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From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Wed Jan 01 2003 - 21:10:16 EST
In a message dated 22-Dec-02 00:07:08 Eastern Standard Time,
writes:
> Well, no doubt Smallwood's is right, of course, but the way I
> know it, the free anchor is worn by professional officers, and
> the fouled anchor by amateurs. Sir Thomas Lipton would have
> worn a fouled anchor for his America's Cup challenges. A
> charter captain would wear a plain free anchor.
>
> Gold is worn only by Navy officers.
>
I agree about the plain anchor for professionals and fouled for amateurs, but
in my years in the Merchant Marine all I can recall are stripes and symbols
in gold.
The deck officers had anchors and the engineers had propellers. Navy deck
officers have a star. As a Radio Officer I had three gold lightening bolts
and two gold stripes on my shoulder boards when I was issued them when
working on a ship that carried (12 or fewer) passengers, the only ship aboard
which I ever wore the insignia. On most other ships the Captain might wear
shoulder boards (usually with kakis) when dealing with shoreside people. If
I had been a Chief Radio Officer on a normal passenger ship I would have
would have had three stripes. The Captain and the Chief Engineer both have
four stripes.
On regular tankers, freighters, or container ships I wore whatever I was most
comfortable with, which varied from kakis to a jump suit, while on watch at
sea. But when I had to deal with shoreside people I always wore kakis. Some
skippers frowned upon shirts (T-shirts) without collars at meals, a request I
always agreed with.
I do not recall ever seeing circles, diamonds or silver thread on official
insignia.
An odd niche was the Chief Steward. While not a licensed officer, he was the
head of a department and was entitled by contract to wear a uniform with
shoulder boards and take his meals in the saloon, but in my 27 years at sea I
only saw one man that did that and I cannot recall the insignia on his
shoulder boards.
It is a guess that silver thread might be for Navy Warrant Officers and some
other folks that make supervisory decisions but are not in direct control of
the ship.
Norm
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