There is very little documentation regarding the form and function of the United States Maritime Service Maritime Shore Patrol (MSP); nor even a standard naming convention. Literature refers to the organization as:
Maritime Shore Patrol
Maritime Service Patrol
Maritime Service Shore Patrol
Administratively, the United States Maritime Service (USMS) Inspection Office oversaw MSP’s activities. In practical terms, MSP members manned the gates at United States Maritime Service facilities and training stations, and stood watch at the Officer of the Day office. By 1944, MSP comprised of fifteen units.
For a brief moment, MSP captured the public’s attention in January-May 1944 by participating in an investigation initiated by the USMS Inspection Office: it patrolled the waterfront and determined if individuals were wearing USMS uniforms they were rated to wear; please see article here.
For a visual identity, there are scant few photographs. I am basing my analysis on photographs from the following:
United States Maritime Service Officers’ Handbook, published 1944
The Los Angeles Herald Examiner, published in May 1944
The Mast Magazine, published in August 1944
Fort Trumbell USMS Officers School annual, published 1945
1944 regulations show MSP members wearing a brassard in Navy-blue with the letters MSP in red. Photographs show brassard wear on the left arm (or the sleeve which lacked a rating badge). Despite US Navy protestations that USMS personnel, in general, to not wear headwear that may confuse them with US Navy seamen, USMS MSP enlisted men wore white caps with undress blues and black silk rolled neckerchiefs. MSP chief petty officers wore USMS CPO uniforms with the same brassard. All were provided with batons and a white web cartridge belt – albeit without ammunition pouches and no gun holster. The batons were not standardized; note the difference in style between the Herald Examiner photograph and that in the gate photograph from Fort Trumbell. MSP enlisted men did wear canvas gaiters. MSP members wore both identification breast badges and breast shields at Fort Trumbell although, the jury is out for the other training stations regarding whether or not they wore badges of any sort. MSP Chief Petty Officers wore the standard cross-anchors cap badge through the war and into the late 1940s. There is no indication that MSP personnel wore helmets like the US Navy Shore Patrol.
At training stations, there were only a few members of MSP. For example, Fort Trumbell placed MSP within the Disclipinary Department and had eight at any given point in time, including a leading Chief Petty Officer who had the rate of CPY – Chief Paymaster’s Yeoman. Since the USMS probably followed in the tradition of the U. S. Navy, where members of the Shore Patrol were most often temporarily assigned personnel except for Chief, there was no dedicated rate for those who served in MSP. The Herald Examiner photograph shows a member wearing a rate with crossed anchors; this rate is not among those enumerated within USMS Enlisted Specialty Marks of the period – but, the caption does give the rate as “seaman.”
MSP Collection
All of the items in the collection detailed below came from the estate of someone who once worked for the USMS. In analyzing the collection, the old owner’s progression of ranks goes from Yeoman Petty Officer 3rd Class to Yeoman Petty Officer 1st Class, ending with Boatswain’s Mate Chief Petty Officer (Crossed Anchors is rate symbol for either Seaman or Boatswain’s Mate). The rating badges without USMS were old-style patches and were used from 1941-1943; all others are from 1943 onward. If we are to go by patch manufacture year, the owner was a Yeoman Petty Officer 2nd Class as late 1943 and advanced quickly through the end of the war.
The cap badge is my identified USMS Standard Type 2, Variant 2 – having cut-out eyes; it was current between 1942 and 1945.
The breast shield indicates it was used on station in some capacity – the abbreviation USMSTS stands for United States Maritime Service Training Station.
There is a curious aiguillette; although its scarlet color corresponds to US Army Coast Artillery Corps, the owner most probably wore it in a ceremonial role as a member of the MSP and it was not a memento of previous military service – it was most likely at a wreath-laying, on parade, or for a Maritime Day function.
The quintessential MSP brassard. This example is constructed of thick felt with sewn-on felt letters. There are no manufacturer tags of any sort.
