Navy camo uniforms in the nooz: They're flammable. And for me: Camo? Why?

[Stinky The Clown]

Okay, the flammable part first. It seems the Navy camo uniforms, unlike the camo in the other services, is flammable. They used to be fire proof but sailors complained about comfort. Comfort won. Now the Navy's looking at the issue again.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/navy-details-review-flammable-uniforms

Here is a picture of the current uniform.



I don't get this. Camo? At sea? Aboard ship? Really? Why? Back when I was in the Navy (Moby Dick was just a minnow back then) we wore dungarees and chambray shirts. The dungarees had actual, albeit mild, bell bottoms, although most sailors of the day wore Seafarer jeans. The Seafarers were quite tight in the torso and thigh area and flared smartly at the cuff. Seafarer also made nicely tailored fitted chambray shirts. This picture is typical. not model perfect, but typical of a 1960s sailor.



Sailors back then looked the part. No camo. No bullshit. Dungarees, chambray, and white hats. Iron-on name and sleeve rank insignia. Roomy shirt pockets. Seafarer was also a popular choice for civilians back then, what with the bell bottom style and all. Young women, especially, liked to wear the men's dungarees and pea coats. Very big on college campuses. My wife wore them, for example.



I still have all my uniforms. I don't fit them any more, but I do have them. I have genuine Navy issue and sets of Seafarers in dress blue, undress blue, dress whites, undress whites and lots of dungarees.

So anyway, back to today's uniforms. Why camo? What am I missing? Our uniforms had a purpose. They could stand up to actually living and working on a ship. Plus, in my view, they let sailors look like sailors, not some generic military person. Salty.

What do camos do for sailors?

I really don't get it.

[Xithras]

1. I've never understood why sailors wore blue, much less CAMO

If you fall overboard, it seems to me that the LAST thing you want to do is BLEND IN with the sea!

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Lemme explain the original intent

And it made sense if...they had stuck to the original plan.

They wanted originally to have one set of working uniforms for all services. It would save money, and lead to cheaper uniforms for all service members...

Then it went to desert and forest...

Then you got the services going, I am Marine, I ain't wearing the same as the Army...don't get me started with Airforce. (The marines have the Globe in the pattern)

The navy as the last to get perfectly good cammy when a man (or woman) goes overboard.

It has one advantage though...sailors can go to town in them.

As to the pattern, my husband, retired Chief, had the snorting coffee through nose reaction when he saw them. The last you need is to hide if you fall overboard.

[Blue_Tires]

5. I think it also has to do with the whoever makes the uniforms

wanting to make a little more cash by creating something new...

I'm in Hampton Roads, and I remember some piece years ago on just how much time/$$$$/energy was spent even to come up with the patterns for the digital camo...

[enlightenment]

3. Camoflague on a ship?

And it looks like - the ocean.

I think I'd rather be wearing something that didn't look like water - just in case I fell into the water. Of course, it sounds like the bigger problem is that the sailor's are more likely to go up like Roman candles than drown because no one could see them in their ocean-style camo.

Geeze. The biggest problem we had with fatigues when I was in the AF was that they started issuing shirts for women before they started issuing trousers for women - so our gig lines were never straight (especially since we were told to thread our belts "properly", i.e., from left to right . . . or was it right to left . . .?)

[elehhhhna]

4. To sum up: if you go overboard in camo,

you should immediately set it on fire, so you'll be seen.

[leftstreet]

10. LOL

[petronius]

11. Genuine LOL! Well played...

[elehhhhna]

12. just trying to support the troops

[enlightenment]

17. Wonder if that's in the washing instructions?

*snork*

[GeorgeGist]

6. Because camo is KOOL ...

like killing shit.

[Agnosticsherbet]

7. Quite a few Navy Men saw service in Afghanistan and Iraq...

and not aboard Navy ships and not just a corpsman.

The were brought in to ease the strain on the traditional ground pounder units.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. They did in the 60s in Viet Nam, too.

They wore USMC uniforms which are, I might add, actually *Navy* uniforms.

We had them on board the ships I was on, just in case. They were new and unused, but could be issued if the need arose.

[1-Old-Man]

8. We used to dress up like a bush when I was in the Army in order to hide

it beat the hell out of getting shot. As they say, every little bit helps.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. No bushes on ships.

[Lurks Often]

9. One of the reasons for that particular shade & pattern

is that it does a good job of hiding show grease, oil and other stains one might find aboard a ship or in a navy yard.

A universal uniform for the services is one of the things we should have been able to save money on and the SecDef should have told all the heads of the services to shut up and deal with it or submit their retirement papers.

[Politicub]

15. I LOVE the pants! I think that uniform should come back

I don't get the camo thing either.

[marions ghost]

16. Flame proof chemicals are nasty

I'm with the sailors on that.

[HooptieWagon]

18. A lot of Naval personell have served ashore....

In Iraq and Afghanistan...guarding prisoners and many other roles. Only makes sense for them to be issued camo.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. In those duties they are issued desert camo.

[NV Whino]

20. Yhis has also puzzled me

On the other hand, if they were solid color, they would look like prison uniforms.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

21. They are often referred to as Aqua-flage...............nt

[hootinholler]

22. Do you remember when polyester uniforms were banned at sea?

There was a khaki polyester that was very easy care, but would light off like a book of matches. They were banned shipboard when I was in after a number of burns were exacerbated by them.

As to camo, I snicker whenever I see it.