Posted on Apr 21, 2017
Why does the Navy Enlisted wear their rank only on the left sleeve?
127K
213
88
15
15
0
Rank
Enlisted
Uniforms
Responses: 24
23
23
0
Best answer from:
https://bluejacket.com/naval_uniform_b.htm
Until 1949 rating badges were worn on either the left or right sleeve. From 1833 to 1885 Petty Officers of the Line (Seaman Branch) wore the Petty Officer Device on the right sleeve, and all others on the left sleeve except officers' stewards. Petty Officers of the Line (Seaman Branch) included deck ratings of boatswains mate, signalman and quartermaster, and ordnance ratings of turret captain, gunners mate, fire controlman, mineman and torpedoman.
From 1885 to 1913 the rating badge was worn according to the watch. The port section wore their badges on the left arm. From 1913 to 1949 the rating badge was again worn on the right by the Seaman Branch and the left for all others.
The eagle on the petty officer rating badge is derived from the Napoleonic eagle. This eagle was usually embroidered facing left. Why the Napoleonic eagle faces left is unknown. In 1941, the Navy changed the eagle's facing direction to follow the heraldic rules which face right toward the wearer's sword arm. This rule continues to apply and the eagle now faces to the front or the wearer's right. Bluejacket slang for the eagle is "crow."
and...tradition
https://bluejacket.com/naval_uniform_b.htm
Until 1949 rating badges were worn on either the left or right sleeve. From 1833 to 1885 Petty Officers of the Line (Seaman Branch) wore the Petty Officer Device on the right sleeve, and all others on the left sleeve except officers' stewards. Petty Officers of the Line (Seaman Branch) included deck ratings of boatswains mate, signalman and quartermaster, and ordnance ratings of turret captain, gunners mate, fire controlman, mineman and torpedoman.
From 1885 to 1913 the rating badge was worn according to the watch. The port section wore their badges on the left arm. From 1913 to 1949 the rating badge was again worn on the right by the Seaman Branch and the left for all others.
The eagle on the petty officer rating badge is derived from the Napoleonic eagle. This eagle was usually embroidered facing left. Why the Napoleonic eagle faces left is unknown. In 1941, the Navy changed the eagle's facing direction to follow the heraldic rules which face right toward the wearer's sword arm. This rule continues to apply and the eagle now faces to the front or the wearer's right. Bluejacket slang for the eagle is "crow."
and...tradition
U.S. Navy Uniform Traditions and Origins
U.S. Navy officer and enlisted uniform questions and answers concerning traditons and origins.
(23)
(0)
PFC Bradley Campbell
dear God what language was that?????? navy history eludes me. dont get me wrong huge respect for sailors, they are the ultimate survivors. when no ships, planes they become ersatz marines,infantry or resistance fighters. talk about multi MOS service members!
tip of the hat to the grandfathers out there who were PT crews.
tip of the hat to the grandfathers out there who were PT crews.
(2)
(0)
PO3 Andrew Kelly
MSG Brad Sand - When all is said and done it comes down to tradition. The Army units all have their own uniform quirks that make little to no sense to anyone outside their units e.g shoulder braids, berets. and unit patches. And the same goes for the other branches. I remember when i enlisted in 1980 the CNO was in the process of restoring the Navy's unique uniforms So we were the first recruits to be issued crackerjacks and dixie cups instead of dress jackets and combination caps. They had to scrap several lessons on wearing and caring for one uniforms and they had to patch the new lessons together out of the Bluejackets manual and what old copies they could find of the old materials before the decision had been made to homogenize the services appearances.
(2)
(0)
Bob Walker
My uncle served as 1CFC in the PTO during WWII. USS Minneapolis, CA36. IMO, they werre tough. Nowhere to hide, and a long swim home...
(1)
(0)
(0)
(0)
21
21
0
While there is some interesting speculations, and other reasoning I would go with... Because we can and we don't think we need to over advertise just how bad azz we are. LOL ;-)
(21)
(0)
SN Webb Trekker
Or Bell Bottoms!! I had a custom gabardine blues with big bells and all sorts of stitching!! They still hang in my closet though I can not get into them any longer.
(0)
(0)
PO1 Paul Dormont
Where do you get your info?????????????? Liberty cuffs were (Theoretically) banished when I was still in: (1986-2000) but I still have them on my Dress Blues both arms and under the anti-McCasser (flap). No Bell Bottoms???? In whose Navy?
(0)
(0)
18
18
0
If you read between the lines, 1949 was just before the Korean War and the Navy was still in a downsizing mode from WW2. So what do they do? They fuss with things because they can. So "uniform" meant everyone would be "uniform". It likely wound up on the left side so you could still figure out what rank was saluting. All speculation, but this is the type of stuff that gets tossed around the table. BTW, I started out with the wool crackerjacks. The front trouser flap had 13 buttons for the original number of states (folklore). The uniform had inside creases because when you iron the wrinkles out of wool, the iron leaves a sheen where it makes contact. You turn the uniform inside out to put the sheen inside, thus preserving the finish on the outside. The uniforms today look more frumpy but are easier to maintain.
(18)
(0)
PO1 John Miller
PO3 Bob McCord
I knew a lot of guys who would have the buttons sewn onto the flap to give it the appearance of being buttoned, and have Velcro sewn on the back to actually fasten the flap in place. If you ever served on a Carrier or other ship that had a Parachute Shop, the PR's would normally be willing to hook you up for a favor.
I knew a lot of guys who would have the buttons sewn onto the flap to give it the appearance of being buttoned, and have Velcro sewn on the back to actually fasten the flap in place. If you ever served on a Carrier or other ship that had a Parachute Shop, the PR's would normally be willing to hook you up for a favor.
(1)
(0)
PO3 Andrew Kelly
I remember a number of salts who had what they called liberty cuffs sewn on the inside of their CJ cuffs. The idea was that you would roll up your sleeves when drinking in a bar to keep the piping clean, Some of them were very impressive.
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google