Uniforms of the Russian Navy
The uniforms of the officers and enlisted men differ in many respects from those which are common to the navies of the other principal powers.
The officers’ uniforms are as a rule made of a dark green cloth for dress and winter wear and of white cotton or linen for hot weather.
The prescribed uniforms are full dress, dress, undress and service (working) dress.
The full dress uniform consists of a cocked hat, tunic with standing collar, epaulets, and trousers with gold lace braid on the outer leg seams.
The dress uniform consists of a cap, double-breasted frock coat, with epaulets, and plain trousers.
Russian Navy. Officers’ sleeve decorations indicating rank
| 1. Admiral | 2. Vice Admiral | 3. Rear Admiral |
| 4. Captain | 5. Commander | 6. Lieutenant Commander |
| 7. Lieutenant | 8. Sub Lieutenant | 9. Warrant Officer |
The undress uniform is the same as the dress uniform without epaulets.
The service or working uniform consists of a cap, a short single breasted tunic of dark blue cloth and plain trousers.
In hot weather a similar uniform of white cotton or linen material is worn.
An overcoat of black cloth and a heavier one of gray cloth with a fur collar are worn by officers.
In May, 1917, the shoulder straps and the insignia of rank formerly worn upon them were abolished and stripes on the sleeves above the cuff to indicate rank with distinctive colors to indicate the Staff corps, were adopted for all uniform coats and the overcoat.
These stripes for the different grades of rank are as shown by the accompanying illustrations.
Officers of the Line and of the Engineer Corps wear gold stripes, and officers of the Medical Corps, Naval Constructor Corps, Judge Advocate’s Corps, and Paymasters wear silver stripes, with the stripes edged with cloth of a distinctive color for each corps.
These distinctive colors are:
| Medical officers | White. |
| Naval Constructors | Red. |
| Judges Advocate | Crimson. |
Paymasters wear silver stripes without the “curl” and without edgings of colored cloth.
Officers wear a sword on all occasions of dress and ceremony, but on occasions of ordinary duty they wear a short dirk in place of the sword.
The warrant officers of the Russian Navy wear uniforms similar to those worn by commissioned officers, the distinguishing mark being a narrow gold stripe around the sleeves above the cuff.
Enlisted men wear black cloth trousers, a jersey with blue and white horizontal stripes and a blue jumper.
The caps are similar to those worn by enlisted men of the British Navy.
The name of the ship is given on the cap ribbon as in other navies, this ribbon being tied at the back so that it hangs down in streamers.
White duck uniforms of the same pattern as the blue ones are worn in hot weather.
The ratings of petty officers are indicated by badges worn on the sleeves above the elbow; these badges are at present being revised and hence cannot be accurately given.
All enlisted men are provided with short overcoats of gray cloth.