U.S. Maritime Commission Cadre / U.S. Maritime Service Chief Petty Office cap badge (Type 1) One piece construction. Seal, 25mm diameter; Anchor, 50mm length. Obscured AE CO N.Y. hallmark (American Emblem Company) Anchor and device stamped brass; blue enamel band and red, white & blue shield. Early Second World War era; 1942.
This is the first design of the USMS CPO hat badge; it was worn in 1942 up until the formal transfer of the Prospective Licensed Officer training program from the USCG to the WSA/USMS in July 1942. The badge itself may be found in plain brass, as well as plated silver or nickel. This brass pattern was issued in 1942, followed by plated silver or nickel badges and then a new design came about in August 1942. A description of the second design may be found here. In practice, in the period leading up to the Second World War, USMS CPOs, more often than not wore the more handsome embroidered hat badges – which were of the same design as the stamped metal device, albeit without the band of stars – as evidenced by an image in the article “Heros of Wartime Science and Mercy” in National Geographic Magazine, December 1943 page 717, as seen here. These badge were worn mostly by officer trainees – who held the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
Concurrent with WSA control of the USMS, and the stripping away of the ship-building component of the USMS, came a color and design shift: for the hat badge: the illustrated deco motif of a stylized Federal “classic shield” gave way to a detailed foul anchor charge on “official shield” of finer detail. Whereas the first design was predominantly blue, the color changed to red – perhaps to echo the red of chevrons and other woven cloth devices found on an enlistedman’s uniform. My research has alluded to that late in the war, the CPO badge further changed to match the pattern found on USMS buttons (1942-1954); I will post an image of this badge at a later date.
J. Tonelli in Visor Hats of the US Armed Forces incorrectly asserts that the illustrated hat badge was worn by USMS Warrant Officers; however, regulations of the time state that Warrant Officers wear the same devices as regular, commissioned officers. This is a commonly made mistake when attempting to devise a typology of hat devices for a relatively small organization with a small array of hat insignia.
Overall, the USMS only had a handful of CPOs and these were attached to USMS enrollment offices, training stations, officer schools and the US Merchant Marine Academy; CPO insignia was not issued to regular seamen who were matriculated from or were certified by the USMS. CPOs represented unlicensed seaman hired by the USMS skilled in the maritime industry with some seniority or specialized skills not satisfying the grade of Warrant Officer; it is useful to think of USMS CPOs as experienced Able Seamen (AB).
USMS CPO Hat badge, obverse. This device was worn by Merchant Mariners attached to the US Maritime Commission involved in training duties; this badge eventually found its way to be only worn by senior unlicensed personnel (CPOs). This hat badge continued to be issued until stocks were depleted and eventually replaced by a badge of the same design – albeit in nickel (pre- and early war), and then replaced by the more familiar USMS CPO device. There is some speculation that the USMC/USMS CPO device was modeled after the US Coast Guard enlisted hat badge; the USCG badge went into production in 1942, around the same time as the production of the USMC/USMS badge.
The mystery of the design lies in the double-anchor and seal motif. If analyzed closely, the badge hearkens to the precursor agency of both the US Maritime Commission and US Coast Guard: the US Revenue Cutter Service. In this light, the anchor stock and flukes, and as well as the rope on the stock themselves echo the old seal. At the time of its creation, it was not stated in USMC regulations, but the uniforms and ranks of the soon-to-be-formed USMS were eventually codified to mirror that of the US Coast Guard. In time, in an effort to create an esprit de corps and the forging of an independent identity, the badge change to the second design.
USMS CPO Hat badge, reverse.
USMS CPO Hat badge, reverse (detail). Note the curious “CO N.Y.” hallmark – the complete “AE CO N.Y.” mark is obscured by the post – this is of the American Emblem Company of Utica, New York. This firm produced a number of Merchant Marine and Maritime Service items during the Second World War, most notably the ubiquitous Merchant Mariner pin. In regard to this specific badge, NS Meyer produced a very similar insignia set for USMS officers using a similar central device. With the button and device change in 1942, AE Co. was no longer contracted to make USMS CPO badges; rather, the jobbing went to Coro.
USN Technician hat badge & miniature device.
Cast brass; motto: U.S. TECHNICIAN.
1 screw, 1 non-rotating point.
37mm x 48mm (LxH).
manu: Officer’s Equipment Co. Madison, NJ.
mini device: 15mm x 19mm.
Circa 1950.
Joseph Tonelli’s book, Visor hats of the United States Armed Forces: 1930-1950 illustrates one of the most exquisite pieces of headgear worn by U.S. forces in the Second World War – that of the U.S. Technician attached to the U.S. Navy. A passing glance could mistake it for something out of Fascist Italy: these hats have elaborate devices composed of a silver embroidered spread eagle. It faces dexter with a stylized wrench clutched in the left claw and an olive branch in the right. The lettering “U.S. TECHNICIAN” is centered on a brass or gold-plate device on the eagle’s chest. The hat’s chin-strap changed from gilt to black-braid by end of the war, and finally black leather. The last U.S. Technician hat Tonelli details on page 198 is from 1950 and presumably one in contemporary use.
With the onset of the Second World War, the technologies involved in weapon creation oftentimes surpassed the basic training of sailors, soldiers and their commanding officers. The technical advancements in aviation, computers, and RADAR required technical personnel of defense industry companies that created these new weapons of war to advise and train their military customers. The Navy, keen on maintaining hierarchical relationships and following Geneva Convention rules, and to insure the clear identification of non-combatants in its midst, drew up regulations for U.S. Navy Technician uniforms and devices. These regulations, for the most part, remain on the books and can be found buried in U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines uniform regulations. A survery of these regulations are as follows:
First public mention of the uniform was published by All Hands in October 1943:
New Insignia For Civilian Technicians
Civilian technicians, who may serve with the Navy, were authorized last month to wear a uniform similar to that worn by Naval officers, minus any insignia of rank or corps, or shoulder or sleeve marks. Caps with black chin strap and without cap device will be worn. Instead of Naval insignia, technicians will wear the insignia pictured herewith, on the left breast pocket of coat and shirt. (Details in N. D. Bul. [semimonthly], of 1 September 1943, R-1368.)
The insignia above was reproduced on uniform visor cap with a small gilt placard bearing the words “U.S. Technician” on the eagle’s chest (detail toward the end of the post). By 1950, the elaborate device was no longer and was replaced with a gilt placard. All Hands also relates the same:
Navy Civilian Technicians Will Wear Uniforms With Emblem on Left Breast
A new directive authorizes civilian technicians serving with the Navy to wear uniforms that, except for insignia, are the same as an officer’s outfit.
For the most part, the uniforms will be worn by expert field engineers and scientists sent to Navy ships and shore bases by commercial companies to iron out difficulties the Navy is having with their equipment, Their most noticeable insignia, an embroidered badge about three inches square which shows an eagle and the words “U. S. Technician,” will be worn on the left breast pocket of coats and khaki shirts. The uniform will be the same as a commissioned naval officer’s with the exception that no distinctive rank, corps device or other naval insignia will be worn. Plain buttons of the same size and color of naval officers’ uniforms will be worn on the coats. Here are the various insignia to watch for:
Cap insignia – Gilt badge one-and-a-half inches wide and one-and-seven-eighths inches high bearing the words “U.S. Technician,” worn on the band of the combination cap with a plain black strap and plain gilt buttons.
Breast insignia – An embroidered badge three-and-a-quarter inches square. An eagle is shown clutching a group of tools in one claw and an olive branch in the other. The design and the words “U.S. Technician” are white on blue coats and blue on other coats and khaki shirts, on a background the same color as the coat or shirt.
Collar insignia – Gilt pin five-eighths of an inch wide and threequarters of an inch high bearing the inscription “U.S. Technician,” for wear on both sides of the khaki shirt collar.
Garrison cap insignia – Same gilt pin as that worn on the collar. On the garrison cap it is worn on the left side only.
As announced in BuPers Circ. Ltr. 142-50 (NDR, 31 Aug 1950), the uniform will be of benefit in establishing the technician’s status in event of capture by an enemy, will provide ready identification as contractors’ representative at naval activities, and will assist area commanders and commanding officers in their control over them.
The wearing of this uniform is limited to individuals authorized and designated by the Chief of Naval Operations.
By the 1990s, the uniform regulation for U.S. Navy Technicians became quite specific, and they were mandated to only wear uniforms in forward combat areas and during travel to and from such areas outside of the continental United States (or, on any other occasion as deemed fit by the Chief of Naval Operations). This is to establish their official status as a non-combatant.
U.S. Navy OPNAV INSTRUCTION 5720.3D § 9 states thus:
Articles of Uniform. The articles of uniform shall be the same as those prescribed for a commissioned naval officer except that no distinctive rank, corps device, or other naval insignia shall be worn. Plain buttons of the same size and color prescribed for naval officer’s uniforms shall be worn on coats. Female technicians shall wear either the garrison cap or beret; combination hat is not authorized.
Breast Insignia. An embroidered badge 3¼ inches square, consisting of a spread eagle, facing dexter; the left claw of the eagle shall be shown clutching a group of tools and the right claw an olive branch; immediately underneath the eagle shall be the letters: U.S. TECHNICIAN. The background of the badge shall be the same color as the coat/jacket or shirt, with the design and lettering white on blue coats and blue on other coats/jackets and khaki shirts. The breast insignia shall be worn on the left breast pocket of coats and khaki shirts for male technicians. The breast insignia shall be worn above the left breast pocket flap of the jacket (Service Dress Blue), for female technicians.
Cap insignia for male technicians. A gilt badge 1¼ inches wide by 1-7/8 inches high bearing the inscription U.S. TECHNICIAN. Worn on the band of the combination cap with plain black chin strap and plain gilt buttons. Cap insignia for garrison cap (male and female technicians) and beret (female technicians). A gilt pin 5/8-inch wide by ¾-inch high bearing the inscription U.S. TECHNICIAN. Worn on the left side of the garrison cap 2 inches from the front edge and 1½ inches from the bottom edge of the cap when the garrison cap is prescribed for wear by naval officers. For female technicians, worn on the beret, aligned approximately above the left eye.
Collar insignia. A gilt pin 5/8-inch wide by ¾-inch high bearing the inscription U.S. TECHNICIAN. Worn on both sides of the collar of the khaki shirt with the center of the insignia 1 inch from the front edge and 1 inch below the upper edge of the collar for male technicians. Worn on the white shirt collar with the center of the insignia 2 inches from the fold line at top of collar and ¾-inch from the forward edge of collar, for female technicians.
The U.S. Marine Corps has similar directives, however without the “combination hat” and the stipulation that anyone wearing a Marine Corps uniform must abide by USMC grooming standards.
These directives are still in effect. In terms of the insignia that accompany this entry, they were manufactured prior to the Korean War – as evident by the lack of Institute of Heraldry (IOH) numbers and the wartime keeper screw bolt. In the past, GEMSCO and Officer’s Equipment Co. manufactured U.S. Technician insignia; Dondero is presently the only supplier of the collar insignia to the USMC – I am unsure about the hat badge and if it is even produced. I have yet to see these plain buttons.
USN Technician Hat badge & miniature device; reverse, hallmark and screw post detail. 1950s.
USN Technician.
U.S. Navy officers’ hat with U.S. Technician insignia
manu: Berkshire, New York, NY.
Circa Early Second World War
This khaki covered hat would have been worn with the jacket as detailed below. The hat itself has an early wartime Berkshire logo, and is the standard U.S. Navy officer model; the owner would have had to privately purchase the embroidered insignia. The rich embroidery is worth mentioning; it is speculated that the work was done in Great Britain – however, these findings are inconclusive.
Do note the U.S. Navy side buttons holding the chin strap – which is of the same width as those found on standard U.S. Navy officer hat.
USN Technician.
Breast cloth badge; obverse & reverse.
Circa 1950.
As previously mentioned, a great majority of U.S. Navy Technicians worked in the field of RADAR & ASDIC (SONAR), computational devices and propulsion systems newly adopted by the U.S. Navy over the course of the Second World War and continued to do so after the close of hostilities.
However, researchers and collectors oftentimes come across “emergency rates” or other insignia worn by sailors during this period who worked with the same technologies. The lower rates were hand-picked as evidenced by special aptitude during seamen training. The others were directly recruited by the U.S. Navy based upon prior civilian experience or training – they often became Petty Officer First Class or Chief Petty Officer after having completed boot camp; at the time, these CPOs were derisively called “Slick Sleeve Chiefs” due to the lack of service hash-marks. Directly-inducted Warrant Officers and newly-minted junior officers out of V-7 training with specialized knowledge were placed into special trade and officer corps groups (former and later). However, U.S. Technicians were another class entirely, they “belonged” to their corporations, had no military training and were “lent” for the duration to train or advise the later, repair or install their equipment or simply to operate it.
A means to determine a wartime and post-war U.S. Technician patch is the lack of a border on the former.
USN Technician.
Breast cloth badge; obverse.
From the collection of David Collar.
Note: The eagle is clutching arrows as opposed to a wrench.
USN Technician.
Khaki Coat
circa Second World War
Despite regulations stating otherwise, this belted khaki coat has U.S. Navy officer gold buttons. The main difference between this jacket and its naval and maritime counterparts is the fact that it lacks loops for shoulder boards. It was also an expediently tailored piece as it not only lacks an interior liner, but also interior pockets – this common to other period pieces. The buttons are removable for coat cleaning in ship’s laundry.
Note: The eagle is clutching a wrench (of sorts) and a hammer.
USAAF Technician.
Silver plate; motto: U.S. TECHNICIAN.
Silver plate; lettering: A.S.C..
device: 15mm x 19mm.
Reverse: non-rotating points.
manu: no hallmarks or silver content noted.
Circa Second World War through 1947 (n.b. ASC became AMC in Dec. 1947).
from the collection of Joe Weingarten.
Rarely seen, these silver collar devices were worn by civilian technicians attached to the U.S. Army Air Forces Air Service Command at installations such as Wright Field – from 1948, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. These technicians began working at Wright-Patterson from the Second World War through the Vietnam war when they were replaced by civilian civil service employees of the U.S. Air Force Material Command. They performed tasks much like their U.S. Navy counterparts; if such insignia is still worn or used, I am unaware.
Korean War Period, U.S.A.F. Technician shirt patch.
More on the USAAFASC activities at Wright-Patterson, may be found here.
War Shipping Administration Ship Pilot cap badge Two piece construction; 60mm (l) x 55mm (h). No hallmarks. Eagle and shield gold-filled; anchors gold-filled. Circa Second World War era; 1943-45.
Logistics and control of the supply chain is a perennial thorn in the side of military planners. In the interwar period, the U.S.’s sea-borne commerce was handled by a handful of independent shipping companies and corporations. With the clouds of war looming over Europe, and with the country gripped by the Depression, the federal government created the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) so as to provide stimulus to and a regulatory framework for United States maritime commerce; this was welcomed by industrialists as a protectionist measure. Of its many roles, the USMC was responsible for the training of men for service in the United States Merchant Marine, overseeing ship construction and the militarization of the U.S.-flag fleet in the event of war.
After Pearl Harbor and in the early days of 1942, by executive order, President Roosevelt created the War Shipping Administration (WSA). In one stroke, the WSA seized all U.S.-flag merchant ships for wartime duty. Among other responsibilities, the fleet chartering functions of the USMC were transferred to the new agency; by mid-war, the WSA owned and operated or chartered 80% of all sea-going merchant vessels in the U.S., with the rest being owned or chartered by the U.S. Army and Navy. An estimated 90% of all military and essential cargo was carried in WSA ships; the Administration’s responsibilities extended to all aspects and phases of shipping. This agency worked closely with Merchant Marine unions, operators, the U.S. Army and Navy as well as with the British Ministry of War Transport to ensure logistical control of the maritime supply lines. Despite service in-fighting and other institutional setbacks, the WSA did fulfil its role in maintaining ever-important seaborne logistics control.
The National Archives provides the following timeline and other pertinent information:
Administrative History
Established: In the Office for Emergency Management by EO 9054, February 7, 1942, under authority of the First War Powers Act (55 Stat. 838), December 18, 1941.
Predecessor Agencies:
* Division of Emergency Shipping, Office of the General Director of Shipping * U.S. Maritime Administration (Feb. 1941-Feb. 1942)
Functions: Acquired and operated U.S. ocean vessels except those of the armed services and the Office of Defense Transportation; trained merchant crews; and coordinated utilization of U.S. shipping.
Abolished: September 1, 1946, by the Naval Appropriations Act (60 Stat. 501), July 8, 1946.
Successor Agencies: U.S. Maritime Administration.
And regarding seized functions, HyperWar provides the following text culled from a WSA memorandum penned by Adm E. S. Land:
Under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, the United States Maritime Commission was established as an independent agency to direct and control all phases of overseas shipping and shipbuilding. It became apparent immediately when this Nation entered the war that a special agency to deal with the operational problems peculiar to war was necessary to supplement the Maritime Commission. That need brought about the creation of the War Shipping Administration on February 7, 1942, which took over from the Maritime Commission virtually all of the Commission’s major statutory functions with the exception of shipbuilding. Thus WSA became the Government’s ship operating agency and the Maritime Commission its shipbuilding agency.
It is important to remember that the WSA owned, operated and chartered sea-going vessels. The personnel manning these ships could be of several classes:
Mariners, licensed or unlicensed, union or non-union.
U.S. Maritime Service trained.
“Old salts”, or mariners not federally but state trained.
Civil service, civilian mariners.
Maritime shipping company employees.
But, WSA did not man a majority of vessels under its jurisdiction – this was done, by and large by unions. Yet, the WSA did contract out personnel to pilot and sometime deliver ships. The cap badge illustrated belonged to an employee of the WSA that worked aboard WSA vessels prior to delivery to a shipping line. A bit of high-level maritime culture is required to understand how this cap badge fits into the small constellation of sea-service and federal maritime insignia…
Since the WSA was not a uniformed service (but did have a uniformed component: the United States Maritime Service), some individuals employed by the WSA proper could and did procure uniforms and insignia at their discretion – such as the illustrated cap badge. By comparison, those mariners who went to the various state maritime schools or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, during the war, would be inducted into the U.S. Merchant Marine as an active or a reserve officer – those individuals had the privilege of wearing U.S. Maritime Service insignia – as they still do today. However, in the early days of the war, not all officers aboard ship were graduates of said schools and would wear uniforms in the fashion of the day depending upon their status: mate, engineering officer, master, &c. (along the lines of U.S. Coast Guard licensed positions). If in the employ of a company, they would wear the company’s insignia. Or they could wear whatever struck their fancy and within reason.
WSA officer cap badges (cap devices), usually looked very similar to the U.S. Navy cap badges, albeit with “a twist” of being completely in gold plate.
These cap badges are few and far between given the relatively small number of WSA ship officers. This cap badge came from ship’s pilot working in a shipyard. These individuals turned the newly-built ships over to crews comprising of freshly-minted officers from United States Maritime Service (USMS) schools or existing shipping company crew members. The latter usually kept their existing insignia or defaced USMS insignia with a company flag – as illustrated in previous entries.
War Shipping Administration ship pilot Cap badge, obverse. This is ostensibly composed of components from the officer cap badges of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Public Health Service (anchors and eagle-shield, respectively). One might proffer a claim of incongruity by calling attention to the fact that the eagle is without the tell-tale “cow lick” on its crown which many use to “date” some U.S.N. commissioned officer cap badges. However, through careful examination of the toning patterns of the badge itself, the overall patina is consistent with sterling and gold-plated badges from the 1940s; and this die variation was very much in use at mid-war by Vanguard. And, since the WSA was without uniform regulations, these badges were more than likely purchased by an officer eager to adorn his cap with something distinctive.
War Shipping Administration ship pilot Cap badge, reverse. Note the absence of any hallmarks of any sort; the eagle of the usual Vanguard variety and anchors of Viking in design.
War Shipping Administration ship pilot Cap badge, reverse bolt detail. The slight lozenge-shaped brass keeper bolt is of a contemporary issue.
For a collector of period items, there is nothing more vexing than a fake offered as an original, vintage item. The higher the rarity, the greater the amount of “fakes” circulate. Although the field of collecting merchant marine insignia is small and insignia is relatively undocumented, spurious items often appear with incorrect attribution. Exploiting this lacuna, from the 1980s through the early 2000s, a single individual muddled the field and thoroughly confused collectors: Alan C. Beckman of Fox Militaria. Mr. Beckman never purported his creations to be “Official Issue” – those reselling them do now. Since education for the collector is critical, hopefully, this post will help set the record straight.
Particularly frustrating in researching and collecting Second World War Merchant Marine items is the lack of documentation. An early researcher in the field Rudy Basurto quipped in personal communication, “manufacturers be damned.” It is no wonder – the American Merchant Marine at the time was marshaled under the guidance of the War Shipping Administration to transport people and materiel in support of the war; and, with each re-alignment in Federal organization, insignia changes followed suit. Managing steamship operators did not issue handbooks or pamphlets detailing their uniforms, and government agencies – such as the United States Maritime Service – did not leave behind uniform circulars like the United States Navy. Compounding the issue, insignia houses have come and gone with their archives going the way of the wastebasket. With scant clues as to who made what insignia when and for whom, the overall lack of information has lead to speculation and guesswork.
NB.: If you wish to skip my editorial, below the text are a series of galleries of some of the items from Mr. Beckman’s stock.
Enter Alan C. Beckman
Such an unresearched and poorly documented field as Merchant Marine insignia is ripe for unscrupulous insignia dealers. No one dealer seems to be more reviled than Alan C. Beckman, the ex-proprietor of Fox Military Equipment|Fox Militaria|eBay seller usnusa. When Manion’s had a public marketplace, he set up shop there as well. Through these various channels, Mr. Beckman was a distributor and manufacturer of many restrikes, fantasies, and cinderellas. Once collectors found him peddling bad wares, they branded him as a persona non grata. Since he never gave full provenance or a complete description of the stock he sold, it enabled him to feign innocence when an angry customer confronted him.
Before he passed away, I occasionally corresponded with Mr. Beckman and learned of how he was able to offer such a broad array of items. He began manufacturing items in earnest in the early 1990s through the mid-aughts. Through a fluke of luck, I discovered he placed a large order for NOAA wings with International Insignia in Rhode Island. After a conversation with International Insignia, I learned most of Mr. Beckman’s items were not period, but restrikes. It is worth mentioning International Insignia is a supplier to Vanguard Industries and holds the archive of N.S. Meyer dies; the proprietor of International Insignia is the son of the last president of N.S. Meyer, Robert Raeburn. Through his contract with International Insignia, Mr. Beckman was able to offer many high-quality items and cinderellas (which may be collectible in their own right if one is into fantasies). Mr. Beckman’s spray-painted casts were his own experiments and came as a result of him trying to mass-produce items for market.
It is useful to offer some definitions; a leader in the field of Phaleristics – Alexander J. Laslo – provided an important terminology in his Interallied Medals of World War I. Coming from the world of numismatics, I find they offer a useful framework when considering merchant marine insignia and cap badges in particular:
Official Issue: produced for general distribution by a government or commercial firm under contract, license, or sanction of the issuing authority. Collectors will most often want to acquire these items. These may be found either unissued or used. Depending upon one’s collecting interests, one or the other is valued. For the latter, provenance is often a key determiner of value.
Reissue: A later strike of an official issue. This may involve die or finish variations. I would also include far later official issues of items; items such as the Merchant Marine discharge button currently issued by Vanguard fall into this category – same die, different bronze alloy, but given to veterans by MARAD.
Unofficial Issue: An item produced by a commercial firm and available from the firm or a vendor for the purpose of providing seamen a replacement of the official issue or an interim item to wear until the distribution of the official issue. These are “theatre manufactured” items and include sand casts of cap badges as found in collections as picked up by seamen in foreign ports as far afield as Alexandria or Sydney. I would also include items manufactured under license for general distribution, but not released (see Russell Uniform Co. below).
Reproduction: An item produced by a commercial firm for the purpose of satisfying the needs of collectors. These are sometimes referred to as “fakes.” These are only fakes if they purport to be official, vintage issues. And like reissues, they will have die and finish variations; such as lack of hallmarks or stoning of enamels. They fill gaps in a collection.
Fantasy: An item produced by a commercial firm that has no official status. These may be created to create the idea of an official issue. These may also be called “cinderellas”; cinderellas are collectible in their own right.
When it comes to Merchant Marine insignia, it is often difficult for the untrained to determine what is truly an “Official Issue” or “Fantasy” given the paucity of information and the relative sophistication of the modern manufacturing process. Coupled with the aforementioned, insignia were often altered, defaced or invented by bored mariners. Provenance and determination of “genuineness” are at times problematic. Fortunately, a small number of references devoted to the subject do exist: a self-published book by Rudy Basurto acts as a general catalog and starting point for anyone interested in the subject – it is not an academic treatment of insignia, rather is more a collection of images and pithy descriptions with some of the depicted insignia existing only in long-lost regulations; a smattering of articles published in the American Society of Military Insignia Collectors Trading Post by Dave Collar and Bill Emerson have depth to their descriptions and illustrate insignia quite well; a more specialized treatment of U.S. Maritime Service and Army Transport Service (in its various guises) is found in a self-published work by Steve Soto and Cynthia Soto; ATS-only topics are treated by Bill Emerson in his encyclopedia survey of U.S. Army Insignia; perusing Herbert Hillary “Sarge” Booker’s newsletter “Crow’s Nest” details some of Basurto’s material and offers variations of maritime insignia; Joseph Tonelli, in his Visor hats of the United States Armed Forces presents some handsome examples of many common and not-so-common head wear of the sea services, with the Maritime Service and Merchant Marine included. Readily accessible, Collar and Emerson are indispensable; and take care in consulting Basurto’s book – although it is a good starting point. I have a running list of references here.
There is always the question of what is or is not genuine. Considering Alexander J. Laslo’s and my definitions, the terms fake and reproduction are subjective; as are fantasies and test patterns. The coin-collecting world is less kind, terms used are “forgeries” and “replicas”; the former is meant to deceive and the later to collect. Objectively, Alan C. Beckman was a businessman, and he sold insignia; the onus of knowing what one purchased from him lies solely with the purchaser. The purchaser was always free to ask questions of him, and more often than not, Mr. Beckman would respond; if the purchaser was unhappy with the product he offered, they could always return it to him, no questions asked. Collectors, though, often have an acquisitiveness about them and will purchase items no questions asked. This is dangerous and where collectors in search of first-strike, original period oftentimes get “burnt.”
There are two schools of thought when it comes to cap badges. One school will not entertain re-strikes or copies. […] Under normal circumstances not only are original badges difficult to come by but they will be very expensive.
When an original metal cap badge is made the manufacturer is supplied with the metal die from which to produce them. Sometimes the manufacturer produces more than requested so that he has a few spares left over in case of any rejects and if there are no rejects then the spares are no good to him.
When the contract is finished the die should be returned to the customer and it has been known for these to end up on rubbish skips. So a restrike is one that is made to the original customer and manufacturer’s specifications using an old die but was never actually authorized.
Mr. Beckman got his start in buying and selling militaria during his time in the U.S. Army while stationed in Europe. Using West Germany as his base, he went on collecting trips where he bought up stock and sent it back home to the United States. Since he was active in the 1960s, militaria was relatively plentiful and inexpensive in Europe; this formed the core for his business – Fox Militaria operating out of Clarendon Hills, Illinois. Over the years, he was fortunate in his ability to cultivate relationships with individuals in the insignia manufacturing business; he had contacts in Rhode Island – which was a major insignia manufacturing center – and was able to purchase unsold or incomplete stock as well as old dies and tools. From these old, worn-out dies, he made his earliest items, but they were of the poor pot-metal type of reproductions. A friend taught him the art of casting, but his efforts often ended up with all the tell-tale signs of a poor cast: bubbles, wavy lines, parting lines (and file marks), &c. In time, he was able to acquire some bits and bobs from places going under such as Pasquale and Wolf-Brown, but his most valuable connection was that with International Insignia.
Mr. Beckman fabricated an amazing story to capture the imagination of his customers and to appear he had struck a collector’s dream: the coup of a personal invitation to purchase N.S. Meyer’s unsold stock at the company’s liquidation. He asserted from that sale in Manhattan he acquired many of their submarine and aviator “wings” as well as a significant amount of their old dies and unsold stock. There is a ring of truth to his story; N.S. Meyer was acquired by Vanguard in 2000, and some assets were sold – but not dies and not insignia lying in boxes on warehouse shelves. The truth is far more interesting. Mr. Beckman had a close relationship with N.S. Meyer and did buy much of their unsold stock – but not wings, rather the small notions soldered on other pieces of insignia to make up MSTS rank pins. It was through this contact that in the late 1990s – right after N.S. Meyer suffered a flood in one of their die-sheds in Rhode Island at their International Insignia subsidiary – that he was brought in to re-catalog their dies and tools. The flood completely decimated the cardboard wrappers around the dies, and the company was left wondering what they had. Since he was an avid collector of insignia and a veteran of militaria shows, he offered his services to identify their assets. In that die-shed, he discovered a trove of tools and dies used from the outset of N.S. Meyer’s creation. Armed with expert knowledge and a dash of educated guesses, he labeled and inventoried the dies and tools.
Knowing what International Insignia had on hand enabled Mr. Beckman to order rare items from them to sell to the militaria collecting community. He often jobbed out lots of one hundred pieces at a time and sold them at a trickle careful not to saturate the market. Early on, he placed his orders with International Insignia using what he surmised were original materials: a base metal plated in silver or gold; however, when precious metal prices made their use cost-prohibitive, he began placing orders for pieces in bronze, brass, and gunmetal. The later pieces of insignia, Mr. Beckman described as the rarest of rare items. Using International Insignia as a manufacturer gave him the sort of quality control over high-demand items he did not have in his own workshop. The light-chocolate bronze N.S. Meyer wings as produced by Internation Insignia were “works of art” and truly well-crafted and as the manufacturer claimed – they were complete down to the 45-degree angle catches.
Alan C. Beckman claimed many of the cinderella designs that came out of his N.S. Meyer stock were trials or leavings from small batch jobs. He explained that often a client would approach N.S. Meyer and ask if they could produce something. N.S. Meyer would make trial strikes and either make a sale or not. In fact, in the insignia business, tools are considered assets and if they were kept around, they were taxed; most, if not all of these hubs for trials went the way of the scrapyard. Mr. Beckman never owned an N.S. Meyer die, despite what he intimated to me. In regard to the dies themselves, he speculated correctly on some – and others not so. Since Mr. Beckman was a United States Navy veteran, he had a particular fondness for offering submarine badges and maritime-related insignia badges. And, being a friend of Rudy Basurto, Mr. Basurto’s work informed Mr. Beckman, and Mr. Beckman offered Mr. Basurto examples of his work and Herbert Hillary “Sarge” Booker drafted line drawings for Mr. Basurto’s monographs lending legitimacy to the fakes; it was a self-feeding circle. The cinderella pieces were Mr. Beckman’s own imaginative creations. In propping up his legend, he wrote me when I asked where does one find all of his merchant marine insignia:
As far as other information the only thing I can offer is “keep your eyes peeled”! You will learn information about the Merchant Marine from the most unlikely sources. Before Russell Uniform Co. closed their doors I was able to buy a lot of Merchant Marine insignia from them-a most unexpected source! If you can make a trip to the Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point it might be well for you to do so.
Private correspondence with Alan C. Beckman, July 10, 2009.
Mr. Beckman encouraged me to seek out insignia at estate sales. He told me trips to Florida netted him a trove of Pennsylvania Nautical School cap badges he was about to sell (N.B. P.N.S. never used stamped metal cap badges – a belt buckle, yes). I followed his advice and started to look around and was confused about what I saw and what he offered. At one point, I asked Mr. Beckman about the incongruity I noticed between the insignia I found in estate sales versus his offerings – all the old salts were selling sterling or gold. He slipped up told me the reason why the insignia he offered were in strategic materials – and not in silver plate – was due to collectors not wanting silver items. In a later sale, I mentioned to him I had done a scratch-test on one of his items; he told me gold substitute (e.g., Rust-oleum) is easier to procure than real gold. He then did a quick followup, writing, “Good eye.” He refunded my money, and told me the cap badge was mine for free.
It is interesting how Alan C. Beckman both challenged and in a sense educated me to learn more about merchant marine insignia and their production. It is almost as though he wanted me to unravel his business model.
Galleries
Fox Militaria | eBay Seller: usnusa
These images were gathered between September 2010 and August 2012. Alan C. Beckman as the eBay seller usnusa would sell stock often in batches of 15-20 items every few weeks among them would be Merchant Marine or Maritime insignia. After 2012, I left eBay and no longer watched his auctions. Each piece of insignia had an average sale price of $40-50.
Fox Militaria II
After a couple of years of inactivity, I learned Mr. Beckman’s stock was appearing once again on eBay. I was astounded, and then learned Mr. Beckman was not well. Images of his stock as sent me are below; most I already knew from the fliers he sent me years prior. One thing that always stands out about Mr. Beckman’s cap badges is how he consistently re-used the anchor from the N.S. Meyer U.S. Marine Corps Eagle/Globe/Anchor cap badge construction.
Some collectors through the years have come to recognize their purchases as items having a provenance leading to Mr. Beckman. Below find a gallery of some of those pieces.
Fox Militaria | Russell Uniform Co.
In late November 2018, I was approached and asked if I knew anything about insignia marked as coming from Russell Uniform Company. I spoke with Alan C. Beckman about his offerings a decade prior and he told me he was invited to the company’s offices in New York to take their existing stock when they were going out of business. With this amazing piece of information, I had purchased (and later returned a piece of Russell Uniform Co. insignia) from Mr. Beckman. Upon closer inspection, I found the insignia was a spray-painted cast. He congratulated me for my good eye and later told me that he had the cardboard privately printed (Tektronix printer) and he based the insignia on “unpublished” warrant officer regulations – he later told me he did not have the regulations:
Rudy has them in his book.
There was no going-out-of-business sale, and the unpublished regulations were made up. The United States Maritime Service used U.S. Navy warrant officer devices on collars and garrison hats; the only wreathed insignia were found on cuffs devices and shoulder boards. Russell Uniform Company did exist, it was a seller of police insignia and once the official uniform providers to the New York Police Department and New York State Police. Particularly problematic regarding much of the insignia is its corrosion – wartime insignia was not made of brass; especially when these items were purported to have come out: 1944-1945.
Fake MSTS Clerk
Fake MSTS Radio Officer
Fake USMS Warrant Engineer
Fake USMS Warrant Fantasy rate
Fake USMS Warrant Fantasy rate (reverse)
Fake USMS Warrant Carpenter
Fake USMS Warrant Carpenter (reverse)
Fake USMS Officer device
Fake USMS Warrant Carpenter
Fake USMS Warrant Chaplain
Fake USMS Warrant Clerk
Fake USMS Warrant Electrician
Fake USMS Warrant Engineer
Fake USMS Warrant Gunner
Fake USMS Warrant Pharmacist
Fake USMS Warrant Photographer
Fake USMS Warrant Radio Officer
Fake USMS Warrant Supply Officer
“Rudy Basurto” Collection
When I first posted this page, I received an anonymous comment with the images created below. Apparently, between August 2010 and February 2011, a number of merchant marine insignia flooded eBay. I dubb these “Rudy Basurto” Collection since they all looked very similar to items depicted in Rudy Basurto’s privately-printed book, Insignia of America’s Little Known Seafarers. To an item, each appeared at one time or another in usnusa eBay auctions. These images are important as they depict the reverses of many of the pieces of insignia, and they show detail otherwise absent from the scans above.
Fox Militaria Mailer | Sarge Booker
In the early aughts, Mr. Beckman contacted all of his previous customers and sent them direct mailers with items that may interest them given past purchases. These images were scanned and provided to me by Sarge Booker. Although not in this flier, Sarge intimated that Mr. Beckman has woven badges jobbed out all his woven badges to a firm in Pakistan. All of the items, with the exception of the “Maritime Service Midshipman 1942-1945,” “MSTS,” and “MSC” items are not official issues. Apparently, the USMS Midshipman badge was an actual trial struck for use at Kings Point; the Administration declined.
One day, I asked Sarge how Mr. Basurto and Mr. Beckman got in contact – they were both subscribers to a zine Sarge put out called “Crow’s Nest.” Mr. Basurto was had the idea of writing a monograph called “Insignia of America’s Little Known Seafarers” and the three collaborated to add content; some pieces actual and some speculative.
Commentary
This post has seen many revisions since it was first drafted; in its first iteration, it was merely a commentary on my opinion regarding what is problematic about a particular insignia item. That commentary is as follows.
ATS Chief Petty Officer This device comes up in online auctions from time-to-time with examples in bronze. Alan’s signature is the hand-applied and soldered “rope.” The wire is loose, and the reverse solder is sometimes blotchy. His pieces have N.S. Meyer hallmarks – this is due to the fact he purchased many unfinished pieces and dies were sold at auction in the 1990s when the N.S. Meyer plant closed – every year about 3-4 of these badges find their way to sale.
USMS Chief Petty Officer The applied anchor is a dead giveaway. No USMS CPO devices were ever manufactured that have said application. Alan offered the same device with silver applied anchors. In regard to the anchors themselves, these are actually old N.S. Meyer appurtenances struck in the late 1930s for use with U.S. Maritime Commission Cadet Corps Scholastic Award Ribbon.
This is a fun badge. The eagle is actually a MSTS eagle with a USCG shield and USN anchors. US C&GS hat badges from the time of the Second World War are exclusively woven. Only postwar did metal hat badges come to be manufactured; with those matching NOAA examples from the present day.
US Coast & Geodetic Survey Senior Chief Petty Officer
This badge is a mash-up of ideas. It was not until 1968 that the US Navy Uniform Board approved a Master and Senior Chief Petty Officer cap insignia – similar to their collar devices, with one or two silver stars superimposed on the anchor, inverted and centered on the stock. The US Coast Guard soon followed the US Navy’s lead in 1970, as did the regulations for US C&GS/NOAA. The US C&GS had a small core of Chief Petty Officers up until the 1950s, afterward they converted to unlicensed, un-uniformed Federal, civil-service employees. Proposed insignia tables were published in 1965 without examples being produced. With the transfer of the agency to the Environmental Science Services Administration, all non-commissioned officer positions were removed and finally ceased to be with the 1970 reorganization into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Students of naval insignia will note that on this particular hat badge is the fact that the star is not of the type used by any of the licensed manufacturers of US Military establishment insignia, and and the anchor itself is that of a US Navy ROTC/Annapolis midshipman. The only US CG&S true device is the triangle within the circle.
USMS Supply Officer
Russell Uniform Company had a cache of badges they created as patterns for the United States Maritime Service, but they were never is sued. These badges were simply too large to be worn on the collar; what the USMS did instead was to wear USN warrant officer badges. When Russell Uniform Company closed shop (formerly of 1600 Broadway & 192 Lexington Ave., New York City and the original uniform shop for NY State Troopers), Alan purchased their stock; thus these badges fall in the gray area of Official and Unofficial issues.
After I wrote the above, I contacted Alan, and he mentioned the cards he provided with the insignia were sometimes privately printed. He did admit to combining some USN warrant officer pins with Russell Uniform Company wreaths – just look for the sheared-off posts. If there is pitting, the wreaths were cast by him.
US Navy Commissioned Officer
This is not quite a restrike. The die was designed, yet the badges never went into production. I have an actual, issued US Navy Commissioned Officer hat badge of the “pre-1940s” type in another post. Alan also had this badge as what he called a WSA cap badge. The WSA badge had bronze anchors and three stars on the shield; this would have been a fantasy issue since the WSA never issued such a badge; the three stars were a misunderstanding/attribution of MMP cap badges with the thought of what a USSB cap badge would have looked like.
USMS Gunner Although the USMS had a gunner rate, these gunners only served at training stations. It is a nice thought, though. Thoroughly unofficial ATS examples use the same central device within a wreath and are woven and not struck.
ATS Radioman
This is sometimes advertised as either an ATS Electrician or Radioman. See above.
ATS Craftsman See above.
ATS Clerk
See above.
US Army Harbor Boat Service – Tug Boat Service
The US Army Quartermaster Corps operated the Harbor Boat Service; the individuals would wear an anchor with a Quartermaster Corps device soldered on the anchor. The HBS included launches, tugboats, and other utility boats in support of ATS vessels and US Army waterfront bases. Thus, TBS never existed; once again this a fantasy filling in a perceived gap in Army insignia.
Harbor Boat Service Officer
This is a fantasy, and a fun one, at that. Following the interwar US Army penchant for identifying units by placing small devices on other pieces of insignia – numbers and Corps devices (for example), this places a miniature Quartermaster Corps device on the shield of a US Navy Commissioned Officer’s hat badge.
War Shipping Administration, U.S. Maritime Service training cadre CPO/trainee. 1942.
U.S. Maritime Service Chief Petty Office cap badge (Type 2a – Variant 1) One-piece construction. Seal, 25mm diameter; Anchor, 50mm length. A. E. Co. (American Emblem Company, Utica, New York) hallmark. Anchor and device stamped nickel; red enamel band and shield. Circa 1942.
This is the first example of the second design of the USMS CPO hat badge; the first design was worn briefly from 1941, up until WSA control of the USMS in July 1942 with the illustrated badge appearing in August 1942. The former badge may be found in plain brass as well as in nickel – as is the case of this badge. This badge, appearing in nickel is a bridge between the more common second design manufactured by Coro in silver plate.
It is unknown at this time whether or not American Emblem Company manufactured a miniature of this device. It is also unknown if there are collar dogs made by American Emblem Company; thus far, only Coro hallmarked examples are known.
USMS CPO Hat badge, obverse.
USMS CPO Hat badge, reverse. A close-up of the reverse details the A. E. Co (American Emblem Company) hallmark as well as the relative thinness of the badge. This variant, most likely due to the preponderance of Coro badges may be of a short, limited run. Coro, it is noted, did not produce the first variant of the CPO badge. Either A. E. Co. nor Coro produced the USMS commissioned officer cap badge patterns from 1942 onward.
U.S. Maritime Service Chief Petty Office hat badge (1st design, 2nd pattern)
One piece construction. Seal, 25mm diameter; Anchor, 50mm length.
Obscured AE CO N.Y. hallmark (American Emblem Company).
Anchor and device stamped nickel; blue enamel band and red, white & blue shield.
This is the second pattern of the first design of the USMS CPO hat badge; it was worn from 1942 until the dissolution of formal Coast Guard management of training program and its transfer to the War Shipping Administration in July 1942. The summer of 1942 saw a re-design of U.S. Maritime service insignia, and with it, the USMS CPO hat badge. Both the first pattern of the first design and second design have been respectively treated before, here and here.
This specific badge is often misidentified as a USMS Warrant Officer device; this is an understandable error, as mid-war, individuals who trained at USMS Radio Officer schools were issued USMS CPO hat badges and collar disks, and upon graduation held the appointed rank of Warrant Officer within the U.S. Maritime Service. Compounding some of confusion is that by war’s end, USMS Regulations published in 1944 stated that officers in the Radio Department, depending upon vessel tonnage and class, and certificate status could rank anywhere from Lieutenant to Ensign, vid.: U.S. Maritime Service Officers’ Handbook, 1944 p5.
USMS CPO Hat badge, obverse.
USMS CPO Hat badge, obverse detail.
USMS CPO Hat badge, reverse.
Note that the screw post and pins have been sheared off and replaced by a flat pin.
U.S. Maritime Service Chief Petty Office cap badge (Type 2 – Variant 2)
One piece construction. Seal, 25mm diameter; Anchor, 50mm length.
Coro (Cohn & Rosenberger) hallmark.
Anchor and device stamped brass, sterling plated (marked); red enamel band and shield.
Mid-to-post Second World War era; 1942-1947.
This is the second design of the USMS CPO hat badge; the first was worn briefly from 1941, up until WSA control of the USMS in July 1942 with the illustrated badge appearing in August 1942. The former badge may be found in plain brass as well as in plated silver – as is the case of this badge. The second design is almost always found in silver plate or less common brass; any others are patterns or reproductions. Enterprising merchant seaman have been known to buff the plate off, showing yellow medal underneath. The illustrated badge is of the second type and variant two – it differs from the first with a few stylistic differences – a difference in shield configuration and the inclusion of a motto, and punctured anchor ring. The first employs blue enamel as opposed to red. Interestingly enough, the changed design did not stylistically match that of the contemporary uniform coat, cap and shoulder board buttons and snaps which were altered at the same time as the hat badge.
A miniature of this device was authorized and manufactured for wear on overseas caps.
USMS CPO Hat badge, obverse.
USMS CPO Hat badge, reverse.
A close-up of the reverse details the Coro (Cohn & Rosenberger) hallmark as well as the Sterling denotation. Coro, as a corporate name came to be in 1943; however, the incuse hallmark “Coro” with a distinct curly-queue C in serif font dates to 1940 and underwent minor variations until 1945. Moreover, due to wartime metal shortages, Coro produced Sterling insignia items under Government contract from 1942-1947. With the aforementioned in mind, this hallmark adequately dates the device to the early-to-mid 1940s, contemporaneous with USMS insignia change.
USMS CPO Hat badge, production hub.
This hub is composed of hardened steel; of interest are the alignment pins used in the creation of dies. I have already written about production methods specifically outlining the purpose of a hub, here. If you visit the image’s page on Flickr, and select “All Sizes”, the original size can give you a better idea of the intricacy of design and even the parts of the hub that have been buffed and chiseled.
One reason that dies do not show up often in collections is that as dies wear out, they are taken out of production, defaced and melted down; hubs survive due to the fact that more than one master is required for die production. In terms of USMS hat insignia, hubs are few and far between as there were not a whole lot of insignia houses producing USMS devices.
This specific die was sourced from an estate in Rhode Island; which corresponds to the fact that this is perhaps indeed a Coro hub (see above). Prior to, during and following the Second World War, Coro had a large jewelry factory in Providence, Rhode Island. Thus far, I have only seen period USMS CPO (Type 2 – Variant 1 & Variant 2) badges with Coro hallmarks.
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.
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
illustrates one of the most exquisite pieces of headgear worn by U.S. forces in the Second World War – that of the U.S. Technician attached to the U.S. Navy. A passing glance could mistake it for something out of Fascist Italy: these hats have elaborate devices composed of a silver embroidered spread eagle. It faces dexter with a stylized wrench clutched in the left claw and an olive branch in the right. The lettering “U.S. TECHNICIAN” is centered on a brass or gold-plate device on the eagle’s chest. The hat’s chin-strap changed from gilt to black-braid by end of the war, and finally black leather. The last U.S. Technician hat Tonelli details on page 198 is from 1950 and presumably one in contemporary use.
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. London: Greenhill Books, 2006.
. London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1959.
. London: Cambridge University Press, 1982.
. London: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
. London: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
