Last week a photograph originally in Mr. Bob Lind’s “Neighbors” column in the Fargo, North Dakota newspaper, The Forum, appeared in an online group about the Merchant Marine of the Second World War. The question in both places was, does anyone recognize the group? No one offered anything definitive.
Neighbors ran this photo last year. Kimberly Paulson-Schulman, formerly of Fargo and now of Burbank, Calif., found it in a resale shop in Burbank, saw it was framed in Fargo and sent it to Neighbors, hoping someone could identify the people in it and tell of the occasion on which it was taken.
There was some speculation about the time period based on the uniform of the U.S. Army officer in the second row from the front (sixth from the left).
The ship is definitely a merchant/cargo ship (see the king posts and cargo booms in the background), […]
The time frame is probably late WWII or immediately post-war, or perhaps the Korean War, by the looks of the Army officer’s uniform.
Perhaps.
For the student of Merchant Marine insignia, what is striking about the photograph is how it captures a period of flux in terms of United States Maritime Service (USMS) uniform insignia. Unlike the seemingly timeless look of the wartime U.S. Navy gob, the USMS tinkered with its uniforms and insignia to promote uniformity and to cultivate a distinctive visual culture of identification and rank. Fortunately, the pastiche of insignia aids in dating photographs such as this one.
Within the photograph above, a majority of the individuals are merchant seamen with the exception of the Royal Navy Chief Petty Officers flanking the last row, and the U.S. naval officer to the left of the second row and U.S. Army officer on the far right of the same. Each of them gives an example of the array of uniforms and insignia at the time.
Third Row
The Royal Navy Chief Petty Officers flanking both sides of the row wear the standard Royal Navy doeskin coat – a medium weight wool fabric which is usually softer and less densely napped than the melton worn by U.S. Navy. Since there does not appear to be any insignia on their lapels, they could possibly be wearing a Class I, Number I dress uniform. The cap badges are distinctly not those of a Royal Navy Officer. For the duration of the Second World War, the design and cut of the RN CPO uniform remained unchanged.
A keen difference between U.S. Navy and Royal Navy caps are both the names used for the caps and the chin straps on them. The U.S. Navy calls them combination caps and the Royal Navy, peaked caps. British chin straps are all democratically black leather, whereas the U.S. Navy uses gold braid in varying widths for officers, warrant officers, and midshipmen. U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officers use black patent leather chin straps. In the United States, the gold braid is reminiscent of the officer cap band of gold bullion worn in the decade between 1852 and 1862; up until 1869 officers wore a leather chin strap when regulations replaced it with a gold cap cord. The cord attained its current flat strap in after the Spanish-American War in 1904.
The two American merchant seamen second and third from the right, are both wearing the cap badge used by the USMS training cadre and Merchant Marine licensed officers who joined the USMS of their own volition. Licensed officers usually joined after the completion of upgrade courses at one of the few USMS officer schools or upon petition. The USMS did not advertise itself in trade publications, rather was learned of by “word of mouth.” The former seaman appears to be a licensed officer onboard a cargo vessel by virtue of the fact his cap is without a crown stiffener; mates and ABs often wore their caps without stiffeners as a practical measure on “working boats” – they needed to poke their heads into cramped spaces. The cap badge design was worn from Summer 1942 and as late as March 1943; by September 1943, these cap badges were abolished by U.S. War Shipping Administration. In their place came the familiar stamped-metal USMS officer cap badge. The seaman on the left has the USMS rank of ensign; however, he may also be wearing company-provided shoulder boards indicating him as a junior mate (probably a third mate).
The Army Transport Service (ATS) officer – fourth from left – is wearing an older embroidered ATS cap badge in use early in Second World War and up until August 1945. For most of the war, the U.S. Army’s fleet was divided into three divisions: ATS, Harbor Boat Service (HBS), and Inter-Island Service; each with minute gradations of insignia. This individual is an Engineer, Mate, or a Pilot in HBS as is evident by his black patent-leather chinstrap.
The merchant seamen fifth and sixth from the left are wearing the aforementioned USMS cap badge. The former is distinctly wearing the shoulder boards of a second mate in industry. The latter is wearing the shoulder boards of a USMS Lieutenant (Junior Grade); his boards appear to have the rope-ringed shield device of the USMS.
Second row
The merchant seaman in the first position in the second row is wearing a USMS cap badge. His khaki coat lacks shoulder boards. If it is lacking the loops for shoulder boards, it would be of the same cut as a Chief Petty officer or a U.S. Army officer; however, he is not wearing insignia of any kind. Often, junior stewards also wore the same cut of coat.
The U.S. Navy ensign – second from left – is wearing the post-May 1941 stamped-metal U.S. naval officer cap badge. As a design note, prior to 1941, officer cap badges were primarily embroidered. On his collar are ensign bars; U.S. naval officers were authorized to wear pin-on rank devices on khaki starting in May 1941. His shoulder boards indicate the same.
The merchant seaman third from the left and the individual forth from the left both wearing Maritime Service insignia at a crossroads. On the left, the seaman is wearing the cap badge of either a USMS training cadre or an individual who enrolled as an officer in the USMS; his shoulder boards are of an older style current from 1939 through 1943. His shoulder boards indicate he is a commander in the USMS; note USMS rank and shipboard position were sometimes not synchronous – for instance: a master of a ship might wear four stripes as part of maritime tradition, but tonnage of the ship would determine his appointed USMS rank – below a cut-off, and they may be appointed as a commander. Interestingly enough, his cap’s visor is without embellishment – something he rates as a commander.
The individual to the right is wearing the cap badge of a District Instructor as established in January 1942. In March 1943, it became the cap device of all USMS officers. If his shoulder boards were fully visible, having a USMS shield encircled by a cable, an anchor in a wreath, or U.S. Maritime Commission shield would determine his organization. His shoulder boards indicate he is a captain or master. Of interest is the central device of his cap badge; it is a U.S. Maritime Commission shield, it originally indicated the wearer is responsible for individuals enrolled in the U.S. Maritime Commission Cadet Corps or is a Cadet Officer within the same. On his visor are “scrambled eggs” or “chicken guts” (as the saying goes) – a decorative device reserved those who hold the rank of commander and above (e.g. commander, captain, commodore or admiral). He’s probably the “old man.”
The seaman fifth from the left is wearing a USMS cap badge current 1942 through March 1943. His shoulder boards indicate his rank as a captain – USMS or otherwise. Of interest is his cap’s visor – it is unadorned. He may be a Chief Engineer or a surgeon; both could wear captain boards, but not being in a command role, often did not wear “scrambled eggs.” This was a tradition often followed aboard merchant ships of the period; in 1944, USMS regulations explicitly illustrated and captioned commander and above as those who could wear “scrambled eggs.”
Around this time, there was a culture shift in the industry. On the eve of the Second World War (and I would argue the sentiment may be the roots of Zombo culture at Kings point), within the maritime community, there were those who took the rank and role of their station seriously; they would wear the lace, the buttons, and the uniform to keep the appearance of authority. Whereas there were others who saw the trappings of the military and pomp as a hindrance to doing work. In the latter group would be the radicalized seamen who survived the bloody union clashes of the 1930s or simply those who saw value in work itself. If this were the case, he might be the “old man” and the previous fellow a surgeon who’s just thrilled to be in uniform.
Last in the row is a U.S. Army infantry captain replete with a marksman badge and several ribbons. A comment in the article which accompanies the photograph states most succinctly:
My dad (may he rest in peace) was a WWII and Korean War Army officer and he wore that uniform back then — green brown (called olive drab) jacket and light khaki trousers that he derisively referred to as ‘pinks.’
First Row
The USMS officer first from the left is wearing the same USMS cap badge as his peers. Of interest is his wearing shoulder boards of the USMS circa March 1943. He may be a newly-minted deck officer straight from a USMS Officer school. His rank is ensign.
The USMS officer third from the right is wearing USMS “Administrative officer” purser shoulder boards; these staff corps shoulder boards first appeared in March 1943, with the design later abolished in 1944.
The Cadet-midshipmen – second and fourth from left – are both wearing cap badges that came out in 1939 and abolished in July 1944; but their shoulder boards are circa January 1942 and are those of a fourth-class cadet-midshipman. The individual on the left is a cadet in the Deck program, and the individual on the right is on the Engine program. Among the merchant seamen, the design of their shoulder boards – down to the securing bodkin – has remained relatively unchanged in design up through the Vietnam War era.
The context of the photograph revolves around the presence of the cadet-midshipmen. I suspect this photograph was probably taken aboard a troop ship prior to them shipping out. The clue to this is cadet-midshipmen invariably shipped-out in pairs: one in the Deck program and the other in the Engine program. If they were visiting a ship, they would probably be section-mates of the same program. The junior U.S. Navy officer may be leading a U.S. Navy Armed Guard unit and the U.S. Army officer may be a passenger aboard the ship. The Royal Navy Chief Petty officers are incongruous and might be passengers. Aboard Army Transport Service ships; uniform standards were fairly lax through the war – until they were not (probably in response to crews in the photograph, the Seattle Port of Embarkation published a suggestion for mariners to follow).
The season is invariably early Spring. Everyone is wearing working khaki coats, and some are wearing white socks – white cotton socks. If it were cold, the socks would be black, and the officers in the back would wear something a bit heavier than an overcoat. If the cadets were doing a regular training regimen, this photograph would have been taken just after the end of their preliminary training – if we go on the shoulder board design hints.
I would wager the photograph was taken in March or April 1943 given the overlap in the insignia worn by all the merchant seamen and evidence of the transitional insignia that lasted at most a year.
Curiously enough, the same photo recently reappeared with its back displayed. It looks like my hunches were correct. The photograph was taken in April 1943. My analysis was spot-on, except for the 1st Asst.; I thought him a steward – this was by virtue of his lack of insignia!
For my son’s completion of his first week of Second Grade, I gave him a small gift: a legal tender coin from the British Antarctic Territory (BAT). He asked me where this place was, and we searched for it in his world atlas and flag gazetteer. Since the international community does not recognize BAT, his atlas did not have the Territory outlined. I drew an imaginary wedge for him over a wide swath of Antarctica. “It’s such a far way away, on the bottom of the world!” he said. I explained to him the Territory has no permanent residents and is dotted with a few research stations. “People get there by plane or ship,” I mentioned and then told him the story of the British Antarctic Survey. I showed him a British Antarctic Survey cap badge from the 1970s, and its predecessor’s the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey from the late 1940s. He asked me if either were rare. I said the FIDS cap badge is rarest in my collection. He was more interested in the coin with penguins, a whale, and the Queen.
The British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) history, due to its mission and unique circumstance, mirrors that of the United Kingdom’s polar adventures. It may trace its immediate lineage to the halcyon days of heroic exploration by Shackleton and Scott, and Second World War secret Royal Naval expeditions of Operation Tabarin I and II. The present organization, first as he Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) answered to the Colonial Office, and then later as British Antarctic Survey to the National Environment Research Council (NERC). Through these organizational permutations, the ships themselves remained Royal Research Vessels, and mariners civilian. This essay will briefly sketch the history of BAS and then concentrate on the organization of a BAS ship with a discussion of BAS Officer insignia.
British scientific interest and exploration of the South Pole began in earnest during the early 1830s with the charting expeditions of John Biscoe. Following him, the Royal Society and Admiralty, through private donation and public subscription, brought a small, but steady stream of explorers to the Antarctic. These heroic men-of-science, experiencing the extremes of human endurance, ventured to the continent and its surrounding seas questioning everything from geologic history to ionosphere behavior and photo-plankton life-cycles. Ships of the period were whalers, borrowed naval ships, and the rare purposefully refitted vessel. Each carried men and materièl to the great ice-shelf and battered polar islands, and sometimes purposefully (or not) acted as an ice-bound wintering-over base. Once the explorers came to understand the landscape and how to endure the elements, did survey work and dashes to the interior give way to the foundation of research camps. At the turn of the last century, Antarctica played host to scores of international researchers during this heady time – with Great Britain leading the pack. Then came the Great War momentarily halting Antarctic exploration. The death of Ernest Shackleton in 1922 heralded the end of the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration. After Shakleton came a new generation of British explorers – for them, scientific curiosity tempered by national prestige became the new face of exploration. In this era, the independent amateur adventurer bowed-out to the Royally-warranted researcher. It is at this juncture when the Royal Research Ship or Vessel – with alternate prefixes RRS, RRV or RARV – took the stage.
King Edward VII visit to RRS Discovery, 5 August 1901
National Antarctic Expedition envelope stamp, 1901
The Royal Charter of research vessels began with the 1923 Crown purchase of the Discovery for the Royally-warranted 1925 Discovery Expedition. This ship was the same three-master which carried Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their 1901-1904 expeditions. With the refitting of the Discovery, the Colonial Office and Admiralty did not create a unique flag nor for the ship; however, as a Royal Research Ship (RRS), the Discovery wore an undefaced Blue Ensign, following the custom at the time of ships in the employ of the government. In a later expedition, in addition to the Blue Ensign, RRS Discovery wore a white flag; this was flown from the foremast as a courtesy flag for the continent, which lacked a flag.
White Flag of Antarctica. Col.: Royal Museums Greenwich [AAA0895]
Beginning with the success of RRS Discovery and her crew, the Crown continued its patronage and has warranted research vessels for work in the Antarctic region through the present day. The purpose of the RRS Discovery and those that followed was to provide a support platform for scientific endeavors in and around the Antarctic. And as state property, this rated the ship to fly the Blue Ensign. With the Admiralty chartering the RRS Discovery to scientific expeditions, a precedent began where RRS vessels in turn were manned by individuals under contract by the organizations which used the vessels; this is akin to a classic bare-boat charter. After the Second World War, the face of Antarctic exploration became two-prong: doing scientific research and asserting territorial claims (albeit tempered by treaty obligations). In this period, the Colonial Office tasked the newly-created Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) to provide continuous Antarctic exploration support for Commonwealth nations, but the primary mission for FIDS was survey work. In 1962, following the success of the 1958 International Geophysical Year, Britain’s emphasis on activities in Antarctica became oriented toward scientific research rather than survey. This saw the dual creation of the National Environmental Research Council (NERC) with its subordinate organization of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). BAS saw to the support of the British scientific mission in Antarctica.
2 February 1950. A relief party from the RRS John Biscoe is rescuing two British Scientists who have been on Stonington Island. Col.: IW
Shipboard organization & insignia
In its various guises the BAS fleet was never very large, and ships’ crew few. These individuals were (and are) members of the British Merchant Navy and as such are British or British nationals of one sort or another. Until the mid-1970s, the Master of a BAS ship employed and paid all Petty Officers and Ratings. All Officers were and still are recruited through BAS Headquarters in London and later Cambridge. During the period when the fleet was operated by FIDS, many a ship’s crew member was a Falkland Islander. These days, with off-season dry-docking in the British Isles, this is no longer the case. BAS continues to maintain a very close link with the Falkland Islands, and despite not being primarily crewed by Falkland Islanders, BAS ships arrange many official and social functions.
They are also used by the UK Government for official functions such as Royal Reviews, Open Days and London Visits, coupled with their close links with HMS Endurance/Protector and the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office.
Personal correspondence, Stuart Lawrence, 2011.
At this writing (2011), there are two Royal Research Vessels chartered for use by BAS, the RRS James Clark Ross and RRS Ernest Shackleton. Their respective compliment is 80 (11 Officers, 15 Crew, 1 Doctor, and 52 Scientific Personnel) and 72 (22 Officers/Crew and 50 Scientific Personnel). They are run as standard British Merchant Navy vessels with their organization an outgrowth of a century-old tradition of a division of ship navigation and cargo handling, propulsion, and victualing. As such, each member of the crew has a highly circumscribed role with no overlap in responsibilities among them. All members of the crew work as a team within their group; however, if holding a specific trade, a crewman works within that trade in conjunction with their Department – in other words, a motorman would not find himself in catering. This classic departmental division is also found on Royal Navy vessels, but that is where the similarity both begins and ends – BAS ships, despite being subject to Admiralty rules, have no connection with the Royal Navy; although, in theory a reserve Royal Navy officer may serve onboard, but not in the capacity of a warrior.
The RRS James Clark Ross and the RRS Ernest Shackleton operate in different ways, hence the difference in compliment. Both will move scientists around and act as supply vessels, delivering all the equipment that is required to run an Antarctic Base. The RRS James Clark Ross tends to the small island of Signy (summer only), Bird Island, and South Georgia, as well as the serving as the main relief for Rothera Research Station. The RRS Ernest Shackleton does the relief of Halley Research Station each year and then visits the smaller BAS bases. Both ships take waste and mail as and when required.
Using the RRS James Clark Ross as our model (the RRS Ernest Shackleton has a different manning level due to the type of vessel), the onboard organization is comprised of Deck, Engineering, and Catering Departments; respectively, each has its province in the superstructure, amidships and the galley.
The Master of the ship has command of the vessel and is the overall commanding officer. On the RRS James Clark Ross, he is dubbed the traditional “Old Man.” He is not a member of any one department since all report to him. Each of the Departments’ compliment with responsibilities is as follows:
Deck
A BAS ship’s Deck Department run by a Chief Officer, with a Second, Third, and Fourth Officers. It has a Boatswain, Bosun’s Mate, Launchman as Petty Officers, and four Able Seamen and four Deck Boys as Ratings. In 2011, the RRS James Clark Ross had the following:
Chief Officer – The executive officer of the ship. Involved in the quotidian concerns of the Deck Department. He is also responsible for the stability of the ship, loading and discharging cargo, and feeder boat operations.
Second Officer – Responsible for the passage planning and maintaining the chart portfolio, including navigational corrections.
Third Officer – The most junior Deck Officer is responsible for maintaining much of the Life Saving Equipment.
Boatswain (Bosun) – In charge of the Deck Crew. His is not a licensed officer’s position (likewise as are his subordinates); for Americans readers, an approximate US Navy relative position would be that of Chief Petty Officer.
Bosun’s Mate – This position is subaltern to that of the Boatswain. With the absence of a “Chippy” (Ship’s Carpenter) and a “Lampie” (Lamptrimmer), in addition managing the deck crew in the absence of the Bosun, his responsibilities involve sounding the all the freshwater and ballast tanks.
AB’s (Able Seamen) – On the RRS James Clark Ross, they are the general deckhands. The ship carries five.
Engine
The Engine Department run by a Chief Engineer, with a Second, Third and Fourth Engineers, Electrical, and Radio Officers (now Electro Technical Officers), a Donkeyman as a Petty Officer, and three Greasers (Motormen) as Ratings.
Chief Engineer – His responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the ship’s propulsion and internal mechanics.
2nd Engineer – Responsible for the day to day running of the Engine Room.
3rd and 4th Engineer – Assist the 2nd as required and directed.
Deck Engineer. Responsible for scientific and supporting equipment, such as winches and gantries.
Radio Officer – Operates the communications equipment. He is known colloquially aboard the RRS James Clark Ross as the “Comms man” – the common nickname for the position is “Sparks.” He is located in the Radio room, and not the Navigational bridge; he is in the organizational purview of the Engineering Department, yet reports to the ship’s Master.
ETO(L) – Electrician. Responsible for all the electrical equipment onboard.
ETO(C) – Communications (Radioman). Maintains all communications and navigational equipment. The two ETO’s work in tandem with some jobs being covered by both.
Donkeyman – Is the Petty Officer in charge of the Motormen. He manages and performs engineering tasks allowing the licensed Engineer Officers to execute more difficult jobs.
Motormen – They are highly skilled unlicensed crewmembers; in terms of position, are crucial to the function of the Engine Department. They are called “Greasers.” Prior to the advent of modern training, they were the “old hands” who would undo the mistakes of younger or less experienced engineers as well as serving in the traditional role of providing extra hands. On the RRS James Clark Ross there are two.
Catering
Catering Department run by a Chief Steward (now a Purser Catering Officer). Under him are a 2nd Steward (now a Chief Steward), and Chief Cook, as Petty Officers. The 2nd Cook/Baker, and four Stewards are Ratings. This hierarchal structure has had its position names changed over the decades but has remained the same since FIDS days.
Purser – In charge of the Catering Department. He is also responsible for storing the vessel with victuals and the office of keeping ship’s accommodations clean and tidy. He also acts in the role as a “hotel manager” and looks after the needs of visiting scientists and passengers. In the past, this individual was called Chief Steward in Merchant Navy parlance – the Chief Steward is now what previously would be called a Steward.
Chief Cook – In charge of the Galley; he rates a Petty Officer.
Assistant Cook – Second in charge of the Galley. He is responsible for baking the bread each day.
Chief Steward – Responsible for looking after the accommodations.
Stewards – Two work for the Chief Steward and one who assists in the Galley.
Medical
Doctor – The ship has a sick berth and when working in Southern waters or “down south” it carries a single doctor. Historically, the Doctor joined the ship in Southampton and sailed for the entire season; however, as of late, he joins the ship in the Falkland Islands. The rationale for this change is that in terms of economics; there has not been a need for one on the Atlantic passage. When the RRS James Clark Ross is in Arctic waters, likewise a Doctor is not berthed.
BAS ships follow a standard Merchant Navy and Royal Navy watch system. The Chief, 2nd and 3rd Officer are on watches when at sea. The Chief does 4-8, 3rd 8-12, and 2nd 12-4. Also on watch are one of the five ABs who rotate, with two on day work for a week and the other three on watches. The only change in Deck compliment is that from time to time, an additional Deck Officer might join the ship to work with the scientists in the deployment and recovery of equipment. At times, like most British-flag vessels, the crew may be augmented by a singular cadet. For the Officers and Crew, the periods of work is four months on and four months off.
Like the original Royal Research vessels, The RRS James Clark Ross acts as a floating scientific platform. Scientists will join the ship, bringing specialist equipment with them. The ship will give them accommodation and computing facilities, and then interface their equipment to the ship. Equipment is as varied as low/high-pressure hydraulics, and electricity in the many forms that it can be turned into interacting with hot/cold water and saltwater. The vessel travels to locations specified by the scientists and deploys the equipment as required. A typical science cruise on the RRS James Clark Ross will last six or seven weeks. On average, the RRS James Clark Ross will carry out about ten or eleven science cruises, with some cruises dedicated for a singular purpose, while others are fitted into other work and may only take a few days or weeks.
An early group photograph of officers on the RRS William Scoresby show them in Merchant Navy garb, with a few unique embellishments. These uniforms were recently new innovations for the British Mercantile Marine quum Merchant Navy. In the years that followed the Great War, King George V honored the British Mercantile Marine for its valiant service rendered to the Empire in the face of battle by giving it the official moniker of Merchant Navy with the Prince of Wales as its Master. This title underscored the fact that British merchantmen were Royal Navy auxiliaries and could be pressed into service in the event of a national emergency. As a sanctioned and militarized government marine, Merchant Navy officers were licensed, and at an individual’s and company’s prerogative, uniformed with distinctive cap devices and special cuff lace (alternately known as braid, distinction lace or rank stripes). The Merchant Navy cap device is comprised of a Tudor Naval Crown surmounting a maroon-cushioned oval on which rests a silver anchor without cable. The cushion is surrounded by a double border of tightly looped gold wire or purl, and framed by gold oak leaves and acorns. The stylized Tudor Naval Crown is of particular interest as it is found on official British ship crests – for King Henry is credited with circumnavigating the British Isles. Cuff lace, also authorized for Merchant Navy officers, followed the pattern set by the Royal Navy with the noted exception of the executive curl, which as opposed to being curvilinear and resting on the uppermost rank stripe was moved between the stripes and made a lozenge. As may be discerned from the photograph, officers aboard a Royal Auxilliary Research Vessel wore insignia quite similar to that of period Merchant Navy (at the time also called interchangeably the Mercantile Marine or Mercantile Navy) and Royal Navy. This is a not at all uncommon occurrence, as Shipping Lines and the Government Marine wore very similar rank identifiers and uniform components; what is striking is the fact that RRS/RARV officers have crowns above their rank stripes and modified Merchant Navy cap badges. This use of crowns above cuff lace is a uniform element used by officers aboard all BAS ships.
Aboard BAS ships of today, only the officers have undress uniforms. An undress would be the classic blue reefer with cuff lace and two rows of gilt buttons, blue trousers, and a peaked white cap (the badge of which is the page’s header image). Practically, it is only worn on special occasions. Engineer officers spend their day in working gear or boiler suits and tend to only get changed into a uniform shirt, trousers, and a tie for dinner in the evening. In the 1950s, Petty Officers wore a rig similar to their Royal Navy counterparts. The same was true for Ratings. This was usually only worn upon arrival and departure from Southampton and Stanley up until the early 1970s; after this point, Health and Safety Regulations specified the wear of hardhats and boiler suits on deck.
Circa 1955. Example of traditional rig worn by rating aboard RRS John Biscoe. Note the jersey with the embroidered ship’s name and the sailor hat with tally. Col.: IW
Unlike the Royal Navy and like the Merchant Navy, British Antarctic Survey Officers continue to have branch colors between the rank rings on reefer cuffs and epaulets. The practice for distinguishing non-executive office by such means was abolished in 1955 by the Royal Navy, except for those who must be clearly recognizable as non-combatants serving with the Royal Navy as stipulated under the Geneva Convention. A relevant thought to consider is that since the same tailoring shops provided both shipping lines and the Royal Navy with livery and uniforms, influence of the latter can be discerned in the former, and now former acts as a remembrance of a passed tradition; interestingly, formal military costume these days is thought to retain conservative fashion and embellishments, this example is quite the opposite.
FIDS Officer insignia was closely modeled on that of the Royal Navy (RN equivalent rank in brackets) – although FIDS Officers were not of the Royal Navy:
Master: three stripes (Commander)
Chief Engineer and Chief Officer: 2 and a half stripes (Lieutenant Commander)
2nd Officer, Engineer, Radio Officer, and Electrician: 2 stripes (Lieutenant)
3rd Officer and Engineer: 1 stripe (Sub Lieutenant)
4th officer and Engineer half stripe:
Chief Steward: tree buttons on the cuff (Petty Officer)
The FIDS system was retained up until the early 1970s by BAS.
Present BAS Officer insignia, in some aspects, mirrors that of the present Merchant Navy; this is quite visible in the insignia of rank. At present, on either cuff braid on coats or slip-on epaulets for shirts, the lace of distinction is thus:
Master and Chief Engineer: four stripes
Chief Officer and 2nd Engineer: three stripes
2nd Officer and 3rd Engineer: two stripes
3rd Officer and 4th Engineer: one stripe
Electricians or Electric Technical Officers (ETO) including the Radio Officer, and the Purser: two and one-half stripes.
Branch colors, found between the rank stripes for FIDS and BAS Officers are:
Black: Executive or Deck
Purple: Engineers
Green: Electricians (ETO)
White: Pursers and Catering
Returning to the cap badge itself, of interest and what makes the BAS badge unique is the heterogeneous use of apparently Royal Navy and Merchant Navy symbolic elements. The cap badge is comprised of a St. Edward Crown surmounting a white leather cushioned oval on which rests a black anchor. The cushion is surrounded by a double border of tightly looped gold purl, and is framed by tightly-grouped gold laurel leaves. The St. Edward crown on the BAS cap badge is such because BAS ships are Royally-warranted Royal Research Ships – prior to Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension, the crown was the post-1901 crown (Tudor Crown). The white oval is a symbolic reminder of the BAS ships being involved in Polar region exploration. And the black anchor is in somber respect for the Antarctic explorer, Robert Falcon Scott who died on his last venture to the ice-bound continent. Thus, a Royal Navy element is not present, and the badge follows a decidedly Merchant Navy pattern.
RRS Shackleton wardroom plaque. Shackleton served with FIDS and BAS from 1955 through 1992. The central device is comprised of three buckles – a play on the Shackleton family name, “shackles” which are a form of a buckle. Col.: IW.
Messing arrangments on BAS ships have reflected the changing nature of intra-ship dynamics. Prior to 1999, ships maintained three messes: Officers Wardroom, FIDS Mess, and Crews Mess. For late watchstanders, there was also a small duty mess. After 1999, with the RRS Ernest Shackleton joining BAS, the individual messes combined and everyone was served cafeteria-style. This new messing style promoted a bit of conviviality among all aboard despite the three somewhat disparate groups: Officers, Crew, and Scientists. However, some of the old traditions remain as RRS James Clark Ross has an Officers and Scientists Saloon.
Robert Falcon Scott birthday, 6 June 1911.
Like his Royal Navy and Merchant Navy counterpart, the Master of a BAS ship dictates what style of uniform will be worn for the ship’s Officers and Crew. The uniform of the day, as it were, would be for arrivals and departures, and official entertainment occasions, and are often wool pullovers or tropical white rig dependant upon the ship’s area of operation. As alluded to before, the crew onboard BAS ships of the second millennium are not found working in formal uniforms, as may be the case on Royal Navy ships. However, being a Royal Research vessel, all are uniformed in some fashion and officers do wear insignia.
The uniform culture that once marked Britain has long passed. Culturally, uniforms were touted in the maritime community as markers of professionalism; however, as the example of replacing deckhands’ work uniforms with boiler suits and hardhats attest, uniforms are perfectly fine in ceremonial functions. Insignia, if worn in such a manner to not hinder shipboard functions such as are rank slides worn by BAS Officers, are important to denote position and rank. As artifacts of an older, formal culture, reefers – once an item for almost daily wear in temperate climates and formal occasions – rarely find their way from the locker. And, the Master may don his cap on official duties, such as taking on a pilot or a visit from a dignitary; otherwise, he is uncovered on the Navigation bridge. The hard work and inclement weather experienced by the crew outside of the forecastle forces a spirit of pragmatism; the crew are not in a dress rehearsal for battle, and outward examples of individual discipline as manifest by gleaming brass buckles, eternally pressed shirts, and polished shoes have given way to work boots and heavy foul-weather gear. By and large, BAS personnel have not traditionally worn uniforms and caps simply because there are few opportunities to wear them: their work milieu and Antarctic environment are not conducive to fancy dress.
Many thanks are due to Ellen A. Bazeley-White, of British Antarctic Survey – Archives Service; Stuart Lawrence, past Master of the RRS Bransfield and RRS Ernest Shackleton; and Lyle Halkett, a past Crew member of Falkland Islands Dependency Survey.
FIDS is the precursor to BAS and was in operation between 1947-1962. This cap badge is a particularly rare Tudor Crown issue; it was worn by a crew member who held a position akin to a Petty Officer (Senior Able Seaman). the period of wear was up until 1953. At the time of this cap badge’s wear, FIDS had a single ship – with about five Petty Officers.
In terms of construction, this cap badge is stamped metal with enamels for the jewels, red felt for the crown cap. The black anchor is affixed to a white field of duck cloth with black thread.
BAS Officer cap badge, ca. 1950s
BAS cap badge, 1950s
This cap badge is described in the text above. It is affixed to a mohair cap band, which would be found on an officer’s peaked cap.
7 November 1957. The ill-fated Captain Norman Brown, master of the RRS Ernest Shackleton of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. Captain Brown took issue with the then Governor of the Falklands and his handling of the Royal Research Ship’s problems and promptly resigned. Col.: IW
BAS Officer cap badge, ca. 2000s
The images of the current British Antarctic Survey cap badge and cap are courtesy of Mike Gloistein. Mr. Gloistein is a long-time Radio Officer aboard BAS ships; he patiently and with good-humor provided many important notes regarding BAS shipboard organization. It is worth mentioning he is a recipient of the Polar Medal – thus a member of the very exclusive Polar Club. His award reads:
Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to award you the Polar Medal in recognition of your outstanding service to the British Antarctic Survey and to Polar Research.
London Gazette, 17 December 2004
It is from Mr. Gloistein’s uniform that I was able to determine the absence of Elliot’s Eye (the executive curl) on BAS uniforms.
BAS cap and cap badge, 2000s. Col.: Mike Gloistein.BAS cap badge, 2000s. Col.: Mike Gloistein.
BAS Officer cap badge, reproduction
There do exist fake BAS cap badges, and they are quite dodgy in their composition. One found in the wild was described as 1950s Queen’s crown British Antarctic Survey badge. It is quite simply a Royal Navy Officer’s cap badge with a piece of white linen placed beneath a black-painted anchor. The badge is suspect on every account. As is known in cap badge circles, even “economy issue” badges produced at the end of the Second World War are deftly executed – a poorly affixed oval of cloth would never be found on the forward face of a badge. The wreath is altogether incorrect and the anchor is incongruous in both pattern and period. If anything, we might suspect a period BAS officer wearing a Royal Auxilliary Fleet badge, and not a poorly defaced RN one. As always, caveat emptor; this was sold at online auction for some £32 – only because the seller misspelled “Antarctic” as “Antartic.”
U.S. Navy V-7 midshipman cap badge. Single piece construction. Fouled anchor; gold-filled. Late Second World War era.
Herman Wouk, August 1942.
Almost twenty years ago I read Herman Wouk’s 1951 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Caine Mutiny. Recalling Captain Queeg, ball bearings, and strawberries, I recently decided to re-read the novel. The work fashions a re-creation of the culture of urgency that both defined and circumscribed midshipman life during the Second World War. It accomplishes this by detailing the career of a U.S. Navy midshipman at Columbia University. Soon after completing this reading, I learned that Wouk not only took part in the V-7 midshipman program but he both attended and graduated from the U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School at Columbia University.
Following this lead, I consulted a series of the program’s yearbooks – The Sideboy – and found Wouk in the August 1942 class. His company barracked at Furnald Hall, as did the protagonist of The Caine Mutiny: Willie Keith. Wouk’s descriptions of the place and the program match both Columbia and the photos in The Sideboy. Thus, despite his novel being a work of historical fiction, it offers a rare insight and serves as a good primary source as to the functions of a little-studied midshipman organization.
The V-7 program was one of four Reserve officer-intake programs inaugurated by the U.S. Navy in February 1942 (V-1, V-5, V-7, and V-12). V-7 was one in which recent college graduates or men about to complete their college training, were accepted by the U.S. Navy as apprentice seamen and sent to one of the seven Reserve Midshipmen’s Schools: Columbia, Cornell, Naval Academy at Annapolis, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Plattsburg, and Fort Schuyler. At the program’s outset, candidates served an initial month as seamen followed by four as an appointed midshipman; by war’s end, this was compressed to three. After this period of intense naval indoctrination, they were granted commissions as ensigns and went directly to the Fleet or to one of the numerous special advanced schools for final training; e.g. Wouk attended one of such at Harvard for Communications. Of his sojourn at the Midshipmen’s school and time with the Fleet, Wouk admitted that it figured as a major part of his education: “I learned about machinery, I learned how men behaved under pressure, and I learned about Americans.”
Columbia University Midshipmen’s Training Marker
At Columbia University there is a plaque commemorating the Midshipmen’s School, which operated on its campus during the Second World War. It was presented to the University at the cessation of school’s activities. It may be viewed on the south side of campus at Butler Library and is located on the east balustrade of the short staircase approaching Butler Library, just below waist level. It reads:
To Columbia University
In appreciation of its generous assistance and unceasing cooperation in the training of 23,000 officers who went from the U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School New York to Active Duty in World War II to defend the principals which this University has always upheld
Commodore John K. Richards, U.S. Navy Commanding Officer April 20, 1942 November 2, 1945
Seal of U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School
The U.S. Navy eventually used twelve Columbia buildings, including Furnald and John Jay Halls, to house the Midshipmen’s school; classes were held on Columbia’s Morningside campus and in a ship docked at Riverside and West 136th Street on the Hudson River. At one point, Columbia University’s USNR Midshipmen’s School rivaled the United States Naval Academy in size. In all, it trained more than 20,000 officers; most of whom served in the Pacific Theatre of Operations.
The following narrative of the Columbia USNR Midshipmen’s School is based upon two consecutive classes; the 7th of August 1942 and the 8th of October 1942. Within that three-month period, vast changes occurred in the fabric of the program.
Program candidates began their initial training at Notre Dame in April 1942. After two weeks of apprenticeship training, they traveled to Columbia for a continuation of their indoctrination. They were divided into two groups: Engineering and Deck. By graduation from the program, only 429 of the 500 of the former remained, and 284 of 350 of the latter. The instructional staff guiding the training of the midshipmen was divided into the following departments:
Administration Drill Navigation Seamanship Ordnance Construction and Main Engines Boilers and Auxiliaries Deck for Engineering Engineering for Deck Medical Corps Supply
Some senior officers were regular Navy. However, the majority of the staff were young USNR ensigns assisted by Chief Petty Officers and a few Warrant Officers.
Following the model as set at Annapolis, USNR Midshipmen followed a regimental and battalion structure. There were two battalions; the 1st at the USS Prairie State (a barracks ship known as “The Ark” or “Black Hole of Calcutta”) and the 2nd at Furnald Hall (the USS Furnald, the only ship with 10 decks – the lower deck was on top and vice versa). Each Battalion was comprised of four and three companies, respectively. Midshipmen stood watch, served in “black gangs,” drilled, and attended class from morning until night for each day of the week – unless granted weekend liberty or attending divine worship services.
The Regimental staff was comprised of a Staff and Color Guard component. The noted stripe count represents the number of stripes on the midshipman’s sleeve:
In August 1942, V-7 midshipmen at Columbia wore uniforms almost exactly like those of their counterparts at Annapolis, with some distinct changes. Since theirs was a four-month program with the classes compressed and joining year-round, their “plebe” period saw midshipmen wearing the appropriate uniform for the season. For instance, the October 1942 class started out wearing US Navy enlisted undress blues for their initial period at Notre Dame, then switched to the familiar usual plebe whites. These were USN enlisted undress white jumpers with stenciled U.S.N.R. at mid-chest on the blouse; the midshipmen-to-be were not issued black silk scarfs. Both uniforms shared the blue-rimmed white hat – at the time called a Bob Evans hat, and now colloquially called a Dixie-cup hat. Those apprentices holding a Company and above leadership, position wore a white covered combination cap, and not the white hat with their undress whites or blues.
Those passing basic indoctrination period – not being “bilged” – rated full USNR Midshipman status. They, in turn, gained the privilege of donning the six-button midshipman reefer, with the classic midshipman gold anchors on the upper coat collars. On the right cuff, they wore a three-prop propeller for Engineering or a nautical navigation triangle (also known as a Portland Navigational Triangle) for Deck as program markers. There were no “class” indicators of the vertical gold stripes on the coat sleeve like those at Annapolis; however, regimental officers wore horizontal rank stripes on both sleeves (with program indicator above, no stars). There were four, three, two, and one stripers as indicated above. Midshipmen petty officers and buglers, during this period, did not have crows and chevrons, nor bugle patches.
Columbia University U.S Navy V-7 Deck program insigne, 1942.
Depending upon the program, midshipmen wore dungarees, undress whites and blues (crackerjacks without tape or silk ties), khakis, and dress blues. Both programs wore dungarees were worn in machine spaces; Engineering midshipmen wore undress blues or whites depending on season in classrooms; and Deck midshipman wore undress khakis (without jackets) in classrooms. For Friday drill and inspection, all midshipmen wore service dress blues and combination caps with white covers. Regarding the khaki uniforms, midshipmen wore combination caps with khaki covers with a 1/8in-width gold chinstrap and on both collars, wore anchor devices on both collars. The anchor shank was horizontal in relation to the top of the wearer’s collar, with flukes inboard toward the neck, and stock outboard.
By September 1942, the USNR program at Columbia University contracted to four companies and comprised only of the Engineering program; the unique insigne for Deck become obsolete; yet, the midshipmen continued to wear the propellor insigne.
Columbia University, V-7 Engineering program. First Batallion officers, August 1942.
By comparison, at war’s end, Fort Schuyler’s V-7 program yearbook Gangway (published in October 1945) shows an altogether different organization of USNR Midshipmen. Their program was also for a period of four months. Images and texts suggest a need for expediency. Teaching methods and means of turning out newly minted Naval Officers was honed to a science; anything not tantamount to the ultimate purpose of producing officers was cut.
In uniform matters, from the laconic description of the program and presentation of collective memories, there is no indication of a plebe period where program inductees wore jumpers and Dixie-cup hats. These Atlantic Coast midshipmen wore working grays and were provided with service dress blues. They were not issued khaki uniforms. On their garrison hats was the midshipman anchor. They wore sets of horizontal midshipmen class anchors on their shirt collars. The service dress blues was the classic six-button USN officer uniform – except the coat collar had the midshipman anchor like those found on period Annapolis midshipman caps. These anchors were mirror images of each other, and are pin-back, and not with cap-screws (tabs). I see no indication of midshipman leadership positions; this program appears to be more of a boot-camp style organization. Midshipmen lacked chevrons, hashes, and shoulder boards on all uniforms – including the grays.
Midshipman cap badge.
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY.
Single piece construction.
Hallmark, V-21-N (Vanguard Industries).
Circa 2006.
This is the first in a series of articles where I explore the culture of the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy Regiment of Midshipmen. This first post focuses on the process of a Midshipman Candidate becoming a Plebe Midshipmen, and finally a Fourth Class Midshipman.
A U.S. Merchant Marine Academy alumnus intimated to me there are no fraternities permitted at Kings Point but that midshipmen are all one fraternity. Yet within the ranks, there are subtle differences; the most telling comes in a midshipman’s final year. There are the “Gung Ho,” active duty commission-bound, and the industry-leaning ”Merchie bum.” who have decided, with a shrug and a hint of self-effacement, to “Go Merch.” A measure of pride among some was the assumption of an aloof status within Regiment as a Zombo. Over the next weeks, I spoke with the same alumnus and a current midshipman, and after my conversations with them, I reflected on the pride underpinning both statements and how the Regiment maintains itself with such seeming contradictory messages. I propose this dichotomy of signals within the ranks of the Regiment allows an escape valve of sorts for the academic and military rigors experienced by midshipmen from Day Zero to the moment they leap into Eldridge Pool for their final act as midshipmen in the class Change of Command ceremony.
Although government-run academies are repositories of the past, Kings Point does not operate in a vacuum. That being said, the administration and student body are insulated by the fact the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is a closed institution supporting a discrete function, outside factors often shake its timbers, yet it perseveres.
In the decade following the Second World War, demobilization brought with it the rapid Federal dismantling the workshops of war. In the maritime field, the U.S. allocated ships to its allies, scaled-back and canceled construction projects in shipyards, and cut training programs. Despite calls to the contrary, the newly ascendant Merchant Marine was not immune. The U.S. Maritime Administration Annual Report of 1954 notes closure of the last of the U.S. Maritime Service training facilities with the exception of Kings Point. Under Executive Order, the U.S. Maritime Administration actively purged its institutional memory of its wartime activities keeping only the essentials: 27,297 cubic feet of records were transferred to General Services Records Management Center, in Washington, D. C., 3,887 cubic feet were salvaged, and 5 cubic feet transferred to National Archives. The next year brought 12,524 cubic feet of records to General Services Records Management Center, New York, NY; 47,216 cubic feet were “salvaged.” In effect the Government department largely responsible for U.S. gain during the war deleted itself.
Cognizant of potential future difficulties, in the waning days of the Second World War, the Academy administration lobbied Congress to place the Academy on the same footing as the other Service Academies. Academy efforts met with success; thus, as the Eisenhower administration demobilized and the U.S. Maritime Administration found its resources legislated out-of-existence, Kings Point gained recognition as both a permanent federal fixture and a degree-granting institution. The Academy weathered the upheavals of the Vietnam era – following the Regiment marching off-campus in protest to administrative procedures – which resulted in the abolition of the strict battalion system of Regimental governance. Equal rights reached Kings Point with the matriculation of female midshipmen – it was the first Service Academy to do so; the present day finds the Academy reflecting on sexual assault and protection of individuals as the Academy acts in the role of in loco parentis.
The course of study has gradually changed from a purely vocational one to granting B.S. and M.S. degrees. This change represents a need for the Academy to honor its responsibility to provide students with opportunities for meaningful employment after graduation. Following industry trends, Kings Point innovated in maintaining relevance for its graduates. In the past, it provided training for students in nuclear physics to prepare them for a career in a nuclear-powered merchant fleet (an idea which floundered with the widely unsuccessful experiment in the form of the NS Savanna). The 1980s saw a dwindling U.S. merchant fleet with a smaller pool of available positions; to counter this, the Academy offered a dual certification program where a midshipman could study and sit for exams for either a Deck or Engineering license. At present, the Academy gives its students the opportunity to sail on a variety of ships and engage in industry internships to experience the multitude of positions potentially open to them upon graduation. Of course, the Merchant Marine being an auxiliary to the Department of Defense in a time of military conflict, enables Kings Pointers to join all branches of uniformed services. However, the rites and rituals of the Regiment remain relatively unchanged.
The Regiment has its origins in the United States Maritime Commission Corps of Cadets established by the U.S. Merchant Marine Act of 1936. The Corps of Cadets was instituted immediately after the creation of United States Maritime Commission with the express mission of educating maritime professionals on 15 March 1938. To fulfill this mission, The U.S. Maritime Commission established Cadet schools on the East, West, and Gulf Coasts. The USMCCC on the East Coast peregrinated along the Long Island Sound before finding a permanent home at Kings Point, New York in 1942. The primary purpose during this period was to supply trained junior Deck or Engineering officers to a rapidly expanding U.S. Merchant Marine fleet. As the Second World War progressed, ships slipped off their ways sometimes as quickly as three weeks of construction. A reported 2,700 vessels were launched, with some 1,554 sunk. With crews numbered at an average of 42, an estimated 120,000 people were needed – government records count 243,000 served all together. By war’s end, around 3,000 cadet-midshipmen found themselves at sea in one capacity or another.
The education midshipmen receive today at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy teaches them how to become both maritime professionals – be it shoreside or at sea – and auxiliaries of the U.S. Defense establishment. No longer a “fink factory” for junior officers, as labor unions once derided the Academy during the war, Kings Point prepares midshipmen for a rewarding career as maritime leaders. This education is grueling with the expectation of a midshipman to concurrently master technical certifications and mediate military regimentation. These two components are considered separate dominions, but the very nature of their military education in the form of the Regiment permeates every aspect of their tenure at the Academy: from how to live in their Spartan rooms to personal interactions as defined by a codified set of numbered regulations. For a non-uniformed visitor to the Academy, Sir or Ma’am is an unconscious honorific given by all midshipmen to those in their midst; it is a military courtesy extended by the Regiment to all within the confines of Kings Point.
The Regiment’s command structure acts as a leadership laboratory in which every upperclass midshipman is given the opportunity to lead in some capacity. This experience gives them a practical taste of running or participating in a rigid atmosphere as is common aboard merchant and military ships – the latter more rigid than the former. The stated goal of the Regiment’s leadership is to encourage a midshipman’s rise within the command structure with the eventuality of becoming a Regimental officer – the logical conclusion is to hold an appointment as the Regimental Commander or as a member of their staff. The noted exception is the jocular “Zombo” – a first classman who rates respect of their juniors, yet eschews both the status and opportunity for a leadership position within the Regiment. The Zombo takes their status outside the anointed Regimental spheres of power quite seriously and does the very least to keep their rank and rate, breezing through their last year beyond the reach of Regimental politics and responsibilities. The foil of the Zombo is the proverbial “Regcock.”
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy was born in the crucible of national emergency and came of age in a time of war. Its history speaks to how the Regiment’s structure is an evolving reflection of shipboard life seventy-five years ago. Unlike the U.S. Naval Academy, where teamwork is drilled into midshipmen to suppress individuality using close-order drill and sports, Kings Point cultivates the psychology of self-sufficiency and independent thinking. The culture that permeates the Academy is of community tempered with a can-do attitude. The ultimate test of an individual’s grit is through “Sea Year.” “Sea Year” is a bifurcated program where midshipmen third class and second class – or those in their second and third years of study, respectively – learn the ropes of the sea-borne maritime industry for two sailing periods of four months and eight months on commercial or government marine vessels. This singular experience, although ostensibly an apprenticeship – tests and congeals a midshipmen’s independence of spirit, and both ingrains and cultivates a strong sense of self. Upon their return from their first sailing, midshipmen are no longer the prima materia of their Plebe year and are notably changed and matured. Having experienced the isolation and beauty of maritime trade first hand, they understand the importance of bootstrapping common to the function of work aboard ships often underway for months at a time. In a word, they internalize their ultimate goals within the Regiment and proceed to become a Zombo or a Regcock. However, to earn the privilege of experiencing “Sea Year,” a midshipman must undergo the gauntlet of Indoctrination and Plebe year.
The Academy’s combined mission has created a unique culture within the Regiment where midshipmen function as a group and close ranks when challenged. This fraternity coalesces during the trials of a midshipman’s first year as a Plebe. Like members of other military academies, midshipmen undergo a period of indoctrination where they are molded into members of the Regiment and proceed along a track where every year brings them new responsibilities and opportunities. Simply put, the Regiment is a class-based system. Unlike other military schools, Kings Point midshipmen embrace the irregular, the ersatz, and the ironic. There may be a ribbon for “company cheer,” but on the other hand, the company that does the worst job keeps an oral tradition of being the worst; some companies revel in their unstated labels.
The first day of a Plebe Candidate – also known as a Candidate– at the Academy is called Processing Day. Upperclassmen succinctly refer to this day as “Day Zero” – a day on which a Candidate begins their figurative journey on the Regimental calendar as nothing. After signing in, and gathering their name plaques and blue backpacks, there is a mandatory head shaving for male Candidates (women do not undergo this humiliation) – symbolizing their status as a tabula rasa on which upperclass midshipmen will mold to fit into the Academy hierarchy. Lining up in the quadrangle outside Delano Hall, they officially enter a month known as Indoctrination. During this period, they no longer have a first name, and thus no individual identity. With the close of each day, a Candidate garners respect for their superiors and cultivates a keen desire to earn badges of Regimental identity. They also learn to recognize the gold crows and ladder bars on the upperclass trainers’ uniforms as signs of prestige and respect.
Despite the non-uniformed nature of the current U.S. Merchant Marine, Kings Point continues the tradition of uniforms as instituted in nautical schools of the past century. A uniform visual appearance is a crucial concept for Candidates to negotiate on Day Zero. After the Ships Store gives them a quick sizing up, they issue the Candidates a stack of uniform items. From this moment forward, Candidates no longer rate wearing civilian clothes. Beyond their khaki uniforms, the only clothes the Candidates wear are their exercise gear. The number of companies that comprise of the Battalion has ebbed and flowed over the course of the Academy’s history – seven at the height of the Second World War shrunk to five in 2016. As of this writing, the number is six. At Indoc, a Candidate’s shirt color specifies one of the five companies to which they are assigned. They are:
1st: Dark Green
2nd: Light Blue
3rd: Dark Blue
4th: Maroon/Red
5th: Neon Green
Band: Yellow (before the 2017 academic year, Band wore black shirts)
Over the next month, they are drilled, PTed, and subject to the recollection of the contents of a section called “Plebe Knowledge” from a volume titled Bearings upon command. This slim volume acts as an orientation and reference for Candidates regarding the Regiment and their home for the next four years. Bearings first appeared immediately after the Second World War when Kings Point attempted to model itself on the precedent set by other U.S. Service academies; this type of indoctrination was pioneered by the U.S. Naval Academy in the 1930s as a means for reorienting and molding future naval officers. Beyond the recitation of facts from Bearings, Candidates and later Plebes, being subject to “personal correction” from the moment they wake at 5:00 am to lights out at 10:00 pm (0500-2200) was also a U.S. Naval Academy innovation.
The dropout rate is minimal during Indoc. A candidate understands the month is temporary and a necessary phase in their military education, despite the psychological shock of abandoning an often-comfortable middle-class life. They are taught the rigors of memorization, the hierarchy of Kings Point, and the overriding discipline of time management and importance of group cohesion. Often, an individual’s infractions or remedial performance is met with punishment for the entire group. It is in the group’s best interest to buoy its members for success – be it a clean head (lavatory) or for military appearance. To reinforce the dynamic of the group, Candidates eat, sleep, and perform ablutions together.
After a month as Plebe Candidates, the Candidates don khaki uniforms and attend a ceremony called Acceptance Day. On this day, they swear an oath and enter the ranks as Midshipmen USNR – or the more formal, midshipmen, Merchant Marine Reserve, United States Naval Reserve with the simultaneous status as Enlisted Reserve per Federal Code Title 46, Chapter II (10-1-16 Edition), Subchapter H, § 310.6b.3; the latter status is the mechanism by which the government ensures a service obligation from midshipmen who drop out of the program. At this moment they become Plebes at Kings Point. As noted, reaching this day was not without its challenges. During the dog days of summer, they reported to Kings Point in August. With them, they brought the barest of necessities: undergarments, exercise shoes, toilette articles, and a computer, all undergirded with a desire to succeed. This last point cannot be belabored more: this past summer a Candidate collapsed from heat exhaustion, having pushed themselves to the limit.
The Regiment builds itself around visuals. When a Plebe Candidate is sworn into the USNR, they are given analogs to the pins once known as USNR pins, now called Merchant Marine Midshipmen Identification pin. They also don the shoulder boards of a Plebe: a shoulder board with no ornamentation other than a Merchant Marine snap button – gold with an anchor flanked by a single star to the left and right. They are permitted to wear garrison covers and combination caps. The former without any insignia, and the latter with an anchor of the same design as that worn by midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.
In essence, the insignia worn by the Plebes indicate they enjoy a status where they could be called to active service with the U.S. Navy at a time of conflict. It also points out they are indeed at the lowest position within the Regiment’s hierarchy, ready to archive personal and group awards, and hold rank – if they so choose. Upperclassmen teach them that with each stripe comes privilege. The lack of insignia also points out they have no status as members of the Kings Point community – this is something they must achieve as a group.
As Plebes, midshipmen continue some of the rigors of Indoc and work toward Recognition. Recognition Day is when Plebes transition to the status of Midshipmen Fourth Class. It is an event organized by the Regiment’s training staff – those upperclassmen responsible for Plebe training – and only occurs when the Regiment as a whole considers the Plebe class as having satisfactorily exercised the spirit of being a Kings Pointer. This is evaluated by intangibles such as genuine enthusiasm during athletic events (of which all Plebes must attend), dormitory decoration, and demeanor. Recognition may happen as early as October or as late as March or April depending on their performance.
At the end of their first trimester in October, Plebes declare their course of interest and take on the moniker of either Deckie or Engineer by going “deck” or “engine”; the former is for midshipmen enrolled in a Deck course and the latter for future members of the black gang. Only on Recognition Day, they are given insignia denoting either: a fouled anchor for Deck or a three-bladed propeller for Engineering. They also trade-in their blank shoulder boards at Recognition specifying the same: anchor in a rope circle for Deck, and a propeller for Engineering. In the past, there was a Dual certification program where a midshipman could earn a certification as a Deck officer and an Engineering officer; its insignia was an anchor superimposed by a propeller. These insignias are not worn until Recognition; in the 1990s and early 2000s, the status of a Plebe having declared a major – regardless of Engineer or Deck – was denoted by shoulder boards they would wear for about a trimester – U.S.N.-style Fourth Class boards with a Maritime school snap button.
On Recognition Day comes new insignia for a Midshipman’s cover and collar. After the ceremony, Plebes become full members of the Regiment as Midshipmen Fourth Class and rate the opportunity wear both their class and course of study insignia. The insignia of a Midshipman Fourth Class is a fouled anchor – it has the same form as a miniature U.S.N. midshipman anchor – and it is pinned on both collars of their khaki shirt and left blouse of their garrison cover. Their course of study insignia goes on the right blouse of their garrison cover. The day after Recognition the new Midshipmen Fourth Class are issued their Kings Point cap badge for their combination cap – the badge is similar to the Plebe cap badge with the exception that in the cable’s lower loop, it has the seal of the U.S. Merchant Marine in miniature.
All the minute permutations in Candidate, Plebe, and finally Midshipman Fourth Class’ uniform appearance underscore their place within the hierarchy within the Kings Point Battalion. The ribbons on their chest denote group or individual awards, the anchor or prop reminds others as to their course of study, and the Merchant Marine Midshipmen Identification pin speaks to their community. After the experience of the ardors of their first year, midshipmen forge close friendships in the crucible of experience.
Special thanks are owed to Dr. Joshua Smith of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point and Interim Director of the American Merchant Marine Museum. He introduced me to B. Sturm and W. Kelley, two Kings Pointers who showed me the ropes and contributed greatly to this post; without their input, this post would never have happened.
For more images of Kings Point insignia over the years as well as an old copy of Bearings, please see images I have on the companion site to this: insignia of the regiment of midshipmen
Midshipman cap badge. Stay-Brite. This is worn by Midshipmen after Recognition Day.
Midshipman cap badge, circa 1940s. This is a holder image until I photograph the current cap badge in Stay-Brite. It is from the U.S. Naval Academy and is worn by U.S.N. Midshipmen and U.S.M.M.A. Midshipmen. The design has remained unchanged for the past 75 years. This is worn on a Plebe’s combination cap prior to Recognition Day.
Name plaque, circa 1980s. Like those worn by U.S. Navy chief petty, warrant, and commissioned officer, Kings Point issues name plaques with the unit’s seal. ZIGGY is an affectionate term given to a member of the football team who is able to weave with finesse through defensive lines.
Midshipman Fourth Class insignia, circa 1980s.
Deck program course of study pin, circa 2007.
Plebe hard shoulder boards, circa 2017.
Plebe hard shoulder boards denoting a course of study has been decided, circa late 1990s-early 2000s. Unlike U.S.N.A. and N.R.O.T.C. Fourth Class should boards, the position of the anchor is off-center and the snap-button is of the Maritime School-type. This particular button was introduced in the mid-1940s as a catch-all for civilian mariners. to wear on their caps and coats if they were not members of or did not wish to wear the insignia of the U.S. Maritime Service. These same buttons were also worn by mariners whose companies did not have a defined button in the catalog of corporate livery.
Midshipman Fourth Class, Deck Program hard shoulder boards, circa 1990s.
No hallmark, however, manufactured by Gemsco, NY (General Merchandising Co.) with Second World War pattern dies. Same die used for base was also used for Master, Mate, and Pilot union hat badges.
Badge is plated with 1/20 10K Gold.
I personally think this design is horrible; the eagle is not at all graceful. The pattern for the anchor and caduceus continues to be used on contemporary U.S. PHS hat badges.
united states lines.The opening chapter of the fifth edition of The Blue Jacket’s Manual United States Navy (1917), devotes some 28 pages on the subject of “Discipline and Duty.” Afterward, the first section of the book meanders into opportunities of specialization, courts-martial, and customs. Only in the second and third sections are seamanship topics covered. The emphasis of the first section of the book underscores the fact that the smooth functioning of a man-of-war depends upon order, hierarchy, and the clear indication and compartmentalization of purpose; the same is also true to some extent on merchantmen.
In Navy parlance, the Commanding Officer is the head of the ship; all officers and seamen report to him. Just as a ship is compartmentalized, so is its hierarchy. Officers have rank and specialty; each carrying with it a certain grade of responsibility – sometimes mirroring ability and time in the service. In the U.S. Navy there is a small constellation officer types: line, restricted line, limited duty, corps, and warrant. Positions among sailors (Ratings in the British Royal Navy and Enlisted in the United States) are known by “pay grade” or rank; and “rate” or field of specialty. Enlisted sailors may be: recruits, seamen, petty and chief petty officers. There are also officers-in-training: midshipmen at the Naval Academy, Navy ROTC midshipmen, and individuals in Officer Candidate School (aviation or otherwise).
To some extent, merchant navies and large commercial fleets have historically mirrored these relationships among personnel, although not as elaborate or seemingly baroque. At the apogee of the U.S. shipping industry in the 1940s, most seamen found themselves licensed and arrayed in various divisions and departments. For example, a U.S. Liberty Ship during the Second World War usually held these Departments and rates:
Over time, and especially during the late 19th and early 20th century, the British, German and American navies developed systematic indicators of personal shipboard position. These found manifestation in cuff lace, buttons, badges and various devices. The British led the way in defining this symbolic language and shipboard organization; the United States followed, reaching full elaboration in the period preceding the Second World War. Both the U.S. and British navies relegated rate to the arm; the U.S. Government marine – comprising of the Coast Guard, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Public Health Service and Maritime Service – followed the lead of the U.S. Navy. Interestingly, the U.S. Army Transport Service, and not the U.S. Maritime Service nor the U.S. Navy provided its Petty and Chief Petty Officers with hats designating rate. In the latter two services, rate resided on sleeve or collar; it is an academic exercise for the reader to determine what is most important to the various services – shipboard trade or rank.
Woven or stamped, as follows is a cursory list of some common devices: stars and fouled anchors for deck officers and boatswains, carpenter’s rules and axes for ship’s carpenters, quills and keys for clerks and yeomen, globes for electricians, sparks for wireless (radio) operators, propellers or cogs for engineers and machinists, ship’s wheels for helmsmen, batons and swords for masters-at-arms, and increscent (a crescent moon with the points facing dexter) for stewards and commissary personnel. The latter insignia has the unique distinction of being silver in color for stewards in almost all foreign and merchant navies, and in the U.S. Army Transport Service.
Silver and gold feature prominently in not only in maritime rank insignia but in all U.S. military services. Following U.S. military insignia lore, “gold is worth more than silver, but silver outranks gold.” This is due to the fact that the U.S. Army decreed in 1832 that infantry colonels would wear gold eagles on an epaulet of silver and all other colonels would wear silver eagles on gold. When majors and lieutenant colonels received their leaves of rank, this tradition could not continue. It came to pass that silver leaves represented lieutenant colonels and gold, majors. However, the case of lieutenants differs: first lieutenants had been wearing silver bars for 80 years before second lieutenants had any bars at all; second lieutenants were granted a single gold bar in 1917. With the standardization of U.S. military insignia in the early 20th century, these insignia revisions applied to U.S. Navy officers. On naval uniforms – rank insignia notwithstanding – in particular, gold was applied to base elements of insignia, such as anchors on the U.S. Navy hat badge; and silver to mottos and symbols of the eagle and federal shield. Gold remained the province of officers and senior positions, whereas silver and pewter were relegated to the enlisted. Curiously, the motto “U.S.N.” on the U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer hat badge was silver, whereas the “U.S.N.” hat badge of a steward was gold. This follows the mentioned reversal of colors between officers and enlisted – with the steward belonging to a class attached to and not of officers.
In rank-based shipboard society, it is only at dinner hour that some rules
are suspended for the few – the stewards. During the Second World War, in the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Army sea services officers and men messed separately; furthermore, on British merchantmen at the time, officers and departments messed separately (as detailed by Lowery in Ultramarine). Up until the present-day, the U.S. Navy has the further distinction of having not only separate wardrooms and mess for officers and enlisted men, but also for Chief Petty Officers. By virtue of tradition, the latter have a separate galley serving portions greater in quantity and open later than those of their fellow sailors. Given the strict hierarchy aboard ship, and the stern rules banning enlisted personnel from the officers’ wardroom and chiefs’ mess, stewards and commissarymen transcend these strictures to serve food. An unauthorized sailor found in these spaces could find himself at Captain’s Mast or at court-martial and suffering harsh disciplinary proceedings (it also goes the opposite way; officers may not fraternize with enlisted sailors on or off duty; doing so, they face dismissal from the service). Since instant recognition is important aboard ship, a special hat with a distinct badge and often always white square-rig sailor uniform or special white blouse and duck trousers (even when the uniform of the day may be service dress blue) marks the steward apart.
The U.S. Army Transportation Service officer stewards have a tradition in their uniforms and insignia reaching to a time before even the color blue became a color associated with uniforms maritime. In pre-Enlightenment England, aristocratic lords gave their servants lead or pewter badges to sew onto their clothes to mark them as their own. From the 15th century onward, royalty in the British Isles distributed uniform suits of clothes to courtiers, as did leading bankers to all employees. In time, this became a practice of all British “great houses.” It is worth mentioning that these suits of clothes, although well made, denoted the wearer as not being a member of the aristocracy, with the visual cue of silver braid. It came to pass that a traditional livery color became silver. By the 19th century, officer stewards became a facet of shipboard life in the Royal Navy; as they were considered servants, their uniforms followed precedent. In time, stewards wore prestige items, such as coats and visor hats; albeit, with markers of their inferior status – servants although a class apart, needed to impart a pleasing image in the wardroom. Nineteenth-century British commercial liners, offering first-class passage to the monied, mirrored military fashion – which in itself was a reflection of aristocratic costume – in the clothing its officers, sailors, and stewards. The U.S. Army Transportation Service, born out of necessity during the Spanish-American War, built a fleet of ships larger than that of the U.S. Navy; some of the larger transports (considered “show boats”) ferried military personnel and U.S. diplomats to far-flung newly acquired U.S. possessions. The ships were manned by civilian personnel who wore uniforms following the fashion trends of the day: deck officers wore gold lace on their cuffs and stewards were accented in silver – as were their counterparts on the commercial liners. At the same time, the newly-imperial United States began to carry complements of Filipino nationals alongside African-American cooks as stewards onboard its ships. Taking this into consideration, ships could be construed as reproducing the “great house” tradition with colonials and second-class citizens filling menial roles.
After the Second World War, with the independence of the Philippines
and integration of the U.S. Navy, the servant status of stewards gradually faded away. In today’s U.S. Navy, the traditional steward is no more – he is a Culinary Specialist (cum Mess Managment Specialist in 2004). Up until 1975, Stewards and Cooks were two separate ratings in the U.S. Navy, sharing much of the same responsibilities – with a difference. At that time, the Steward’s Mate (SD) rating was abolished and combined with that of Commissary Specialist (CS) to form the Mess Management Specialist Rating. Prior, stewards served as cooks or bakers for officers’ mess; they also tidied-up officers’ quarters and in a subservient role, served meals in the wardroom. The Commissary Specialist (CS) did nothing but cook for enlisted personnel but in a more democratic fashion.
Old systems die hard, especially among those who enjoy a perceived, albeit subaltern privilege. Even with mandated rate reorganization, the older stewards did not wish to go into the crew’s galley, and by the same token the Commisarymen refused to enter the wardroom; in effect, the indoctrinated segregation held, and the two classes of men remained in their respective work areas. However, in the 1960s the U.S. Navy instituted a practice of rotating seamen in and out of ships and shore stations in an effort to broaden once compartmentalized skill sets. Men new to the rate shifted easily between both the wardroom and the galley – especially with the abolition of many of the steward’s servant duties; officers now shined their own shoes and made their own bunks. However, despite the regulations and rate shuffling, the tradition of the “Tip system” remains; wherein an individual officer or CPO tips a “Mess Cook” to shine his shoes and tidy up his wardroom. Moreover, with rate combination, the old mess cook system still applied to the wardroom with stewards merely renamed “Mess Attendants”. In the present day, with 90-day rotations, they still do menial chores such as cleaning the wardroom, running laundry to the ship’s laundry and maintaining “Officer Country.” It is also worth noting that the 90-day “Mess Cook” does all the cleaning, and most of the serving in the cafeteria-style enlisted mess deck; he also hauls food from the storerooms and reefer decks to the galley. These days, apparently galleymen require direction from outside the ranks – previously the province of Chief Steward – as a non-CS First Class Petty Officer – also assigned 90-days at a time – oversees the Mess Cooks; he is the Mess-Decks-Master-At-Arms. As a historical footnote, during battle, Stewards were stretcher bearers; and Commissarymen served in gun crews and firefighters; no longer.
Much can be said about the symbols worn by the stewards: from the 1930s onward, they wore the crescent over horizontal bars, their cook counterparts wore rank chevrons. With the institution of the rate in 1948, Commissarymen wore keys over a quill, and then in with rate integration, both badges changed to quills and a cookbook – the symbol of stewards in 1963. As can be divined, over the decades, the rate has been dissolved and reconstituted, with various roles removed and added; including the loss of the traditional crescent.
The images found with this entry illustrate different examples of insignia worn by stewards aboard various types of ships. It is worth mentioning that the crescent symbol has been used throughout the U.S. military to denote food stores and cooks (and outhouses); this symbol can be traced to either represent a camp cook’s “crescent rolls” or the traditional heraldic symbol of “increase.”
Bureau of Naval Personnel, “Filipinos in the United States Navy.” Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center: Washington D.C., October 1976.
P & O Lines (The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company)
Catering Petty Officer.
Badge, 50mm diameter. Silver wire on wool backing.
Circa 1970s.
British Royal Navy hat insignia has the following pattern:
Tally – ratings. Fouled anchor surrounded by a gold rope, surmounted by crown – petty officers Fouled anchor surrounded by a gold rope and small wreath, surmounted by crown – chief petty officers. Fouled anchor on oval, surrounded by a wreath, surmounted by crown – officers.
In this specific example, this is a private company, and they have employed the Royal Navy petty officer design for their own catering petty officers. In this case, a silver sun surrounded by an alternating band of blue and silver – blue and white being the traditional heraldic symbol for waves.
The British are noted for their fine craftsmanship in regard to nautical insignia; I have been hard-pressed to find a poorly made British item of insignia from the middle of the last century.
P&O Lines (The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company)
Catering Officer.
Badge, 65mm x 45mm. Silver wire on wool backing.
Circa 1970s.
This hat badge follows the classic British passenger liner steward badge design of taking an element of the deck officer’s hat badge, enlarging and turning it silver. In this example, the P & O deck officer’s badge is the setting sun on heraldic waves surmounted by a fouled anchor.
This particular badge was issued prior to 1973, when P & O hat badges took on their current configuration.
Military Sea Transport Service
Commissary Chief Petty Officer Badge.
35mm x 24mm , Cupro-nickel.
Hallmark, Gemsco A.G.O. G-2 . Circa 1953-1963.
The US Army Transport Service and US Navy Transport Service merged at the end of the Second World War to form the Military Sea Transport Service. This organization came under the purvue of the US Navy. In the mid-1960s, the service changed its name to the Military Sealift Command. Throughout each of its permutations, the MSTS/MSC retained the insignia of the ATS with slight modifications. With the change of MSTS to MSC, the crescent flipped.
This silver crescent is worn by commissary officers as a collar device or by Chief Petty officers as within a wreath as a hat device. The old days of woven steward’s hat badges are no more. The hallmark is consistent with Institute of Heraldry (IOH) manufacturer’s numbers; in this case 1953-1963 – often a “-N” will mean that the Navy approved the insignia.
US Army Transport Service
Commissary Chief Petty Officer woven hat badge.
Silver thread on wool backing; attached to mohair band. No synthetics.
Device, 70mm x 40mm.
Circa Second World War.
During the Second World War, standardization was secondary to getting boots on the ground. In the specific case of the Army Transport Service/Transportation Corps – Water Division, the Mariners were civilian, therefore were not overtly compelled to adhere to uniform standards.
Men did hold rank and rate aboard ship, and the distinctions were subtle. Chief Petty Officers wore visor hats with their rate on a hat badge. Unauthorized, but worn devices were woven. Issued devices were metal. In terms of steward hat insignia, I have noted three variations: silver-aluminum thread, yellow thread with small gold foil devices and stamped metal wreaths with un-affixed silver crescents.
As a means of identification: ATS/TC-WD wore silver steward insignia; that is silver crescents and also silver metal hat badges. The U.S. Maritime Service and War Shipping Administration wore gold steward insignia – following the U.S. Navy precedent.
United States Lines
Steward Department Officer hat badge.
Wreath, 70mm x 43mm. Brass with silver wash.
Flag, 25mm by 23mm. Enamel on brass.
Manufacturer: Gemsco. Circa Second World War.
This hat badge can be definitively dated to the Second World War by the Gemsco hallmark on the reverse; the hallmark is Gemsco surrounded by a wreath. The enamel flag design is consistent with USL flags from the period. Other variations of the flag, from the l931-1938 period have the USL initials – these flags are seen on badges throughout the Second World War. A sleek eagle design debuted in the mid-1950s, around the time of the SS United States launch.
Given the high quality and crisp detail of the stamped wreath, and fine enamel work, this hat badge was worn by a Chief Steward. The silver wash has flaked from the surface of the wreath but is especially present in areas of low relief.
British Tanker Co. Officer hat badge Metal, gold wire, silk and colored thread on wool backing. Circa 1940s.
Lately there has been an increased number of television commercials urging tourists to flock to vacations on the Gulf Coast – all of which are sponsored by British Petroleum. This brings to mind that last year I presented a British Petroleum Shipping Co. Officer hat badge, here. In that post I mentioned an earlier hat badge used between 1926 and 1955; presented now is said badge.
The period in which this hat badge was worn was an exciting one for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and by extension British Tanker Co. – profits were terrific, ships were built, the War came and Persia became Iran. There was much expansion of British oil exploration throughout the Middle East, and the Kingdom of Persia in particular. With government backing, the tanker fleet became one of the largest in the world, and its ships could be seen plying the waters between the Persian Gulf and the Suez on up to the British Isles – with regular stop-overs at the Port of Aden, where British interests created a safe haven for its sailors in the protectorate. In an effort to have a more efficient and profitable tanker fleet, vessels were fitted with modern tanks, pumping systems and numeous safety measures. The Second World War came, and with the declaration of hostilities, British Tanker Co. found its fleet under attack; by war’s end, a third of its assets sunk and later replaced. By 1955, the British Merchantile Marine reached its zenith, and afterward met an eventual swift decline. BP survived, the fall, however.
References: Over this past year, I have come across many excellent and encyclopedic works on general British Petroleum history, with scant passages on its tanker fleet throughout. Bill Harvey’s book remains the best reference for BP tankers, in specific.
British Tanker Co., officer hat badge, obverse Metal, gold wire and colored thread on wool backing. Circa 1940s.
The central badge device is comprised of a rectangular British Tanker Co. house flag of applied ribbed silk fabric – with details stitched in silk floss – and outlined with coiled gold metal. The flag is surrounded by laurel leaves of gold purl with stems of applied coiled gold metal. Surmouting all is a stamped gilt base metal lion passant gardant. All is stitched on a padded black wool base.
British Tanker Co., officer hat badge, obverse detail
British Tanker Co., officer hat badge, obverse detail
British Tanker Co. Ltd. House Flag. 838.2 x 1219.2 mm National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Pope Collection.
The house flag of the British Tanker Co. Ltd, London. On a white filed is a red cross with a green diamond in the center bearing a gold lion passant gardant. This design was in use from 1926 to 1955 – the central lion symbolizing the Company’s Iranian interests. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fiber bunting; it has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. The flag’s central design is painted. A rope and two Inglefield clips are attached.
British Tanker Co. Ltd. British Gratitude ship model. Scale: 1:192 National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.
The British Gratitude is depicted the model below in wartime rig with paravanes, light anti-aircraft machine guns, and anti-torpedo net booms and posts. British Gratitude was owned and operated by the British Tanker Company. Built in 1942 by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, it was 470 feet in length and 8463 tons gross, very small by contemporary standards. It survived the Second World War and continued to have an active career under the ownership of British Petroleum. She was eventually sold for breaking up in 1959.
From the Collection of Lyle Halkett I present two interesting British Petroleum hat badges.
The first is a modern pattern of the first British Tanker Company design, followed by that of a 1940’s pattern of a BTC Petty Officer hat badge; both follow the same symbolic and stylistic language as other presented BP badges. Do take particular note of the Petty officer badge, as it follows the precedent set in The Mercantile Marine (Uniform) Order, 1921 Schedule which states that a Petty Officer’s cap badge is to be of the same design as hat of a officer’s with the exception that the surrounding oak leaves and acorns be deleted. The schedule outlines a previously announced, but not defined uniform order from 1919.
British Tanker Co., officer hat badge, obverse Metal, gold wire and colored thread on wool backing. Pattern circa 1940s. Collection of Lyle Halkett
British Petroleum Shipping Co. Chief Petty Officer hat badge, obverse. Metal, gold wire and colored thread on wool backing. Circa 1940s. Collection of Lyle Halkett
Robin Line ship officer hat badge. Three piece construction. Eagle and shield sterling; wreath brass/gold-plate. Company insigne brass and enamel. Late Second World War era. badge: 60mm x 65mm
On the second page of the March 17, 1954 edition of the Wilton Connecticut Bulletin there is long column about a GOP Sunday Tea. The Bulletin reports that the tea was a breezy affair attended by the community’s upper crust; although not mentioned was the striking absence of Arthur Lewis, Jr. This would be explained by a single line next to the column reading: “Arthur Lewis Dies”, followed by a pithy obit – speaking nothing about his frantic life nor his high-paced career or even funeral arrangements. Perhaps the same-page announcement of solo-trumpeter Roland Kutik indicated him more a town favorite than the two decade cut-throat steamship executive.
On his first vacation in years, Arthur R. Lewis, Jr. died of a heart attack in sunny Fort Lauderdale. He was the workaholic president of Seas Shipping Company, whose main and best-known subsidiary was the Robin Line. Lewis’ professional life was driven by his twin obsessions: profits and desire to crush his firm’s competition – the Farrell Line. The Robin Line and Farrell Line rivalry was one of the most vicious and vindictive rate wars in United States maritime history. This is striking in that the Lewis and Farrell families once shared a close personal and business relationship; in fact the Robin Line was established in 1920 by his father, Arthur R. Lewis, Sr. in concert with the Farrell family. Robin Line ships operated in the intercoastal trade as auxiliaries to various Farrell concerns; mainly the Isthmian Steamship Company – the US Steel shipping company – and the American South African Line – in which Lewis, Sr. had partial ownership. However for reasons not public and perhaps secreted away in the exclusive India House, this immediate and irreconcilable rift between the families resulted in the 1933 separation of ownership and management of all shared firms. The Farrells ended up with full control of the American South African Line and the Argonaut Line; the Lewises gained the Sea Shipping Company and its Robin Line.
Soon afer the division of interests, Lewis, Sr. died and his son took up his mantle with gusto. Lewis, Jr. continued to operate the Robin Line’s four ships in the intercoastal trade and did not foray into international shipping. Relations between the families remained combative, and the opportunity for Lewis to strike a blow against the Farrells presented itself in the person of Sylvester J. Maddock. Maddock, an employee fired by the Farrells, convinced Lewis to bring the Robin Line into the African trade in 1935. As general agent, Maddock knew the ports and shippers in Africa and thus was able to build up the cargo volumes for the Robin Line at the expense of the American South African Line.
When the United States Shipping Board established direct service between the United States and South Africa, British lines – which prior operated a triangular service via the British Isles and other regions – decided to mimic the American model to diminish the upstart competition in a once sole British preserve. In order to avoid destructive competition between each other and to stave off British ascendancy, the American lines involved in the trade, following the same framework for other regional conferences and agreed in 1924 to establish the U.S.A.-South Africa Conference. The Conference set rates, routes and number of sailings for its members. This was an outward conference with jurisdiction only over cargoes leaving the United States; the lines created a separate complimentary body – the South Africa-U.S.A. Conference – with jurisdiction over the inbound cargoes coming from South Africa to the United States. Although South Africa was the center of the trade, the conference, in spite of its title, held an undefined jurisdiction for decades over the east and west coasts of Africa, as far north as the Azores and the Canary Islands on the west coast of Africa and up to Tanzania on the east. When the Robin Line applied for membership in the conference in 1935, James A. Farrell, Jr., blocked the application, thus initiating a bitter rate war. To try to drive the Robin Line from the trade, the Farrells orchestrated the U.S.A.-South Africa Conference to reduce its rates from twenty dollars to eight dollars a ton, and eventually to four dollars; this last figure barely covered half of operating costs, and as a result both companies including the other conference members were taking heavy losses on each voyage. The Robin Line did not collapse, however, because it was shipping large volumes of automobiles to South Africa for Chrysler and Ford. When the Robin Line bid for membership in the Conference again as a way of ending the rate war in 1936, the Farrell family once again had the application rejected. The Farrels felt confident in the liquidity of the American South African Line since it had the advantage of a generous US mail contract under the provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1928 to keep it afloat; yet despite the lack of such a contract, the Robin Line managed to survive. The rate war continued until 1937, when a reduction in the government subsidy at last forced the Farrell family to call it off; but losses had been so great that the American South African Line was on the verge of bankruptcy and saved only by profits garnered from other Farrell shipping interests in the Atlantic trade.
In 1938 the Robin Line managed to secure its own subsidy from the U.S. Maritime Commission, and the next year the Second World War with its high shipping rates temporarily served to halt the destructive competition. At the same time the Robin Line gained entrance into the much-coveted conference. Flush with cash and subsidies, the Robin Line acquired several new ships for the first time in almost a decade. These new ships were streamlined and were dubbed the “best-looking” freighters on the oceans by mariners at the time. With the ubiquitous automobile, farm and road-building equipment cargoes inbound, the Robin Line carried rock lobsters (crayfish), exotic timber, gold bullion and freight-neutral diamond cargoes outbound. These new ships were known for their extensive refrigeration plants for the former and welded-shut safe compartments for the latter, and smart crew accommodations.
Although the two lines remained rivals, they preferred to respect the agreements of the U.S.A.-South Africa Conference. During the Second World War, the vessels of both lines were requisitioned, and both operated government ships for the War Shipping Administration under ships husband agreements. After the return of peace, the two lines resumed their bitter rivalry. In hearings before the U.S. Maritime Commission, the Robin Line, because of the opposition from the Farrell Line, lost the subsidies on the route from U.S. Atlantic ports to West Africa in 1947. However, when Farrell declined to handle the unusually large volume of automobile exports to South Africa, the Robin Line – who previously provided the service and won lasting goodwill among the automobile exporters – took up the slack to its benefit. In 1955 the last of the British lines withdrew from the route, leaving as active conference members only the Robin and Farrell Lines (American South African Lines renamed) in the region.
With Lewis, Jr.’s death none of the family members wished to follow his breakneck work ethic, instead they elected Winthrop O. Cook as Seas Shipping Company new president. As president, Cook found before him the expensive task of replacing the company’s old wartime surplus vessels. Instead of investing in a costly and immediately unprofitable project, Lewis’ heirs decided to avoid the problem altogether and sold the Robin Line to Moore-McCormack in March 1957; making a tidy profit, as seen in the transaction records as argued before United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit (371 F.2d 528): “Seas Shipping Company, Inc., sold ten ships to Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc. […] for $5,466,668 in cash and notes and 300,000 shares of Mooremac stock.” Soon thereafter, the new owner removed the vessels of the former Robin Line from the African trade, leaving only the Farrell Line in the U.S.A.-South Africa Conference.
House Flags of Robin Line
Blue with a white lozenge bearing a red R. 1920-1942.
Blue with a white oval in the hoist, with a stylized wing with three sections sweeping toward the fly; oval contains red R. 1942-1957.
Ships of Robin Line It is worth noting that the Robin Line was so called because all its ship names began with the word “Robin”.
Pre-War Robin Adair (built at close of the Great War by Skinner & Eddy Shipyard, Seattle) Robin Doncaster Robin Goodfellow Robin Gray
Second World War (1942-1948) Robin Adair Robin Doncaster Robin Goodfellow Robin Gray Robin Locksley Robin Sherwood Robin Tuxford Robin Wentley Post-War (1948-1955) Robin Doncaster Robin Goodfellow Robin Gray Robin Hood Robin Kettering Robin Kirk Robin Locksley Robin Mowbray Robin Sherwood Robin Trent Robin Tuxford Robin Wentley
1955-1957 Robin Doncaster Robin Gray Robin Hood Robin Kettering Robin Kirk Robin Locksley Robin Sherwood Robin Trent Robin Tuxford Robin Wenley
Moore-McCormack purchase (1957) Robin Gray Robin Hood Robin Kirk Robin Locksley Robin Mowbray Robin Sherwood Robin Trent
Principal Executives Arthur R. Lewis, Sr.: 1920-1933 Arthur R. Lewis, Jr.: 1934-1954 Winthrop O. Cook: 1954-1957
References The Decisions volumes are particularly interesting as they document legislative activities around and Robin Lines gripes with the U.S.A.-South Africa Conference; relevant entries may be found under Seas Shipping Company. Interestingly, the Maritime Commission and its successor Federal Maritime Board did not lend a kind ear to Lewis. Albion’s monograph is interesting in that it is an economic history of the South Africa trade with a focus on the Farrell Line; it presents the family in a positive light and takes an apologetic approach to its foreign-flag activities, anti-union stance and ignores overall poor crew conditions; Lewis and the rate war is mentioned practically in passing.
“Arthur Lewis Dies.” Bulletin, Wilton Connecticut. March 17, 1954: p 2.
Obituary. New York Times, March 17, 1954.
Federal Maritime Board. Decisions, Vol. 4, 1952-1956. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1963.
U.S. Maritime Commission. Decisions, Vol. 3, 1947-1952. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1963.
War Shipping Administration. United States Maritime Service Training Manual, Deck Branch Training. Washington, D.C.: Maritime Service, 1943. p. 45.
United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit. 371 F.2d 528: Seas Shipping Company, Inc., Petitioner, v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Respondent. Argued December 1, 1966 Decided January 16, 1967.
Many kind thanks to Captain Jack Misner for sharing his recollections of his time with the Robin Line.
Robin Line, Hat badge, obverse Eagle and shield sterling; wreath brass/gold-plate. Company insigne brass and enamel. Second World War era. Mounted on wool backing and mohair band. badge: 60mm x 65mm
This badge uses the US Maritime Service officer hat badge as a base and has the the anchor device replaced with a company insigne. As mentioned in previous posts, this was a common practice followed during the Second World War by ship officers throughout industry. This particular badge is interesting is that it does not use the company house flag on the the badge, rather a bow design element. Some Robin Line ships used the Blue-White-Red wings flanking the R in oval device on the bow; the slight incline of the R denotes speed, which the Line was famous for.
Do note the high degree of corrosion on exposed copper/brass elements and chipped enamel. The insigne is without or has a corrosion obscured hallmark. I am unable to remove the the badge from backing to determine any hallmarks on the other component elements; the top keeper nut is welded in place by corrosion.
Robin Line, Hat badge, obverse detail
Robin Line, Hat badge, backing and mohair band detail
Robin Line, coat lapel badge No hallmark. Gold-plate brass. Second World War era.
This badge would be found in pairs on either coat lapel of a ship officer’s reefer. This badge is gold-plated brass, with most of the gold rubbed away. Although the badge itself is without a readable hallmark, the pin snap has a miniscule H&H (Hilborn & Hamburg) star hallmark on its face and is marked Sterling.
United States Lines licensed officer cap badge, 1929-1931. Woven in silk and bullion. On a wool backing.
In an old trunk in Bayonne, this cap badge was found. The finder was unsure what it was or why it was there. It was among “junk”; that is: scraps of old clothes, balled up newspapers, and the like. This is a second pattern and short-lived USL officer’s cap badge. Another example is at the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian’s dates for use are incorrect. Another pattern cap badge was used prior to this from 1921-1929, and it was of the USL house flag (red USL over a blue field).
A post illustrating all the cap badge changes of the United States Lines from its inception to the launch of the SS United States is in the works.
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