Army and Navy Uniforms and Insignia / How to Know Rank, Corps and Service in the Military and Naval Forces of the United States and Foreign Countries

by Dion Williams

U. S. NAVAL OFFICERS’ UNIFORMS

Copyright, G. V. Buck, Washington, D. C.

Admiral William S. Benson
Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy

Commissioned officers of the Navy are required to have complete outfits of special full dress, evening dress, full dress, undress, blue service dress and white service dress uniforms; the occasions upon which the various uniforms are required to be worn by officers of the Navy and the Marine Corps being given in the official regulations as follows:

Occasion.	Uniform.
1. State occasions, at home or abroad.	NAVY.—Special full dress, or white special full dress. MARINE CORPS.—Special full dress (with full dress trousers, if in line with troops), or white special full dress.
2. Receiving or being received by the President, an ex-President, the Vice President, or the Secretary of the Navy of the United States, or the sovereign, chief executive or ruler of any country, or any member of a royal family, or an ambassador of the United States or of any country, at home or abroad.
3. At ceremonies, solemnities, or entertainments, when desirable to do special honor to the occasion.
4. At general inspection on the first Saturday in the month. In inclement weather, service dress may be prescribed.
5. First visits to officers of flag rank, or exchanging visits of ceremony with foreign officials.	Navy.—Full dress, or white full dress. Marine Corps.—Special full dress (with full dress trousers, if in line with troops), or white full dress.
6. Ceremonies, solemnities, or entertainments where dress uniform is not sufficient.
7. Reception of—	Navy.—Dress, or white dress. Marine Corps.— Special full dress (with full dress trousers, if in line with troops), or white undress.
(a) Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
(b) Member of the President’s Cabinet other than the Secretary of the Navy.
(c) Chief Justice of the United States.
(d) Governor general of islands or groups of islands occupied by the United States, visiting a ship or station officially, within the waters or limits of his government.
(e) Governor of one of the States or Territories of the United States, visiting a ship or station within the waters or limits of his government.
(f) President of the Senate.
(g) Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(h) Committee of Congress.
(i) Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, minister resident, or other diplomatic representative of or above the rank of chargé d’affaires, within the waters of the nation to which he is accredited.
(j) Flag officer going aboard his flagship to assume command; also when he relinquishes command.
8. First visit in port to commanding officers, and ordinary occasions of duty and ceremony on shore.	Navy.—Dress, or white dress. Marine Corps.—Special full dress (with full dress trousers, if in line with troops), or white undress.
9. At Saturday morning inspection, except the first in the month. In inclement or hot weather, service dress or white service dress may be prescribed, in either case with swords.
10. Reporting for duty.	Navy.—Undress, or white undress. Marine Corps.—Undress, or white undress.
11. Serving as member of a general court-martial, court of inquiry, examining or retiring board.	Navy.—Undress, or white undress. Marine Corps.—Undress, or white undress, or field dress.

U. S. Naval officers’ special full dress uniform
GunnerRear Admiral

U. S. Naval officer. Full dress uniform

Rank: Lieutenant, indicated by the stripes on the sleeve; the tops of the epaulets also bear the insignia of rank.

Corps: The Line of the Navy, indicated by the star on the sleeve.

Occasion.	Uniform.
12. Serving as member of a summary court-martial.	Navy and Marine Corps.—The uniform of the day with side arms.
13. Serving as judge advocate of a general court-martial, or court of inquiry, recorder of a summary court-martial, deck court officer, member of a board| other than an examining or retiring board, witness before a court or board, counsel for the accused.	Navy and Marine Corps.—The uniform of the day.
14. Upon occasions of special ceremony, by officers on duty with enlisted men under arms on shore, when the uniform prescribed for other officers| is special full dress or full dress.	Navy.—Undress with leggings, or white undress with leggings. Marine Corps.—Full dress, or white undress. (No leggings ever to be worn with full dress.)
15. Visiting foreign officers other than commanding officers.	Navy.—Undress, or white undress, without swords. Marine Corps.—Undress or white undress, without swords.
16. At informal daytime receptions, to which officers are invited in their official capacity, when frock coats are appropriate.
17. At all times not otherwise provided for.	Navy.—Service dress or white service dress when suitable). Marine Corps.—Undress (or white undress when suitable) without swords.
18. On duty with enlisted men under arms ashore, except as specified in No. 14.	Navy.—Service dress, blue or white, as prescribed, and leggings, with swords (or revolvers or both). Marine Corps.—Undress, or field dress, with or without leggings, as prescribed; revolvers also if prescribed.
19. When prescribed by the senior officer present.	Navy.—White service dress with blue trousers. Marine Corps.—White undress with blue undress trousers, without swords.
20. At the option of and under restrictions imposed by the commanding officer, when the uniform of the day is white service dress; to be worn only by officers on board their own ship or at exercise in boats.
21. Ceremonies in the evening to which officers are invited in their official capacity, such as public balls, dinners, and evening receptions. In hot weather, and in other circumstances where appropriate, dinner dress may be prescribed.	Navy.—Evening full dress. Marine Corps.—Special full dress or mess dress.
22. At informal evening occasions to which officers are invited in their official capacity. In hot weather, or in other circumstances where appropriate, mess dress may be prescribed.	Navy.—Evening dress. Marine Corps.—Mess dress.

Photo by Harris & Ewing, Washington, D. C.

U. S. Naval officer. Blue service uniform

Rank: Lieutenant Commander, shown by the gold leaf on the collar and the stripes on the sleeve.

Corps: Line of the Navy, shown by the anchor on the collar and the star on the sleeve.

Photo by G. V. Buck, Washington, D. C.

U. S. Naval officer. White service uniform

Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade, indicated by the stripes on the shoulder marks.

Corps: The Line of the Navy, indicated by the stars on the shoulder marks.

Occasion.	Uniform.
23. On occasions of ceremony, as in No. 19, or in hot weather and other circumstances where appropriate, as a substitute for Uniform C.	Navy.—Dinner dress. Marine Corps.—Mess dress, with white mess jacket.
24. On ordinary social occasions in the evening to which officers are invited in their official capacity, and where hot weather and other circumstances make it appropriate.	Navy.—Mess dress. Marine Corps.—Mess dress, with white mess jacket. White trousers may be prescribed for both Navy and Marine Corps.
25. When authorized under No. 21 by the commanding officer.

In time of war the uniform prescribed for all ordinary occasions of duty is service dress, blue or white depending upon the temperature and weather.

The special full dress uniform consists of the cocked hat, a double breasted coat with tails at the back only as is the case in the ordinary civilian evening dress coat, trousers with gold stripes down the outer leg seams, black shoes, gold epaulets and the sword carried from a belt and slings of black cloth having gold stripes through it.

The full dress uniform consists of the same trousers, cocked hat, sword and belt as for special full dress, with a double-breasted frock coat with a rolling collar and lapels, and gold epaulets.

The evening dress uniform consists of a dark blue cloth evening dress coat and a white waistcoat cut after the prevailing style for civilian evening dress but fitted with gilt navy buttons, plain dark blue trousers, black patent leather shoes and the blue or white cap. Epaulets and full dress trousers (with the gold stripes on them) may be prescribed, in which case the uniform is known as evening full dress and the cocked hat is worn with it. For wear in hot weather a mess jacket of white is prescribed, cut after the fashion of the evening dress coat but without tails. The shoulder marks are worn with the mess jacket to indicate corps and rank, and either white or blue trousers may be worn with it.

The undress uniform consists of the frock coat without epaulets, plain dark blue or white trousers, the blue or white undress cap, black shoes and the sword carried from a black leather belt and slings.

The blue service dress uniform consists of a dark blue single breasted coat extending to about eight inches below the waist, with standing collar, buttoned up the front with the buttons concealed by a fly-front, and trimmed around the collar, down the front, around the bottom and up the side seams of the back with one and a quarter inch black mohair braid, the undress cap, plain dark blue trousers and black shoes. The white cap and white trousers are sometimes worn with the blue service dress coat.

The white service dress uniform consists of a single-breasted white duck coat extending to about eight inches below the waist, with standing collar, buttoned up the front with five large size gilt navy buttons, with a patch pocket on each breast closed by a flap at the top buttoned by a small size gilt navy button, without braid trimming, and having on each shoulder a shoulder strap (known in the service as a “shoulder mark”) about five inches long and two and a quarter inches wide bearing the insignia which indicates the corps or branch of the Navy to which the wearer belongs and his rank as an officer, plain white trousers, white cap and white shoes.

Photo by G. V. Buck, Washington, D. C.

U. S. Navy. Officer in overcoat

Rank: Lieutenant, indicated by the stripes on the shoulder marks and on the sleeves

U. S. Naval officers’ cocked hats and caps

1. Cocked hat, commissioned officers below Flag rank.

2. White cap, officers below rank of Commander.

3. Cocked hat, Flag officers.

4. Flag Officers’ cap.

5. Cap, Captain and Commander.

6. Cap, Staff Officers of Flag rank.

7. Staff Officers, rank of Captain and Commander.

8. Chaplain, rank of Captain and Commander.

9. Cap of officers below rank of Commander.

10. Cap, Warrant Officers.

11. Tropical helmet (not worn at present).

The winter service aviation uniform consists of a cap, coat, breeches and spiral wrap puttees of forestry-green woolen cloth, and tan leather shoes. The cap is exactly the same design and style as the white service cap except that the material of the crown above the black mohair band is of forestry-green cloth. The coat is the same as the white service uniform coat except that the material is forestry-green cloth. Standard navy gilt buttons are worn on this coat and the rank is shown by shoulder marks the same as those worn with the white service coat.