The next reference is dated during wartime, the 1941 regulations (below).
The next reference is the 1922 regulations (below) which repeat the 1913 regulations except to mention that “hooks and eyes” are used to close the collar, rather than the “hook and eye” in earlier regulations, suggesting an increase from one to two closures at the collar (although this may be reading too much into this small passage). Otherwise, the 1913 regulations repeat the 1903 regulations. Note the mention of epaulettes being worn when determining length. The next reference is the 1913 regulations (below) which introduce an important change to length, extending it to two inches below the kneecaps, making this garment much longer than before. The description speaks for itself, although it’s worth noting that the boat cloaks were to be made of the same wool and lining as the officer’s overcoats (the early version of the officer’s bridge coats) which I think implies the cloaks were intended to be a proper outergarment, not just a lightweight rain shell. The first official reference I have been able to find for USN boat cloaks is the 1903 Navy Regulations (below). For reasons unknown, the US military systematized boat cloaks to a much broader extent than other militaries in designs unique to the US military, and retained them for a much longer period. These epaulettes were difficult to squeeze under a sleeved overcoat or greatcoat, so cloaks, being shapeless and sleeveless, offered a comfortable way to protect expensive uniforms and epaulettes from salt, spray, and rain.
Cloaks and capes full#
In the nineteenth century, and even into the early twentieth century, officers in most navies wore big, bulky, gold rank epaulettes with full dress (and sometimes service dress). This thread will also include US Air Force officer’s capes (of which little information and no meaningful visual proof has been found) and, as far as possible given available information, make a note of boat cloaks used by non-US militaries (focusing on the UK and Canada).īoat cloaks, it is generally agreed, originated as weatherproof overgarments worn by naval officers to protect their uniforms while riding in small boats from ship to shore, usually in port and usually on their way to evening engagements in full dress. Of the these three garments, only US Army capes remain in use today, or at least remain ‘on the books’ in regulations. All three garments have a parallel history stretching back well over a century but-happily, for lazy historians-saw few changes over their period of official use. Despite a superficial similarity, these three garments differ significantly in detail, differences which will be identified and illustrated in this thread. The goal of this thread is to detail the history, use, and characteristics of US Navy (USN) and US Marine Corp (USMC) officer’s boat cloaks and US Army officer’s capes.
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