PACIFIC FORCE ARCHIVES

PACIFIC FORCE ARCHIVES Private collection of US Navy A-2 Deck Jackets with special histories. Connect with me on Instagram @PFA.NYC

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One of the most unique specimens in the #PFACollection! A 1964 A-2 Deck Jacket with lots of patches, DIY repairs, stenciled “SHOEMAKER” name and a hand-painted Playboy bunny. Patches are mostly souvenirs of the Vietnam tour and none have ship names, which makes provenance more challenging. One clue is the marvellous 8" Asahi Beer Far East patch. Another is the Playboy bunny, which was adopted by the VMAQ-2 squadron as a logo, and was active during 1966-67 in Da Nang. So it may be a stretch, but going through the many Seventh Fleet ships, I found a R. T. Shoemaker who did served on the USS Constellation during that time. A jacket full of character nonetheless.

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A-2 Deck Jacket with a large SEABEES stencil on rear. The US Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, got its nickname from the first letters of the words Construction Battalion. In 1942, Frank Iafrate, a civilian file clerk with a talent for caricature, created a “Disney” styled insignia that would make military history. 

Frank, quoted on the Seabee Museum: “Then I thought of a bee — the busy worker, who doesn’t bother you unless you bother him. But provoked, the bee stings. It seemed like an ideal symbol. The rest came easily. I gave the bee a white sailor’s cap, various tools to show his construction talents, and finally a Tommy gun to show his fighting ability ... The insignia drawing took me about three hours one Sunday afternoon. The next morning, I showed it to the officer in charge. He showed it to the captain, who sent it off to Admiral Ben Moreell, the chief of civil engineers in Washington. It turned out that Admiral Moreell was about to start a nationwide campaign to create an identity for the new Construction Battalions. When he saw my sketch he requested only one revision: that the “Q” in the insignia be changed to a hawser rope, for national recognition.”  “The bee as a symbol for these men who worked together at sea naturally led to the name “Seabees.” That’s how the name was created — in Rhode Island, early in the war. And this is how we recognize that tough and talented group known as the “Seabees” today.

Frank J. Iafrate  enlisted in the US Navy later in 1942. During the war he served as a Chief Carpentersmate in a Seabee Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit. After the war he pursued a career in graphic design in Providence, Rhode Island. He passed away on March 30, 2000. 

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Original DIY hand-painted/sprayed camo pattern. 

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This A-2 deck jacket has a contract date of 1965. The front has a lustrous USS VEGA AF-59 patch, that is likely original; simply compare its fine embroidery and handsome eagle to the reproductions out there. There is a handwritten name “TENNANT” above the pocket as well as on the inside of the zip. A smudged stencil on the back appears to read USS SCULPIN. Currently researching, so far no sailor named “TENNANT” has surfaced on either ship’s records. There were two commissioned ships named USS Sculpin, the first did not survive past 1943. Since the latter was commissioned in 1961, “TENNANT” could have been an enterprising sailor from the Vega who requisitioned the jacket some point in the Sculpin's history, or the reverse could also be possible: that he was stationed on the Sculpin and took his jacket for use on the Vega. It is highly likely both ships crossed paths at sea during the 60’s. USS Vega (AF-59) was a Rigel-class stores ship that served during the entire Vietnam War, supporting ships such as those in the Seventh Fleet with supplies. Vega returned to US proudly with numerous battle stars and commendations. USS Sculpin (SSN-590) was a Skipjack-class nuclear-powered submarine, which sailed with the Seventh Fleet. The Seventh Fleet represented the first official entrance of the USN into the Vietnam War, with the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 (tongue-in-cheek nickname "Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club," a more commonly seen patch). Any information would be appreciated! 

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Fine 1962 first model jacket with USN and ship stencil behind. This jacket was used on the deck of the USS O’Hare (DD-889), a Gearing-class destroyer.

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A fine specimen of why jackets are the best canvases. This A-2 Deck jacket most likely belonged to ICFN Mohr, who was on board the USS David R. Ray (DD 971) in 1979-1980. What better way to show your rating as a fireman than with a drawing of Hot Stuff the Little Devil? Hot Stuff is a comic character created by Warren Kremer in 1957.

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Named with full beautiful original hand drawing on the back: FLY NAVY. This one is signed and dated 1989, presumably by the artistically inclined owner: Daniel A. Dembinski, who served on the USS America (CV-66). He even decorated the underside of the collar with his name and ID.

USS America (CV-66) was commissioned in 1965, she spent most of her career in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, but did make three Pacific deployments serving in the Vietnam War. She also served in the Persian Gulf War's operations. In 2005, despite a large protest of former crew-members who wanted to see her instituted as a memorial museum, she was scuttled as the largest warship ever to be sunk.

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Dated 1975, petty officer first class stencils on sleeves, and original hand written decoration on back:  Capricorn {care of: Virgo Pisces} Ambitious Understanding Quick Thinkers The Goat!

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This jacket belonged to Al Mobley who, as deduced from the patch, served on the USS Kitty Hawk CV-63 circa 1975. Further evidence from the Westpac 75 cruise book could connect this jacket with the gentleman in the last image.

Lots of history here: the Kitty Hawk participated in combat operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and in the Arabian Sea during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was also onboard where the widely publicized 1972 race riot broke out. The Kitty Hawk was decommissioned in 2009 after 48 years of active service, and on 25 Oct 2017, the Navy announced its intentions to dispose of her by scrapping.

Small detail I love: the US Navy is embroidered directly rather than the typical tape.

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Like a heavy vandalised wall, the writings are like a rebus puzzle, or a broken memory. There is a clear reference to The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the First Indochina War (13 March - 7 May 1954), fought between the French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries in Vietnam. This jacket is from 1966 and I believe the unique typographical drawings to be of French origin, making this a one-of-a-kind piece.

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Perfectly patinated and distressed with the right amount of stains, wear and repairs. The winner here is the large stencil on the back, with “AIMD 94″ in striking typography.  

The Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD)’s inception came in 1967, after the US Navy aimed to standardize aircraft maintenance across all aircraft carriers in the fleet. 

The previous owner doodled a small turtle at the hem, an important personal touch.

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A-2 Deck belonged to James R. Fetters Jr. (RMCS SS) who served on the USS CHIVO SS-341 from 1967 to 1969. This jacket is in particularly good condition with strong color, original patch and name tag, and Conmar zipper. Nice stencil on rear. USS Chivo (SS-341) was named for the "chivo" or big-scaled goatfish Pseudopenaeus grandisquamis, a fish inhabiting the Pacific Ocean. Its 3rd patch design reads EX SCIENTIA VIS E PROFUNDO FUMEN translates as "Out of Knowledge, Power; Out of the Depths, Lightening."

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Clean Green Silkscreen and White “F00701 NASNI” block type on rear. A coverup of an earlier stencil now showing through the abrasions. Named Bradshaw. 

Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) was commissioned in 1917 and was the major continental U.S. base supporting the operating forces in the Pacific during World War II. At that time, the City of Coronado became home to most of the aircraft factory workers and dependents of NASNI, which was working around the clock.

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1966 deck jacket once belonging to John A. Slebodnick (1930-2019), ICC Chief Petty Officer of the USS NAUTILUS SSN-571 from 1965-1969. The Nautilus was the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, and its patch was designed by the Walt Disney studios.

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Naive landscape painting on rear

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Black redacted over pocket, a LOCKHEED P-3 Orion Tech “Mod Team” patch on rear. The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine anti-submarine aircraft developed for the US Navy in the 1960s.

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High visibility reflective tape modifications, FLT 417 Stencil on rear, Petty officer third class stencil on left arm