US Navy & US Marine Corp Boat Cloaks, and US Army Capes

[Doctor Damage]

USN boat cloak, appears to be dated 1958.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's something interesting and hopefully useful for 'coastie classic' and his effort to make a boat cloak, and for the rest us our general understanding. Below is a screenshot from a website (source) which is badly translated from Gaelic but nonetheless illustrates how a cape needs to be cut for best appearance and hang. It takes the reader through the logic to get to the final version, the third diagram.



You can see that the USN boat cloak below, when it's spread out as flat as it will go, has the overall shape of the third diagram above (keeping in mind the cloak is 3/4 of a circle, not a full circle as in the diagram). This is quite fascinating to me and makes total sense when you have it explained and when you see it on a real cape/cloak.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Colonel Landon of the Bordentown Military Institute, in 1929(?), wearing an army officer's cape.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a couple of amazing old illustrated spreads. The first is from a newspaper illustrating US Army and Navy uniforms from 1938. Note the Army cape (cavalry) at upper left.



The second is an amazing advertisement for the FBQ Clothing Company showing US Army, Navy, and Marines uniforms (plus a couple of British empire uniforms, oddly). Note the US Army cape at upper left, USMC cloak at upper right, and USN cloak at center. Note also the USN officer's overcoat at bottom right, which was the precusor to the more famous bridge coat (we have thread dedicated to those in this forum). This is a huge image so make sure to click for larger. Not sure of the date, but given the details of the Canadian officer's uniform at center, this is almost certainly World War I period.

 

[Doctor Damage]

USN nurse's boat cloak dated 1943. It's basically the same as the men's boat cloak, except with the burgundy lining standard on women's capes/cloaks.

 

[jchance]

I want to get myself one of these USN knee-length cloaks to wear on top of a suit. Obviously I can just hang a pea coat on top of a suit, without putting my arms into the peacoat’s sleeves, but that’s just improvising.

The VLJ folks associate A-2 with superheroes but I associate wearing a cloak/cape with superheroes. That’s a really cool look.

——

Quoting from VLJ, which praises A-2 leather jackets as signaling the hero / superhero look:

“The A-2 jacket was, and is, iconic. To the pilots who flew for the USAAF, it was a status symbol and a canvas on which they could express their identity as members of a crew or a unit and comment wryly on the life they led. For the next generation, … the A-2 came to represent the swashbuckling adventures of daredevil pilots in exotic locales. The men who wore them were often presented in the media as larger than life heroes, equipped with the pinnacle of modern technology - the airplane - right at the front lines of the greatest conflict the world had ever seen.”

The Mighty A-2: A Guide to the Army Air Forces’ Leather Flying Jacket

David D. Doniger & Co. W535-AC-29971 42-21539-P Contract Awarded: 9 June 1942 (EA2G plate 36) Date of Completion: unknown Quantity: 5,000 jackets (EA2G plate 36) Leather type: goatskin Stitch color: medium or reddish brown (Chapman) Zipper(s): Overwhelmingly Talon M-41 nickel; the Talon M-42...

www.vintageleatherjackets.org

 

[SSGTCLOAK]

1973 Marine Corps cloak.

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ truly amazing photo, thanks so much for posting it here!!!

 

[SSGTCLOAK]

1932 left, 1973 right

 

[coastie_classics]

Life got busy so I had to step away from this project for a while. Also in that time went Goldilocks on the collar trying to land a size I liked. Finally arrived at this size which, though still a little big, was something I could live with since I was starting to let “perfection” become the enemy of “good enough.” I do appreciate all the recommendations and information shared, was all very helpful!

Pushing forward… next the edges and then trying to affix a smooth inside lining of some kind.

 

[coastie_classics]

Boat cloak in the wild. Had a chance to finally wear it during a Mardi Gras ball.

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ nicely done!