California State Military
Department
- The California Military Museum
- Preserving California's Military Heritage
- California Naval History
- Uniforms of the
California State Naval Forces
- by
- Mark J. Denger
-
- The Naval Battalion
and the California Naval Militia
-
- The uniforms worn by the officers and
enlisted men of the Naval Battalion of the National Guard were
prescribed in General Order 18, issued September 26, 1891, the
dress being similar in design to those in use in the United States
Navy.
As no financial aid was available, either from the State or Federal
Government, each officer of the Naval Battalion furnished his
own uniform. Those for the enlisted men were purchased with funds
secured through private subscriptions of patriotic citizens in
San Francisco and San Diego. In San Francisco alone, according
to the Adjutant General, over $2,600 was subscribed for that
purpose.
The Adjutant General Report, 1891-1892, pages 89-92, describes
both officers and enlisted men's uniforms as follows:
-
- Uniforms for Officers
- Naval Officer, circa
1917
-
- Service Dress.
-
- Blue service coat, blue trousers, blue
caps and service sword belt. Leggings to be worn when on duty
with the Naval Brigade or Landing Party. White gloves always
to be worn with the sword, except at sea and on drills.
-
- Service Coat.
-
- For all officers, a coat of dark navy
blue cloth. The collar, edges of coat and side seams of the back
trimmed with lustrous black mohair braid, one and one fourth
inches wide, besides which at a distance of one eighth of an
inch, a narrow black silk braid, one eighth on an inch wide shall
be placed. On each side of the collar, to be embroidered in high
relief, one inch in width, the corps badge and grade devices.
The grade mark on the sleeve shall be:
-
- For Lieutenant-Commander. Two stripes of half inch gold lace with one stripe
of quarter inch gold lace between, each a quarter of an inch
apart. The lower edge of the sleeve lace to be two inches from
the edge of the sleeve. A star of five rays, embroidered in gold,
one inch in diameter, on the outer side of each sleeve, with
one of the rays pointing directly downward and the point one
fourth an inch from the upper edge of the upper strip of lace.
-
- For Lieutenants. Two
stripes of half inch gold lace on fourth inch apart, and star
as described for Lieutenant-Commander.
-
- For Lieutenants Junior Grade. One stripe of half inch gold lace, with one stripe
of one fourth inch gold lace one fourth inch above it, and star
as described for Lieutenant-Commander.
-
- For Ensign.
One stripe of half inch gold lace, and star as described for
Lieutenant-Commander.
-
- For Staff Officers. All staff officers shall wear the same lace on
the cuffs as is prescribed for line officers with whom they have
a relative rank, with bands of colored cloth around the sleeve
between the stripes of gold lace as follows:
- Medical Officers.
Dark maroon velvet.
Pay Officers. White cloth.
Engineer. Red cloth.
-
- Staff officers entitled to but one stripe
of lace on the sleeve will wear the colored cloth so as to show
one fourth inch above and below the stripe. Service coat to be
worn entirely buttoned.
-
- Caps.
-
- For commissioned officers line and staff,
to be or regulation Navy pattern with the same device; white
cap cover may be worn.
-
- Trousers
-
- For all officers, shall be of dark navy
blue cloth, to have a strip of lustrous black mohair braid, one
and one fourth inches wide, down the outer seam.
-
- Devices
-
- For Lieutenant-Commander. A gold leaf and a gold foul anchor.
-
- For Lieutenants. Two
gold bars and a foul anchor.
-
- For Lieutenants Junior Grade. One gold bar and a gold foul anchor.
-
- For Ensign.
A gold foul anchor.
-
- Gloves
-
- Gloves to be of white lisle thread, except
for open air service in cold weather, when white leather or heavy
white cotton shall be worn.
-
- Swords.
-
- Swords for all officers to be a cut and
thrust blade not less than twenty-six nor more than thirty-two
inches long, slightly curved, half basket hilt, grip white, scabbards
of black leather, mountings of yellow gilt and all as per United
States Navy pattern.
-
- Sword Belts.
-
- For all officers shall be of plain black
grained leather or morocco with sling straps of the same. The
belt plate to be of yellow gilt two inches in diameter.
- Naval Militia Officer
Ranks
- Lieutenant Commander
shoulder board (left), Lieutenant sleeve insignia (right)
-
Uniform For Enlisted Men
-
- Enlisted uniforms,
circa 1917
-
- The naval uniform shall be worn by all
enlisted men of the Naval Battalion, National Guard of California,
when attending drills or parades on shore, or when on board vessels
of the United States Navy for drill or instruction.
-
- Shirts
-
- Dark navy blue flannel with large square
collar of same material, small pocket on right side, tape around
the collar shall be white, three sixteenths of an inch wide and
three sixteenths of an inch apart, the outer stripe to be one
fourth an inch from the edge. In each corner of the collar there
shall be worked in white a star three fourths an inch in diameter.
-
- Trousers
-
- Dark navy blue cloth or flannel.
-
- Caps
-
- Caps to be of dark navy blue cloth. Hats
of eight one ounce cotton duck. Hat ribbon to be of black silk,
one and one fourth inches wide with the words, "NAVAL BATTALION"
through the center of the ribbon, the words to be preceded and
followed by a five pointed star.
-
- Winter cap for a
seaman or petty officer assigned to California's training ship
USS Farragut, circa 1915-1917. Note the Naval Militia Distinguising
Insignia on either side of the ship's name.
-
- Knife Lanyard
-
- Knife Lanyard to be of white cotton and
of seamanlike make.
-
- Neckerchief
-
- Neckerchief to be black silk, Navy pattern.
-
- Working Clothes
-
- White, of unbleached cotton duck or drilling.
Collar of jumper of same material, covered on outer side with
thin dark navy blue flannel.
-
-
- Naval Militia Distinguishing
Insignia. Summer (left) Winter (right)
-
- Enlisted White Jumper
wiith Naval Militia Distinguising Insignia in the front
- California State
Naval Guard Units
- Lieutenant (Junior
Grade), California State Guard Deck Divisions, 1940-1943
-
- During the Second World War the California
State Guard formed a naval force called the California State
Naval Guard. The Naval Guard consited of several deck divisions
and two companies of Marines. Officers work a modified US Navy
Uniform with State of California buttons and the branch insignia
pictured above in lieu of the line officers' star. It appears
that they also wore the cap badge of the US Coast Guard.
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