U.S. Navy Comabt Helmets MC&H Vol 66 No 2 - Munnikhuyen

Military Collector & Historian

The purpose of the Journal is to disseminate information on the material culture, history, and traditions of members of the Armed Forces of the United States worldwide and other nations serving in the Western Hemisphere.

COMPANY OF MILITARY HISTORIANS®

Board of GovernorsCricket Bauer Steven M. Baule, Ed.D., Ph.D. Craig D. BellGeorge F. Franks IIIPatrick GloydJack Grothe John Morris Larry Munnikhuysen III Marc Sammis

PresidentStephen M. Henry

Vice President for AdministrationAlejandro M. de Quesada

Vice President for PublicationsCol. John K. Robertson, USA (Ret.)

Vice President for DevelopmentJohn Morris

SecretaryLarry Munnikhuysen III

TreasurerAndrew M. Fonoroff

Administrator and Assistant TreasurerDavid M. Sullivan

MILITARY COLLECTOR & HISTORIANEditor

David M. SullivanGraphics and Layout Editor

Col. John K. Robertson, USA (Ret.)Assistant Editors

D. Franklin Arey III Maj. James B. Ronan II, USAR (Ret.)Marc SammisTimothy G. Terrell

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Steven M. Baule, Ed.D., Ph.D.

Vol. 66, No. 2 Summer 2014 Washington, D.C.

Military Collector & Historian (ISSN-0026-3966) is published quarterly by the Company of Military Historians. © 2014 Company of Military Historians, Company of Military Historians®, and the Rifleman logo are registered trademarks of the Company of Military Historians. All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this Journal in any form whatsoever. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.Address all general business or advertising correspondence to: The Company of Military Historians, Box 910, Rutland, MA 01543-0910; telephone 508-

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IN THIS ISSUEAcademic Honors and Glory: U.S. Senior ROTC Battle Streamers, 1776–1941, by Christopher L. Eger ........... 98xxxxxxxxxxxxx, by yyyyyyyyyy ............................................................................................................................ 101“Plates, once tin but now iron … .”: More Notes on Revolutionary Commanders’ Cooking

and Eating Utensils, by John U. Rees ............................................................................................................... 102Civil War Vignettes: 3d New York Volunteer Cavalry and 29th Connecticut Volunteers (Colored),

Janaury 1864, by Anthony Gero ........................................................................................................................ 103The 1813 U.S. Infantry Soldiers’ Coat, by Greg Legge ........................................................................................ 104Kindrell Lawson Grimmett, Confederate States Marine: his Service and his Photograph,

by David M. Sullivan ........................................................................................................................................ 107“Darkened by the Tides and Time”: The History and Material Culture of His Majesty’s Ship Augusta,

by Tyler Rudd Putman....................................................................................................................................... 110The Inkerman Zouaves, by Ron Field ................................................................................................................... 125Officers’ Regulation Uniforms, Compagnies franches de la Marine,

New France, 1683–1763, by René Chartrand .................................................................................................. 129From the Halls of Montezuma to the Hills of Gettysburg:

One Marine’s Journey in Service to his Country, by John E. Norvell .............................................................. 142St. Vincent Militia, 1771, submitted by René Chartrand ...................................................................................... 145Notes on the Arms and Accouterments of Maj. Francis Dade’s Detachment, U.S. Army, 1835,

by James E. Marshall and Jeff Snively ............................................................................................................. 146SC/2c Peter Spiro Calimeris, USNRF:

A Greco-American Odyssey, by John Obed Curtis .......................................................................................... 149U.S. Navy Combat Helmets, by Larry Munnikhuysen .......................................................................................... 152The USS Olympia, by Maj. James B. Ronan II (USAR, Ret.) ............................................................................... 162Bvt. Major Philip Kearny Resigns, 1852, submitted by Will Gorenfeld ............................................................... 163Researching a Ship’s Medicine Chest, by Chuck Veit; research by Lori Veit ....................................................... 170St. Vincent Militia, 1769, submitted by René Chartrand ...................................................................................... 173The First Official Armored Force Uniform, by Larry Munnikhuysen .................................................................. 176The History of the Wyckoff Spotter Tower, Wyckoff, New Jersey, by Jack Goudsward ..................................... 177Montreal, 1760—The Siege That Wasn’t: “Afaith, twas the Highlanmon that still paid the bill,”

by Col. Michael R. Gadue U.S. Army (Ret.) ..................................................................................................... 179USS Alabama Souvenir, by Daniel Jackson ......................................................................................................... 189An Ambrotype of a Maine Militiaman, by Daniel J. Binder ................................................................................ 190When I First Viewed Soldiers, by Steven M. Baule .............................................................................................. 191

MILITARY UNIFORMS IN AMERICA920: Hompesch’s Chasseurs, 1795–1798,

by Robert J. Marrion and René Chartrand ...................................................................................................... 164921: Chilean Hussars and Engineers, 1812–1814, by Julio Berrios Salazar and Carlos Alberto Méndez Notari ........................................................................... 166922: Captain Peter Mantz’ Company, Maryland Flying Camp, 1776,

by Don Long, L. E. Babits, and Greg Stratton .................................................................................................. 168

FEATURESThe Message Center ............................................................................................................................................. 174On Our Covers, The Last Post .............................................................................................................................. 1752013 Financial Statement ...................................................................................................................................... 188

What is this?See page 175.

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U.S. Navy Combat HelmetsLarry Munnikhuysen

THE use of protective steel helmets aboard U.S. Navy ves-sels did not become prevalent until the latter part of the

1930s. Prior to this time the standard U.S. Model 1917 helmet, the Doughboy helmet of World War I, would be found only in limited numbers on vessels whose duties might entail land-ing parties. The development of military and naval airpower during World War I, its rapid expansion in the 1920s, and the increasing range and lethality of military aircraft throughout the 1930s made it necessary for the Navy to begin adding a variety of antiaircraft weapons to its vessels. The addition of multiple antiaircraft guns with more exposed gun crews on most ship’s weather decks made the issue of protective helmets a critical necessity. 1 With the advent of World War II, the is-sue of the new M–1 steel helmet grew to include shipboard personnel in most all exposed and topside stations as well as interior damage control parties. The expanded role of U.S. Naval personnel in World War II, such as beach master units, naval aviation units, construction battalions (CBs), and various

other specialized detachments which, though belonging to the U.S. Navy, saw their duties performed mainly on hostile shores, resulted in many sailors being equipped with the M–1 infantry helmet. Even in today’s Navy the requirement for protective helmets continues to grow. Increasingly shipboard personnel are required to perform shipboard security duties upon exposed deck areas, as well as various port security func-tions. In addition, there are the famous Naval Special Warfare units—the SEALs, SDVT (SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team), and SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crew)—all of which require protective helmets of some type. Little has been written about the various types of combat helmets the Navy has used throughout the twentieth century. This article will correct that.

The Navy uses a helmet nomenclature which is quite dif-ferent from the Army designations most military historians are used to. The Navy helmet designations and their Army equivalent (if any) are shown in TABLE A.

TABLE A. Navy Helmet designations and their Army equivalentHelmet, Sailor’s Same as Army M1917 helmet. Used from 1918 through 1936.Helmet, Sailor’s, Steel, Mk1 Same as Army M1917A1 helmet. Used from 1936 through 1942.Helmet, Sailor’s, Steel, M1 Standard Army M1 helmet. Used from 1942 through the 1980’s.Helmet, Sailor’s, Steel, Mk2, Mod.0 The Telephone-Talker helmet. Used from 1942 through the 1990’s.

Helmet, Sailor’s, Aluminum, Ex1, Mod.0 Experimental Telephone-Talker helmet, c. 1957. Never accepted for use.

Helmet, Sailor’s, DORON, Ex2, Mod.0.Experimental Telephone-Talker helmet made from DORON a glass - cloth laminate, c. 1957.

Never accepted for use.

Helmet, Sailor’s, Mk3, Mod.0 Experimental DORON Telephone-Talker helmet, c. 1959. Never accepted for use.

Helmet, Phonetalker, Mk4, Mod.0. Phonetalker helmet made of GRP (glass reinforced plastic). Adopted for use in 1981 and still in use.

Helmet, NBH-1 Gentex concept helmet made of glass reinforced plastic.

Issued for extended sea tests 1984–1986 but never adopted for use.

Helmet, NBH-2 Gentex concept helmet made of glass reinforced plastic.

Issued for extended sea tests 1984–1986 but never adopted for use.

Helmet, NBH-3 Gentex concept helmet made of glass reinforced plastic.

Issued for extended sea tests 1984–1986 but never adopted for use.

Helmet, Naval Battle, Mk.5, Mod.0. Project helmet to replace the Helmet, Sailor’s Steel, M1.

Initiated in 1981 the project was soon cancelled.

Helmet, Naval Battle, Mk.6, Mod.0.No information available but this may have been the Army’s new PASGT infantry helmet.

Helmet, Naval Battle, Mk.7 Similar in shape to the Army MICH helmet but has a one size fits all liner. Adopted for use in 1994.

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The first widespread use of steel helmets in the Navy began in the late 1930s. World War I stocks of M1917 helmets were pressed into service as well as the newer 1917A1 helmet. (FIG 1) These type helmets would see use well into 1942 because supplies of the newly developed M–1 helmets went first to the Army and the Marine Corps and then to the Navy. On most U.S. naval vessels helmets were not issued to individual sailors. Because crews at general quarters positions rotated over the course of a duty day, helmets were assigned to the particular duty station such as a gun position or a repair locker. The hel-mets would be stored at these duty stations and returned there after use. The exceptions to this rule were officers, bridge and fire control personnel, look outs, signalmen, etc. Generally if a general quarter’s duty station was an exposed position it would be issued helmets. If the station was within the ship it would not; however, there were and are many different types of ships in the Navy and a myriad of specialties so this is very much a generalization.

The vast scope of World War II saw Navy personnel in many new and not necessarily shipboard duties. While the newly developed M–1 helmet continued to be the primary protective helmet for Navy personnel, at sea and on shore, a unique new helmet was also being issued to sailors. This helmet was called the Mk 2 Mod 0 Telephone-Talkers Helmet and was a very distinctive design. The helmet Mk 2 Mod 0 fulfilled a need for a special protective helmet for personnel designated as telephone-talkers or “talkers” who were stationed on a ship’s bridge; at all gun positions; in engineering; and in all critical positions within a ship. These “talkers” were equipped with the MI–2454–B sound-powered headphone system. (FIG 2) This headphone system was made up of earphones con-nected to a chest mounted microphone, which plugged into the shipboard sound powered communications system.3 The large headphones of the system, called “cans” because of their size, were too large to fit under the M–1 helmet. Therefore, a special helmet was needed for these “talkers.” The Mk 2 Mod 0 helmet was designed to fill this need. (FIG 3)

The Mk 2 Mod 0, or “talker’s helmet,” was designed by Detroit sculptor Beaver Edwards for the McCord Radiator Company, the maker of the M–1 helmet. Edwards received the basic specification needs for this helmet from the Navy and, from scratch, modeled in clay the now classic design of the Mk 2 Mod 0 helmet in his studio.4 The McCord Company filed a patent for this helmet in May, 1942 and immediately produced 400,000 for the Navy. 5 The helmet was based on

FIG 1. M1917A1 helmet, painted in haze-gray. This helmet is named to S2c Garth M. Baird (1921–1999) who wore this hel-met while serving on the fleet oiler USS Guadalupe (AO-32) in August 1942 during the Midway and Guadalcanal campaigns. Courtesy the author.

FIG 2. The standard U.S. Navy sound-powered headphone set, the MI–2454–B. Note the large receivers called “cans” by sailors due to their large size. Courtesy the author.

LARRY MUNNIKHUYSEN has been a member of the Com-pany since 1997. He is a graduate of Christopher Newport University with a BA in history and has done graduate level work in American history at Virginia Commonwealth Univer-sity. A veteran of the United States Air Force, he is one of the founders and current president of the Greater Tidewater Chapter of the Company. Larry is also a member of the board of directors of the Virginia War Museum, which is the official repository of the Company uniform collection and Secretary of the Company’s Board of Governors.

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the design of the M–1 helmet however the overall volume of the helmet shell was much larger in order to comfortably accept the telephone-talker headphone system and also cover the sides of the wearer’s head. A thick, foamed rubber, yoke-shaped pad, covered in fabric was glued directly to the inside of the helmet shell forming a “one size fits all” lining. The Mk 2 Mod 0 helmet had no brim and was cut high in the front to allow a wearer to use binoculars and scan the sky for enemy aircraft. The Mk 2 Mod 0 helmet was originally produced with the same olive drab color and finish as the M–1 helmet; however, this color scheme was almost immediately changed to a color called “haze-gray” by the Navy.6 The helmet was pressed from .031 inch, nonmagnetic, Hadfield steel and weighed 4.25 pounds.7 The Mk 2 Mod 0 Telephone-Talker helmet remained in use well into the 1990s.

In the 1950s the Navy began looking for a replacement for the Mk 2 Mod 0 helmet, A helmet of lesser weight and one that would be less subject to the rust and corrosion caused by sea spray was the objective. New materials developed during World War II were thought to be ideal for this new helmet. Several helmet designs were tested during the 1950s, the first being an experimental helmet designed in 1957 called the “Helmet, Sailors, Aluminum, Ex 1 Mod 0” was pressed from a nonmagnetic aluminum alloy called 2024-T4. It was painted the same haze-gray color as the Mk 2 Mod 0 Tele-phone-Talker helmet and was designed to be worn with the Air Force P-4A Flyers Sun Visor assembly, chin strap, and rubber covered head pads. The overall size and weight of this helmet was less than the Mk 2 Mod 0 helmet.8 Although tested this helmet was not adopted for general service. In 1957 another replacement for the Mk 2 Mod 0 Telephone-Talker helmet was also developed, the “Helmet, Sailor’s, DORON, Ex 2 Mod 0.” DORON was a lightweight fiberglass-plastic combination invented by Brig. Gen. Georges F. Doriot, USA,

and named for him. Doriot invented DORON in 1942 while he was serving as chief of the Military Planning Division of the Army’s Office of the Quartermaster General. DORON was used extensively in light body armor during the Korean War.9 The DORON helmet was also not adopted for service.10 The DORON application to a Telephone-Talker helmet was evidently revisited in 1959. Another Telephone-Talker helmet was tested, also made from DORON, this helmet was called the “Helmet, Sailor’s, Mk 3 Mod 0 (DORON).” This helmet may have been a modification of the previous DORON helmet, but as no examples are known to exist this is conjectural. This helmet was also not adopted for service.11

A complete reevaluation of the Navy battle dress was be-gun in 1977 on the orders of Adm. J. L. Holloway, III. This reevaluation project was eventually turned over to the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), which initiated it as the Shipboard Personnel Protection Program. In 1980 this pro-gram office was directed to design and procure replacements for the M–1 helmet and the Mk 2 Mod 0 Telephone-Talker helmet. These steel helmets had always effectively provided fragmentation protection but due to their steel construction were not conducive to operations in a maritime environment. This design project intended to utilize Dupont Chemical’s newly discovered aramid fiber, which it called “Kevlar.” NAVSEA set the following requirements for the new helmets: (1) must meet salt air and ocean environment standards; (2) must have no metal parts; and (3) stop 17-grain (.22 cal.) fragmentation simulated projectile (FSP) with a V50 of 2,000 feet per second. The Navy hoped to have these new designs in use by 1987.12

The NAVSEA program developed several new designs that appeared to meet all the requirements for the new replacement helmets. In 1981 a new design for the Telephone-Talker helmet was tested and accepted. The new helmet, produced by the Bell Helmet Company, also carried a new designation—Pho-netalker replaced the previous Telephone-Talker designation in the helmet nomenclature. The new helmet was called the “Helmet, Phonetalker, Mark 4 Mod 0.” (FIG 4) Constructed of Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP), the new helmet was designed to be worn with the sound-powered telephone headset model H200/U aboard ship. The new helmet is constructed of eight plies of laminated GRP (.28 inches thick), which insulated the head, provided fragmentation and ballistic protection, and “… self extinguishes after exposure to fire.”13 The Mark 4 Mod 0 helmet weighs fifty-three ounces and is able to be worn with the MK 5 gas mask and shipboard oxygen breathing equip-ment.14 The Mark 4 Mod 0 helmet does not have an internal suspension or liner, but instead has a series of foam blocks, supplied with each new helmet, for individual sizing. One side of each sizing block is coated with a self adhesive material. The wearer fits as many of these sizing blocks as are needed

FIG 3. The Mk 2 Telephone-Talker Helmet designed specifically to fit over the MI–2454–B headphone set. This helmet entered service in 1942 and continued in use well into the 1980s. Courtesy the author.

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to the inside of the helmet shell to establish a comfortable fit. Users of the Mark 4 Mod 0 helmet have reported problems with this manner of suspension because by permanently fixing the sizing blocks to the helmet shell it becomes difficult to have one helmet for multiple users as is common practice with the Mark 4 Mod 0. Another reported problem is that repeated exposure to salt water spray appears to cause the foam blocks

to deteriorate.15 The Mark 4 Mod 0 helmet comes in a factory applied haze-gray color and has a thick, black rubber edging around the circumference of the helmet. The Mark 4 Mod 0 helmet is still a regular issue item today. The next helmet considered for replacement by the Navy, the venerable M–1 helmet, would prove to be more of a challenge than replacing the Mk 2 Mod 0 helmet had been.

The NAVSEA helmet project developed several innovative design concepts to replace the M–1 steel helmet and went so far as to designate the anticipated replacement helmet the Mark 5 Mod 0. Three concept helmets were produced by the Gentex Corporation between 1984 and 1986 all in sufficient quantity to enable extended tests at sea. These experimental “Naval Battle Helmets” or NBH helmets were the NBH–1 (FIG 5), NBH–2, and NBH–3 (FIG 6). The NBH test helmets were similar to the new Mk 4 Mod 0 helmet in contour and GPR construction and, like the Mark 4 Mod 0 helmet, they came with a factory applied haze-gray paint and black rubber edging. Originally the suspension on all of these experimental helmets relied on the same foam sizing blocks as found in the Mark 4 Mod 0 helmet (FIG 7). Late production models of the NBH-1 helmet had a factory-installed adjustable headband suspension while the NBH-3 helmet was fitted with a stripped-out M–1 helmet liner into which foam sizing blocks were attached. The project to replace the M–1 helmet with a Mark

FIG 4. The Mk 4 Mod 0 Phonetalker Helmet, made by the Bell Helmet Company entered service in 1981 as a replacement for the Mk 2 helmet and is still current issue today. Courtesy the author.

FIG 5. The NBH–1 Naval Battle Helmet produced by Bell Helmet Company was tested in the early 1980s as a possible replacement for the steel M–1 helmet. It was not adopted for service. Courtesy Roger Lucy.

FIG 6. The NBH–3 Naval Battle Helmet, also produced by Bell Helmet Company was tested in the 1980s as a possible replacement for the M–1 helmet. It was not adopted for service. Courtesy the author.

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5 Mod 0 helmet eventually fell victim to the increasing cold war tensions of the 1980s as funding and resources became diverted to more pressing needs. The test results on the NBH experimental helmets had not been as good as hoped for and the Navy decided to stop the Mark 5 Mod 0 project, instead issuing the Army version of the PASGT infantry helmet as ships stocks of M–1 helmets became depleted.16

Although it provided excellent fragmentation and ballis-tic protection, the PASGT helmet had one major fault—the suspension lining. Aboard Navy ships helmets are usually worn by more than one person so a ‘”one size fits all” liner or an easily adjustable liner is necessary and, unfortunately, the PASGT helmet did not have this.17 Although the PASGT helmet continued to provide good service on many ships the Navy decided to again begin the process of designing a replacement for the both the M–1 and PASGT helmets in the 1990s. Requirements for the new replacement helmet were developed under the direction of the Chief of Naval Opera-tions who in 1997 directed that a new Naval Battle Helmet (NBH) and Naval Flak Vest (NFV) be obtained “… which offered protection to topside personnel standing watch ... from medium velocity fragmentation. The purpose of NBH and NFV is for use by personnel assigned to landing parties, personnel manning selected battle stations and personnel exposed topside ...”18 This new helmet was designated the Naval Battle Helmet (NBH) MK–7 (FIG 8A). The MK-7 helmet was designed and produced by Gentex Corporation of Carbondale, Pennsylvania. The helmet (FIG 8B) is described as a “… universally sized, fragmentation protective helmet featuring a headband adjustable by a turn knob at the wearer’s nape and an impact helmet liner. The adjustable chinstrap offers a quick release buckle on one side for donning and doffing.”19 The MK-7 helmet is constructed of ballistic Kev-lar and initially cost $150 each.20 The contour of the MK-7 helmet differs from the PASGT helmet in that it is brimless and somewhat smaller, rather resembling the Army MICH21 helmet in its shape. The helmet is issued in an olive green

FIG 7. Interior of the NBH–3 helmet showing the foam sizing blocks which were glued to the inside of a stripped out infantry helmet liner which was then put inside the shell of the NBH–3, a cumbersome and unsuccessful design. Courtesy the author.

FIG 8a. Naval battle Helmet (NBH) MK–7. Classified a General Use Helmet, the MK–7 was adopted for service in 1998 as the replacement for most shipboard helmets. Produced by the Gentex Corporation it featured an adjustable “one size fits all” suspension. Courtesy the author.

FIG 8b. Interior of the MK–7 Naval Battle Helmet showing the adjustable liner with adjustment knob at the rear of the helmet interior. Courtesy the author.

color finish. The Mark 7 was fielded in 1998 and continues in use along with the PASGT helmet today.

U.S. Navy helmets are known to have borne a wide variety of colors, paint schemes, insignias, and letter/number codes throughout the years. The original M1917, M1917A1, and M–1

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helmets worn during World War II were all initially issued to naval supply activities in their original olive green color paint. Once delivered to a shore facility or issued to a naval vessel the helmets would either remain in their original olive green color or be painted a more “Navy” color. The decision to paint helmets or not to paint helmets was left entirely to the facility commander or ship’s captain. Photographs from the early months of World War II show both the M1917A1 and M–1 helmets being worn in combat and they usually appear to be in the olive green color. As the war progressed and supplies of the M–1 helmet filled the supply chain the M1917A1 was removed from service and the M–1 helmets on board ships appear to become painted in some shade of haze–gray or deck-blue. This was not universal however, and the exact color of the crew’s helmets would be decided by the ship’s captain. The helmets on board U.S. Navy vessels were normally painted by crewmembers assigned this duty who used paint mixed in the ship’s paint locker. As a very broad generalization it appears from period photographs most helmets, if painted at all, tried to approximate the overall color of the ship. It is not unusual to find Navy helmets, particularly from the World War II period, with a number or numbers stenciled on the front in either yellow or white paint. These numbers could stand for anything from a gun position to a landing craft number or a ship’s number. There was no uniform rule about this. There are many examples known where the helmet’s owner painted his name or rank or some other personal marking on his helmet. In the years after World War II the Navy changed the primary color of its vessels several times, from the darker gray of the 1940s to a much lighter gray in the 1950s and then back to a

slightly darker gray in the 1960s through the 1980s (FIG 9). Many times collectors will try and date a helmet by compar-ing the helmet color to the ship color used in a particular time period. Though a fairly good way to date a helmet’s time of use—at least its most recent time of use—this method is not entirely accurate. Collectors should remember a helmet stayed with the ship and could be painted and repainted many times during the course of its service. Also, as stated before, the helmets were painted on board the ship and were subject to the vagaries of whatever paints could be mixed.

There are helmets used on U.S. Navy ships which, though again at the discretion of the captain, did have some degree of uniformity from ship to ship. These were the helmets assigned to the damage control sections. A ship was normally divided into various zones for damage control, repair, and communication. Repair lockers were located in each of these zones—either an actual locker, a larger tool locker, or a caged supply area. Within these repair lockers were stored the helmets, oxygen breathing apparatus, special tools, etc., for the teams assigned emergency damage control duties. The damage control teams would vary in size and composition based on the area of their responsibility, but would normally be made up of specialists or specialty teams such as fire parties, electrical parties, medical parties, etc. Generally the helmets used by these specialties would be painted a specific color for easy identification, such as white for a team leader; white with red or green crosses for medical and safety; red for fire party or nuclear repair party; blue for electrical; and yellow for investigator. Most repair parties or teams would be led by an officer and be accompanied by a medical corpsman and a radio-telephone communicator. The various repair parties were trained to act as independent

FIG 9. Two M–1 helmets, painted for U.S. Navy service show-ing the variety of color hues found in these type helmets. The helmet on the left dates to World War II and shows the darker haze-blue or deck-blue color predominant in that period. The right hand helmet is painted in the grayer shade which adheres to the change in U.S. Navy ship’s basic color scheme during the Korean War period. Courtesy the author.

FIG 10. M–1 Damage Control helmet. Typical of the M–1 hel-mets used by damage control parties aboard ship from World War II into the 1990s. The lettering on the front indicates the helmet would have been stored in “Rep–2,” which would have been one of the repair party storage lockers for the forward below decks repair party. Courtesy Tom Buck.

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units communicating through sound-powered telephones back to the ship’s damage control section. In addition to its unique color the helmets worn by repair party personnel are normally marked with the repair locker number from which the helmet was drawn and would be returned, such as “REP 2” (FIG 10). In World War II, a large ship would be divided into the following damage control zones:

HQ or Damage–Control Station; Repair 1 Deck or topside repair party; Repair 2 Forward below decks repair party; Repair 3 After below decks repair party; Repair 4 Amidships below decks repair party; Repair 5 Engineering repair party; Repair 6 Ordnance repair party.

And on aircraft carriers: Repair 7 Gasoline repair party; Repair 8 Flight deck repair party.

A smaller vessel such as a destroyer might have only three zones for the entire ship: Repair I Forward; Repair II Amidships; Repair III Aft.22

In addition to the painted helmets of the repair parties, the helmets of Telephone-Talkers are also found in similar uniform colors. The MK 2 Mod 0 and the Mk 4 Mod 0 talker helmets when used in topside or weather deck positions were, and still are, generally used in the haze-gray color in which they were issued. An exception to this is the signalman and Telephone-Talkers assigned to the RAS (Replenishment At

Sea) team who wear green-painted Telephone-Talker helmets.23 The helmets of Telephone-Talkers assigned to repair parties may be painted red but may also be in the original haze-gray color, The helmets are generally marked with a series of numbers to identify the position to which they are assigned and where they should be returned. The letters on the front of the talker helmets, such as JA through JZ , identify which jack-box (phone position) the helmet and Telephone-Talker are assigned to. Letters and numbers identify the circuit line the phone talker is assigned to, such as 1JV which is the main maneuver line.24 (FIG 11.)

In the last seventy years the Navy has issued helmets to per-sonnel in what may be considered non-traditional Navy roles. In World War II the United States Marine Corps, as a branch of the United States Navy, relied on the U.S. Navy Medical Corps for its medical needs. Navy pharmacists mates, after special training, were assigned to Marine ground units in the role of combat medics. These medical personnel, corpsmen, were uniformed and equipped with standard USMC combat gear including the M–1 helmet. In the Pacific Theater of Op-erations it was common practice for these medical personnel to paint a large white disk on the back of their helmets as an easy means of identification.

World War II saw the Navy involved in amphibious opera-tions in all theaters of operation. In the European Theater of

FIG 11. A MK4 Mod 0 Phonetalker helmet used by the phonetalker assigned to one of a ship’s repair parties. The lettering on the front designates which of the ships internal communications networks the phonetalker would be assigned. Courtesy the author.

FIG 12. This M–1 helmet shows the distinctive paint scheme used by the Navy’s 7th Beach Battalion specifically for the Normandy invasion. The wide gray band on the lower part of the helmet was required of all Navy personnel having duties on the invasion beaches. Courtesy Dave Powers

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Operations (ETO) Navy personnel were utilized extensively in the landings in Normandy and the coast of southern France. In both of these operations special helmet markings were autho-rized so that Navy personnel would not be mistaken for Army personnel in the confusion inherent on an invasion beach. The most common helmet markings used by Navy personnel was a 2 to 3-inch wide gray band painted around the lower portion of the standard M–1 helmet. This was often augmented with a large USN in black or white paint on the front or back of the helmet. Sailors whose duties did not require them to go ashore normally wore the standard M–1 helmet in either the original issue olive drab or some shade of gray or blue-gray. A unique Navy unit organized specifically for amphibious assault operations was the “Naval Beach Battalion.” These beach battalions were responsible for the traffic management and control of the invasion beach. Their special units handled ordnance and beach obstacle demolition, communications, security, and medical evacuation. The 6th and 7th Naval Beach Battalions painted a red arc over the gray band on the front of their helmets (FIG 12); however, the 2d Naval Beach Battalion did not use an arc.25 Navy Construction Battalions, the famous CBs of the Pacific campaign, wore the M–1 hel-met extensively due to the hazardous nature of their duties. These helmets were sometimes painted in some shade of gray or blue-gray but was by no means universal. Most war-time photographs show members of the CB units wearing regular olive drab M–1 helmets.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard were tasked with securing the inland waterways of South Vietnam. Between 1965 and 1970 the U.S. Navy Mo-

bile Riverine Force conducted very successful interdiction operations against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. The sailors and coastguardsmen assigned to this brown-water navy wore the standard M–1 style helmet equipped with newer, upgraded helmet liners. While it was normal for Army and Marine personnel in South Vietnam to wear Mitchell Pattern or ERDL Pattern camouflage helmet covers on their M–1 helmets, the practice in the Riverine Force was apparently not to wear any type of camouflage cover. Period photographs show some boat crews with gray painted helmets but the norm appears to have been the standard lighter shade olive green painted helmet shell. The decoration or personalization of individual helmets is known to have been rather frequent. (FIG 13.) The Navy stood down the Riverine Force in 1970 and turned the fleet of PBRs and Swift Boats over to the South Vietnamese Navy.

In 2006, the Navy would once again find itself in need of a brown–water navy. Combat operations in Iraq had shown the need for an inland riverine force that could undertake of-fensive operations in Iraq’s river systems as well as provide port and waterways security. In May, 2006, the Navy estab-lished Riverine Squadron 1, quickly followed by a further two squadrons so by July, 2006 a total of three squadrons had been established, trained, equipped, and deployed to Iraq.26 The helmets used by these boat crews appear from photographs to include a wide selection of the types of helmets available to most special warfare units. At various times riverine sailors have appeared wearing the standard Army ACH (Advanced

FIG 13. A fairly typical M–1 helmet used by a member of the Navy’s 51st Assault Squadron (Riverine) during the Vietnam War. This example has been painted a dark navy-blue and the squadron insignia hand painted on the front. Courtesy the author.

FIG 14. Navy special operation’s member wearing the Gen-tex-produced DH132–RHIB helmet. Based on the DH–132 series armored vehicle helmets this version had enhanced and waterproofed electronics and communications features. It was specially designed for the use of special forces operating in a maritime environment. U.S. Navy photograph.

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Combat Helmet), several versions of MSA produced TC–2002 helmets,27 the Gentex TCH helmet (Tactical Communications Helmet), the Gentex TBH-II SC (a high side and back helmet designed for snipers),28 and the Gentex produced DH–132 AS/RHIB helmet—a helmet with special, waterproofed, communications initially designed for Navy and Coast Guard crews of rigid hull inflatable boats.29 (FIG 14.) Another spe-cialized duty organization now operating on most U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels is the VBSS/EMIO teams (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure/Enhanced Maritime Interception Operations), which are tasked with boarding, and if necessary, seizing foreign vessels in international waters. Latest reports indicate the sailors and coastguardsmen assigned to these teams are equipped with the RBR helmet produced by the North American branch of the Israeli company Rabintex.30

A helmet which is uniquely U.S. Navy is the flight deck crewman’s helmet worn by all sailors tasked with working, fueling, moving, arming, launching, and recovering the aircraft from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Normally referred to as a “cranial,” this protective helmet evolved from the varicolored cloth hats worn by early aircraft carrier flight deck personnel. In the early days of U.S. Naval aviation a rigid system developed for organizing and managing the various tasks found on the busy and very small confines of a carrier flight deck. To better control the flight deck operations colors were assigned to the various flight deck teams. The crew

members assigned to the various teams wore shirts, vests, and cloth caps in their respective team colors. This system of personnel and task management continues into today’s flight deck operations. The colored caps were worn from the 1930s well into the 1960s until replaced by a semi-hard, high-impact flight deck helmet. Designed and produced by the David-Clark Company the flight deck helmet was introduced in 1971 and is still in use today. The flight deck helmet comes in three versions. The HGU–24(V)2/P is a soft cloth helmet with two detachable hard plastic plates, one on the frontal portion of the head and a second larger plate covering the top and rear of the skull. This version includes a sound-powered microphone and headset assembly for communications and is normally worn with protective goggles (FIG 15). The HGU–25(V)2/P is identical to the HGU–24 but does not have the sound-powered microphone and headset assembly and is worn with the USN Sound Aural Protection (Earmuffs) hearing protector and pro-tective goggles. The third type flight deck helmet is based on the David-Clark produced K10 flight helmet and is called the Radio Cranial and is a hard shell helmet incorporating regular electronic radio communication microphone and headset. 31 The flight deck helmets are a one-size-fits-all helmet. The hard plates of the HGU–24 and HGU–25 are factory colored and reflect the flight deck color assignments used by both the Navy and Coast Guard. The basic color codes found on flight deck helmets today are:

Blue : Aircraft Handling Crew and Chockmen;

FIG 15. A typical flight deck “cranial” as found on all current aircraft carriers. This particular example is the HGU–24(V) 2/P model. The brown color of the protective cranial plates designates the wearer as a “plane captain” who coordinates all the activities occurring with his assigned plane while it is preparing for launch. Courtesy the author.

FIG 16. This MSA Gallet TC–2001 helmet is a good example of the type helmet favored by Navy Special Warfare operators. This particular helmet is of special significance as it was worn by a member of the elite DevGru Unit of the SEALs while on active duty. The United States Navy SEAL who allowed this helmet to be photographed by CMH member Robert House specifically for this article was killed in action in Afghanistan shortly after the photographs were taken. Courtesy Robert House.

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tractor driver;Yellow: Aircraft Handling Officers, CPO, & LPO; LSE Crew Director;White: Elevator Operators, Medical, Messengers, Telephone-Talkers, Combat Cargo, Safety;Green: Maintenance Crews, Photographers;Brown: Plane Captains;Red: Ordnance, Crash, and Salvage Crews;Purple: Aviation Fuel Crew, Aviation Fuel Officer.

These color coded helmets are used in conjunction with colored jerseys stenciled with various symbols and letters to identify the many specialties.32

The final chapter in the story of U.S. Navy helmets pertains to the various units falling under the auspices of the Naval Special Warfare Command. These organizations have their origins in the special units developed during World War II such as Underwater Demolition, OSS, Marine Corps Scouts and Raiders, Rangers, etc. The Naval Special Warfare Com-mand is most commonly identified with the famous SEAL teams. SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) teams were first established in 1962, and later the SDVT (SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team) units were initiated and in recent years the SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen) specialty was added to the Special Warfare Command. All of these groups are special operations units and are used by the Navy as the first choice option in most high-risk maritime oriented operations.

The various Navy special warfare organizations have always been allowed to purchase specialized equipment, including helmets, from sources other than the regular Navy or Depart-ment of Defense supply network. Due to the special nature of the missions they are tasked with and the high security under which they operate they have access to a multitude of various helmet manufacturers and are free to purchase, off the shelf, whatever helmets are thought individually or mission critical. It is not unusual to see a variety of helmet types worn within the same unit at the same time. It is also not unusual for these units to contact a helmet manufacturer directly, explain the basic specifications needed in a helmet for a particular task, and then purchase a small number of these specially designed helmets directly. These special helmets may, or may not, ever enter the Navy supply system.33 The following are a selection of helmets and their makers, known from photographic or other sources, to have been used by Navy special warfare personnel at one time or another. This list is by no means complete for many Navy SEAL personnel have in recent years begun constructing their own personal helmets. By taking the shells of other ballistic helmet types and adding commercially produced liners and suspensions, as well as night-vision device mounting arms, lights, and a variety of mission specific communication devices they are able to produce a helmet specifically tailored to their personal needs34 (FIG 16): HALO helmet: High Altitude, Low Opening parachutist.

Gentex; DH132- AS/RHIB: small boat crews. Gentex; TBH-II SC: High sides and back, designed for snipers. Gentex; TCH helmet: Tactical Communications Helmet. Gentex; TBH helmet: Tactical Ballistic Helmet. Gentex; ACH helmet: Advanced Combat Helmet. Army design, multiple makers; MICH helmet: Modular Integrated Communications Helmet, multiple makers; TC-2000 helmet: high side helmet. Mine Safety Appliance Co. (MSA); TC-2001 helmet: improved TC-2000. MSA; RBH helmet: Rabintex Ballistic Helmet. Rabintex North America; Pro-Tec helmet: essentially a sports helmet. Pro-Tec Corp. though widely copied; Gallet CGF helmet: French design produced under license by MSA; MICH 2000 helmet: improved version of original MICH helmet. MSA.

The helmets of the U.S. Navy have undergone many changes over the years and are still changing today. As missions and requirements change so do helmet designs and construction. Science and industry continue to develop new and improved ballistic materials thus making lighter and more protective helmets possible thereby insuring that the combat helmets of the U.S. Navy will continue to be an ever evolving develop-ment process.

The author humbly dedicates this article to that brave family of American warriors who make up the United States Navy Special Warfare Command.

Notes

1. Weather deck—the exposed deck or duty positions on a naval vessel. 2. Ron Laubach. Naval Procurement Branch, Indian Head, MD. 13 De-

cember 1996. USN Mark and Model Assignment Request Forms. 3. The sound-powered system did not rely on electricity to operate and was

therefore ideal for ship board use where electrical power was apt to be lost during combat.

4. Life Magazine feature article in issue dated 10 August 1942. 5. Chris Armold, Steel Pots, The History of America’s Steel Combat Helmets

(San Jose, CA: R. James Bender Publishing, 1997), 144–148. 6. Color Specification MIL-P-15130, Haze Gray. U.S. Navy Mark and Mod

Assignment Request; Helmet, Sailors, Steel, Mk2 Mod 0; 20 February 1957.

7. Ibid. 8. U.S. Navy Mark and Mod Assignment Request; Helmet, Sailor’s, Alu-

minum, Ex1, Mod 0; 8 February 1957. 9. Ludlow King, “Lightweight Body Armor,” The Quartermaster Review

(March–April 1953). http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/korea/light-weight_armor.htm. Accessed 23 July 2005.

10. U.S. Navy Mark and Mod Assignment Request; Helmet, Sailor’s, DO-RON, Ex 2 Mod 0; 13 February 1957.

11. Ibid. 31 August 1959. 12. Alan J. Baribeau, Naval Sea Systems Command, Office of Corporate

Communication. E-mail to the author, 22 March 2011. 13. U.S. Navy Mark and Mod Assignment Request; Helmet, Phonetalker,

Mark 4 Mod 0.; 28 January 1981.

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14. Ibid. 15. Anecdotal reports from former Navy personnel to the author. 16. Baribeau E-mail. 17. Ibid. 18. NAVSEA Damage Control News, 1. Battle Dress Protective Clothing

Program, Naval Battle Helmets (NBH) and Naval Flak Vests (NFV). http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/library/dcnews/NBH-NFV.htm. Accessed 20 July, 2005.

19. Gentex Product Overview. MK-7 Product Overview. http://www.gen-texcorp.com/default.aspx?pageid=958. Accessed 17 March 2011.

20. NAVSEA Damage Control News, 1– 5. 21. MICH is the acronym for Modulated Integrated Communication Hel-

met. 22. NavPers 16191, Handbook of Damage Control (San Francisco, CA:

Naval Training School (Damage Control), May,1945.), 175–178. 23. U.S. Navy. Introduction To STREAM, Information Sheet 1.10, 1–7,

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/navy/docs/swos/deck/STU10~2.html. Accessede 23 July 2005.

24. Telephone-Talkers’ Manual (Washington, DC: Department of the Navy, 1 April,1945).

25. Jonathan Gawne, Spearheading D-Day, American Special Units of the Normandy Invasion (Paris, France: Histoire et Collections, 1998), 234.

26. Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. NECC Establishes River-ine Squadron 3. 10 July, 2007. http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30481. Accessed 19 March 2011.

27. A MICH style helmet with the sides upraised for earphones, a helmet widely used by special warfare units. Produced by the Mine Safety Ap-pliance Company.

28. Megan Bowman, Gentex Corporation. E-mail to the author, 25 May 2006.

29. Rick Long,Gentex Corporation. E-mail to the author, 18 October 2004.

30. Roger M. Smith, Navy Personal Equipment Force Protection. Testimony given before the House Armed Services Committee, 15 June 2006, 5–8. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/congress/2006_hr/060615-smith.pdf Accessed 25 March 2011.

31. U.S. Navy: Report No: NAWCADPAX/TR-2006/73 Technical Report: U.S. Navy Flight Deck Hearing Protection Use Trends: Survey Results (Patuxent River, MD: Naval Air Warfare Center, 18 May, 2006).

32. Flight Deck Clothing and Duties, Appendix F, 1–2, http://www.glo-balsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/1-56. Accessed 23 July 2005.

33. Rick Long, Gentex Corporation. E-mail to the author, October 2004. 34. Information via G. Robert House from SEAL team members who wish

to remain anonymous.

The USS OlympiaMaj. James B. Ronan II (USAR, Ret.)

THE storied protected cruiser, USS Olympia, is shown here at the 1899 Dewey Parade in New York Harbor.

Known for her service as Admiral Dewey’s flagship at Manila Bay, the Olympia served from her 1895 launch until decommissioning in 1922. Among her many missions was the return the body of the WW I Unknown Soldier to the United States.

Her armament consisted of four turret-mounted 8-inch guns, ten casemate-mounted 5-inch guns, fourteen 6-pdr and six 1-pdr guns, four Gatling guns, and six 18-inch torpedo tubes. Her conning tower, deck, main and secondary armament are all protected by armor plate.

Her status as a museum ship in Philadelphia is presently in doubt due to a lack of funding.

FIG 1. U.S.S. Olympia. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.