doctor Damage
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 4,318
- Location
- Ontario
I just retired after 26 years on Active Duty & Reserves. I was a Senior Chief Boatswains Mate; I basically was in charge of all the operations on the deck of the cargo ship: cargo loading and transfer, rigging, crane operations, mooring, anchoring, helicopter flight deck operations, etc.^ great pics, Thor! the carrier pic is awesome, what job/role did you have?
These have been made by several different companies, the same companies which have made USAF CWU flameproof jackets, mostly Ashland Sales & Service and Valley Apparel. Propper made a similar-looking jacket for a while but it wasn't the same. The current jackets appear to be made by Valley, you can see the profile here: http://valleyapparel.net/product-category/commercial/U.S. Wings is now selling these Navy shipboard cold weather/flame resistant deck jackets. These are brand new (apparently they are either a supplier to the Navy or they’re getting them through one of the contractors). Their selling price is $350; if you can find one used in good condition for under a hundred bucks on eBay you’re getting a good deal.
https://www.uswings.com/product/usn-nomex-shipboard-jacket/
I tend to spend all winter wearing my surplus A2 deck jacket when out and about. It is dated 1979 and warm as toast.
If you go to the "Authorized Resellers" tab on Valley's website you'll see US Wings listed (plus Legendary USA, interestingly). I imagine US Wings probably sews on their own tag, but heavens only knows why they quote such a long delivery time - geez! Incidentally, there was an older version of these flamerproof shipboard jackets, made by Tennier Industries, which had a normal collar and a pile lining. I'll dig out and post some photos this evening.If US W is getting these jackets from the actual military contractor (Valley Apparel) I wonder what label will be in the jacket? Would they sew a US Wings label over the white mil-spec Valley Apparel label? They do quote an 8-10 week waiting time.
Yes and after reading these posts and seeing so many great n-1’s the fire has been TFL stoked so to speak. Thanks though, very informative!(bump, since one our members has asked about these jackets)
This is definitely a 1st model WWII style US Navy foul weather jacket. Looks like a repro. There's only one true way of putting the U.S. NAVY on the back and that's with a silkscreen using iridescent ink (like Speedball) in that kind of off white-greyish ink (with a very slight blue/green cast to it for reflection). I've heard the original process was some kind of rubbery reflective heat transfer but it was too much trouble so they went to just silkscreening them. Here's one of the ones aged up by an expert for the movie "Midway".Random deck jacket search on ebay last night pulled this with 12 minutes left to run. I've been after one fo these for well over ten years now, but put it in the pipe dream file, as originals seem as rare as hens teeth, and the repro prices were well out of my league.
Anyway, this Pike Bros example was still within my grasp financially, and it was (hopefully) my small size too. Too good to be true? I made a cheaky bid with 20 seconds to go, and walked away assuming it would not be enough, or I'd get sniped. Anyway lady fortune smiled on me for a change and I won it for £51, which I think is a steal. (I was contimplating getting a early model tanker repro and dying it ...)
So now I am looking into stenciling options, as this jacket definitely needs U.S. NAVY on the back. And advice out there for doing this?
ebay listing photo by Mike, on Flickr
I think the confusion is because there are two different ways to wear a 1940s USN deck jacket: The "Navy way" and the "fashion way". The Navy way (from the 40s) is designed to work in so you have a little more freedom to move and squat without binding (like with baggy 40s Navy dungarees or khakis). The fashion way is more snug-fitting (and generally feeling a little tight across the back shoulders) so the silhouette matches with slim-fit jeans and work boots (or so they are currently being worn by costal fashionistas). Which way do you intend to wear it most of the time? That's the answer. As far as Eastman is concerned, order either/or way and if it doesn't fit, exchange it. "Fit" is the good thing about reproductions, you can generally exchange them.