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:
| Occasion. | Uniform. |
|---|---|
1. State occasions at home and abroad. | Full dress. |
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 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. | |
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 Representative 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. | |
15. On all occasions of ordinary duty and service. | Service dress or white service dress. |
16. On occasions of ceremony in the evening to which officers are invited in their official capacity, such as public balls, dinners and evening receptions. | Evening dress uniform. |
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.
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 |
U. S. Coast Guard. Officers’ sleeve braiding indicating rank