UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE U. S. COAST GUARD
The uniforms and insignia of the officers and enlisted men of the U. S.
Coast Guard are very similar to those of the Navy, and they are made
of dark blue cloth for wear in cold or temperate weather and of white
duck for wear in the tropics or in hot weather. A variation from this
general rule is found in the case of the Keepers and surfmen on duty
at the Life-Saving Stations who have uniforms of khaki or olive-drab
cotton duck instead of the white uniforms of the seagoing men of the
Coast Guard.
UNIFORMS OF OFFICERS OF THE U. S. COAST GUARD
Commissioned officers of the Coast Guard are required to have complete
outfits of full dress, dress, evening dress, blue service dress and
white service dress uniforms; the occasions for wearing the various
uniforms being as follows:
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OCCASION. | UNIFORM.
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1. State occasions at home and abroad. |
2. Receiving or calling officially upon |
the President of the United States |
or the president or sovereign or a |
member of the royal family of any |
country. |
3. At ceremonies and entertainments | Full dress.
where it is desired to do special |
honor to the occasion. |
4. At general muster on the first Sunday |
of each month. |
5. When receiving an ex-President of the |
United States, the Vice President |
or the Secretary of the Treasury. |
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6. When receiving an Assistant Secretary |
of the Treasury. |
7. When receiving a member of the |
President’s Cabinet other than the |
Secretary of the Treasury. |
8. When receiving the Chief Justice of |
the United States, the President of |
the Senate, the Speaker of the |
House of Representatives, or a |
Committee of Congress. |
9. When receiving the Governor of an |
island or group of islands occupied |
by the United States, or a Governor |
of one of the States or Territories |
of the United States, when within |
the waters of the state or territory |
or islands of which he is governor. |
10. When receiving a Diplomatic Represen- | Dress uniform.
tative of the United States above |
the rank of Charge d’affaires when |
within the waters of the country to |
which he is accredited. |
11. When receiving a military or naval |
officer of or above the rank of |
Brigadier General or Commodore. |
12. When making the first visit in port to |
commanding officers and on occasions |
of ceremony and duty on |
shore where such uniform would be |
appropriate. |
13. When serving upon Coast Guard service |
courts. |
14. At muster on Sundays other than the |
first Sunday of each month. |
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15. On all occasions of ordinary duty and | Service dress or
service. | white service
| dress.
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16. On occasions of ceremony in the evening|
to which officers are invited in | Evening dress
their official capacity, such as | uniform.
public balls, dinners and evening |
receptions. |
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When serving as a part of the Navy during war the uniform prescribed
for all ordinary occasions of duty is service dress, blue or white
depending upon the temperature and weather.
_The Full Dress Uniform_ consists of a frock coat of dark blue cloth;
trousers of dark blue cloth with a stripe of gold lace braid down each
outer leg seam, the stripe being one inch wide for all officers above
the rank of Third Lieutenant and one-half inch for Third Lieutenant;
gold shoulder knots; full dress cap; white gloves; black shoes; and the
sword suspended by slings from a full dress belt, the belt and slings
being covered with gold lace braid, the belts for all lieutenants and
officers of corresponding rank having four stripes of dark blue silk
woven through the gold braid.
[Illustration: U. S. Coast Guard. Officers’ sleeve braiding indicating
rank
Gold braid on full dress, dress, evening dress and blue service coats.
Black braid on overcoats, without the shields
1. Captain Commandant 2. Senior Captain
3. Captain 4. First Lieutenant]
[Illustration: U. S. Coast Guard. Officers’ sleeve braiding indicating
rank
Gold braid on full dress, dress, evening dress and blue service coats.
Black braid on overcoats, without the shields
1. Second Lieutenant 2. Third Lieutenant
3. Engineer in Chief 4. Lieutenant of Engineers]
The full dress coat extends nearly to the knee, is double-breasted with
two rows of gilt Coast Guard buttons, nine in each row, has a standing
collar trimmed with gold lace braid, the braid being one-half inch wide
for officers of the rank of Third Lieutenant and one inch wide for
officers above that rank. The sleeves are trimmed with stripes of gold
braid as shown in the illustrations, the number of stripes for officers
of the Line being as follows:
_Captain Commandant._—Four stripes one-half inch wide, the lower stripe
two inches above the edge of the cuff, and a gold embroidered shield
one inch high above the stripes.
_Senior Captain._—Three stripes of one-half inch wide with the gold
shield above.
_Captain._—Two stripes one-half inch wide with one stripe one-quarter
of an inch wide between them and the gold shield above.
_First Lieutenant._—Two stripes one-half inch wide with the gold shield
above.
_Second Lieutenant._—One stripe one-half inch wide with one stripe
one-quarter inch wide above it and the gold shield above.
_Third Lieutenant._—One stripe one-half inch wide and the gold shield
above.
_Engineer Officers_ wear the same stripes as prescribed for officers of
the Line of corresponding rank, but not the gold shield.
_Constructors and District Superintendents_ wear the same stripes
as officers of the Line of corresponding ranks with the addition
of stripes of distinctive color between the gold stripes; these
distinctive stripes being of light brown velvet for Constructors and of
light green cloth for District Superintendents.
The shoulder knots are made of gold wire cord and consist of a twisted
strap terminating in an oval pad. The Corps insignia of the Coast Guard
consisting of a silver foul anchor one and five-eighths inches long
surcharged with a gold shield and the insignia of rank are embroidered
upon the gold lace in the center of the pad.
The full dress cap for commissioned officers is made of dark blue
cloth, bell-crowned, with a sloping visor of leather covered with dark
blue cloth, the visors for Captain Commandant, Senior Captain and
Captains being decorated with a design of oak leaves and those for
the Engineer in Chief and Captains of Engineers being decorated with
a one-half inch gold band around the edge. The Coast Guard insignia
are embroidered on the fronts of the caps and consist of a gold spread
eagle with a silver shield upon his breast, the talons of the eagle
resting upon a silver foul anchor. Across the front of the cap just
above the visor is a chin strap of one-half inch gold braid secured by
a small gilt button at each end of the visor. The full dress cap for
the Captain Commandant only has a narrow welt of gold braid around the
upper edge of the crown.
The full dress belt for the Captain Commandant, Senior Captains,
Captains and Staff officers of corresponding rank is covered with gold
lace braid and that for Lieutenants and Staff officers of corresponding
rank is covered with gold lace braid having four narrow stripes of dark
blue silk woven through it.
_The Dress Uniform._—Is the same as the full dress except that plain
trousers of dark blue or white are worn.
[Illustration: U. S. Coast Guard. Officers’ shoulder marks indicating
rank
Worn on the white service uniform coat and the overcoat. The shields
above the stripes indicate Line officers. Gold stripes without the
shields indicate Engineer officers. Light brown stripes between the
gold stripes. Constructors. Light green stripes between the gold
stripes, District Superintendent.
1. Captain Commandant 2. Senior Captain 3. Captain
4. First Lieutenant 5. Second Lieutenant 6. Third Lieutenant
7. Engineer Officers 8. Staff Officers 9. Staff Officers]
[Illustration: U. S. Coast Guard. Warrant officers’ collar insignia
1. Master’s Mate 2. Keeper 3. Boatswain 4. Gunner 5. Carpenter
6. Machinist]
_The Service Dress Uniform_ consists of the blue or white service coat,
plain blue or white trousers and the blue or white service cap, black
shoes being worn with the blue uniform and white shoes with the white
uniform. When the sword is worn with this uniform it is suspended from
a belt of black leather worn under the coat.
_The Blue Service Coat_ is made of dark blue cloth or serge, with a
standing collar, single-breasted, extending to about ten inches below
the waist, trimmed around the collar, down both front edges, around the
bottom and up the side seams of the back with black mohair braid one
and one-quarter inches wide. The sleeves bear the same gold stripes
indicating the rank of the wearer as those on the full dress coat, and
on both sides of the collar are embroidered the insignia of rank with
the insignia indicating Line or Staff in rear of it.
These insignia for commissioned officers of the Line are as follows:
_Captain Commandant_ A silver spread eagle with a
shield upon his breast.
_Senior Captain_ A silver oak leaf.
_Captain_ A gold oak leaf.
_First Lieutenant_ Two silver bars.
_Second Lieutenant_ One silver bar.
_Third Lieutenant_ No insignia of rank, the Coast
Guard insignia only being worn.
The Coast Guard insignia worn on the collar by commissioned officers of
the Line consist of a silver foul anchor surcharged with a gold shield.
Officers of the Staff Corps (Engineers and Constructors) wear the
insignia of rank of their corresponding rank in the Line and instead
of the Coast Guard insignia worn by the Line officers they wear the
insignia of their corps, as follows:
_Engineer Officers._—A silver foul anchor surcharged with four gold oak
leaves.
_Constructors._—A silver foul anchor surcharged with a branch of gold
leaves.
_The White Service Coat_ for commissioned officers is a single-breasted
coat of the same length as the blue service coat, with standing collar,
buttoned with a single row of five Coast Guard gilt buttons, and having
on each breast a pocket with a flap buttoned by a small gilt button.
Shoulder marks indicating the rank and corps of the wearer are worn
with this coat.
_Shoulder Marks._—The shoulder marks worn on the shoulders of the white
service coat and also upon the shoulders of the overcoat to indicate
the rank and corps of the wearer are five inches long and two and a
quarter inches wide, covered with dark blue cloth, and decorated with
gold stripes and corps insignia to indicate the rank and corps of the
wearer, these stripes and insignia being the same for the various
ranks and corps as those worn on the sleeves of the full dress coat as
previously described.
_The Blue Service Cap_ is of the same shape and design as the full
dress cap except that the braid around the band is of black mohair
and the visor is made of black patent leather, the decorations on the
visor for the Captain Commandant, Senior Captains, Captains, Engineer
in Chief and Captains of Engineers being of gold embroidery the same as
for the full dress cap.
_The White Service Cap_ is of the same shape and description as the
blue service cap except that the sides and crown above the band are of
white duck.
[Illustration: U. S. Coast Guard. Petty officers’ chevrons
1. Master-at-Arms 2. Signal Quartermaster 3. Water Tender
4. Electrician, Third Class]
[Illustration: U. S. Coast Guard. Petty officers’ specialty marks
1. Wheelman 2. Electrician 3. Coxswain 4. Sailmaker
5. Carpenter, Plumber, Painter 6. Yeoman 7. Blacksmith
8. Bayman 9. Bugler]
_The Sword and Sword Knot_ are the same as those for the officers of
the U. S. Navy except that the letters “U. S. C. G.” are etched upon
one side of the blade.
_The Overcoat for Commissioned Officers_ of the Coast Guard is the same
as that for officers of the U. S. Navy (see page 116), the rank and
corps being indicated by the shoulder knots the same as those worn on
the white service coat, and the rank also being indicated by stripes
of black braid upon the sleeves, the number and widths of the stripes
being the same as for the full dress and blue service coats.
_The Cloak for Commissioned Officers_ is the same as that for officers
of the U. S. Navy (see page 117).
The Warrant officers of the U. S. Coast Guard are required to have
complete outfits of blue dress, blue service dress, and for all except
the Keepers of Life-Saving Stations, white service uniforms. The
Keepers of Life-Saving Stations are required to have an olive-drab
cotton service uniform in lieu of the white service uniform required
for other warrant officers.
_The Blue Dress Uniform_ for Warrant officers is the same as the blue
service uniform for commissioned officers except that in place of the
gold braid on the sleeves of the coat there is one stripe of black
mohair braid one inch in width, and on each side of the collar the
insignia of rank are worn, these insignia being for the various ranks
as follows:
_Master’s Mate_ Two gilt foul anchors crossed surcharged
with a silver shield.
_Keeper_ A gilt life buoy surcharged with two gilt
oars crossed.
_Boatswain_ Two gilt foul anchors crossed.
_Gunner_ A gilt spherical shell bursting into flame.
_Carpenter_ A gilt carpenter’s square.
_Machinist_ A gilt propeller wheel.
_The Blue Service Uniform_ is the same as the blue dress uniform.
_The White Service Uniform_ for Warrant officers is the same as that
for the commissioned officers except that the shoulder marks are not
worn on the coat, the rank being indicated by metal insignia worn on
the collar as described for the blue service coat, and the insignia
worn upon the cap being two gilt foul anchors crossed and surmounted by
a silver shield.
_The Olive-drab Service Uniform_ worn by the Keepers of Life-Saving
Stations is of the same design as the white service uniform worn by
other warrant officers but the buttons and insignia worn with it are of
dull finish bronze metal.
_The Overcoat for Warrant Officers_ is the same as that for
commissioned officers except that there are no stripes on the sleeves
and the shoulder marks are not worn with it.
_The Sword and Belt_ worn by warrant officers is the same as that worn
by commissioned officers with service uniform.
UNIFORMS OF ENLISTED MEN OF THE COAST GUARD
The uniforms of the enlisted men of the Coast Guard are practically the
same in style and design as those worn by the enlisted men of the U. S.
Navy with minor differences in the buttons and insignia of rank and the
rating badges and specialty marks.
The uniforms of the Chief Petty Officers have the buttons of the Coast
Guard design on the coats and the insignia on the caps consisting of a
vertical gilt foul anchor surmounted by a silver shield.
For Surfmen stationed at Life-Saving Stations the summer uniform is
made of olive-drab cotton duck and the buttons and insignia worn upon
the coats and caps are of dull finish bronze metal.
The insignia of rank or rating for Petty Officers are worn upon the
right sleeve of the coat or shirt midway between the shoulder seam and
the elbow, and consist of a chevron with a spread eagle above it and a
specialty mark below the eagle in the upper angle of the chevron.
The chevron is worn with the point down and is made of stripes of cloth
three-eighths of an inch wide set one-quarter of an inch apart, these
stripes being of scarlet cloth for blue coats and shirts and of blue
cloth for white and olive-drab coats and shirts.
The eagle and the specialty marks are embroidered in white silk for
blue coats and shirts and in blue silk for white and olive-drab coats
and shirts.
The chevron for Chief Petty Officers consists of three stripes with an
arc of a circle connecting the ends of the upper stripe; that for First
class petty officers of three stripes, that for Second class petty
officers of two stripes and that for Third class petty officers of one
stripe, as illustrated.
_The Specialty Marks_ indicating the particular duty or assignment of
the petty officers and of certain other men having special duties are,
as shown in the illustrations, as follows:
_Master-at-Arms._—An upright shield.
_No. 1 Surfman._—A circular life buoy surmounted by two oars crossed.
_Signal Quartermaster._—Two flags crossed diagonally.
_Wheelman._—A ship’s steering wheel with eight spokes.
_Coxswain._—A vertical anchor crossed by a horizontal arrow.
_Electrician._—A hemisphere on a vertical axis.
_Electricians, First, Second and Third Class._—A device representing
forked lightning, four streaks.
_Sailmakers._—A closed clew iron with two eyes.
_Blacksmith._—Two sledges crossed diagonally.
_Yeoman and Ships Writer._—Two quill pens crossed diagonally.
_Machinist and Oiler._—A ship’s propeller with three blades.
_Water Tender._—A valve wheel with six spokes.
_First and Second Class Carpenters, Plumbers and Painters._—Two axes
crossed diagonally.
_Bayman_ (_Hospital Nurse_).—A red Geneva cross.
_Service Stripes._—For each three years service in the Coast Guard or
U. S. Navy an enlisted man of the Coast Guard wears one service stripe.
These stripes are three-eighths of an inch wide and eight inches long
and are worn diagonally across the outer side of the left sleeve of the
coat or shirt. They are made of scarlet cloth for blue coats and shirts
and of blue cloth for white and olive-drab coats and shirts.
_Branch Marks._—All enlisted men of the Coast Guard except buglers
and mess attendants wear a narrow stripe around the shoulder seam of
the right sleeve of the uniform shirts to indicate the branch of the
service to which they belong; the stripe being red for the Engineer’s
force and for all others white on blue shirts and blue on white shirts.
_Buttons._—The metal buttons for the Coast Guard have a plain outer rim
with an inner rim of rope design enclosing a design in relief, this
design consisting of a vertical foul anchor surmounted by an eagle with
the wings lifting with a wreath of laurel on one side of the anchor
and a wreath of oak leaves on the other side. The buttons are of
bright gilt for blue and white clothes and of dull finish bronze for
olive-drab clothes.
Enlisted men of the Coast Guard wear a black silk cap ribbon on the
blue flat cap, the ribbon for men serving aboard ship having the name
of the ship and the letters “C. G.,” thus,
U. S. S. ALGONQUIN, C. G.
and the ribbon for men serving at shore stations having the inscription,
U. S. COAST GUARD.
_Leggings._—When on landing duty or guard duty ashore officers and
enlisted men wear leggings of olive-drab similar to those worn in the
U. S. Navy.
_Gloves_ of iron gray wool are worn by enlisted men in cold weather.
[Illustration: SEAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE]