Uniforms

[joey]

I sailed on multiple Cliffs boats in the 70's and don't remember any more locks then in the Hanna or Columbia fleets.

[Office Man]

Those locks were't all there when I sailed on her in the sixties. On my last visit to her, sometime in the mid 90s, there was a cabinet right off the galley that had all the necessary keys hanging on pegs. Oddly, the cabinet itself was not locked. I never encountered a lock on any storage area. The only locks I saw were on critical lockers and areas and they were more for safety than for theft-prevention. Naturally exterior doors/hatches were locked at appriopriate times.

[cabinboy1]

About the comment on Cliff's locking everything up. Working on the Museum ship Mather, when we first got her. There was a lock on nearly everything. Most engineroom cabinets, lockers, hatches, doors, electrical fuse or breaker boxes had locks of one sort or another. Even the access panels to the reduction gear of the main propulsion engine had locks. Most of the forward storage areas also had locks. Of course all outside access hatches were locked and sometimes barred also. The galley only had a couple locks on some of the reefers. Luckily all the keys were still aboard.

[clarkjol]

In the case of Cleveland Cliffs, I have several photos of mates & engineers wearing Khaki uniforms in the early to mid 1970s.
I have photos of captains and chiefs wearing their uniforms, but no way
of knowing if this was a common thing or posing for photos.

[Guest]

Are you saying it is a rule of the school?


Just wondering who would enforce a uniform law :-)

When I was a cadet (and all cadets for that matter) are required by law to wear a merchant marine uniform.

[sgrima]

The only real Merchant Marines that wear uniforms today are the ones that sail for the US Government, like the military sealift command type sailors. There maybe some uniform requirements for government contracted ships that carry military cargo.

As far as the private sailors go, the members of the International Shipmaster’s Association and most of the licensed officers purchase a dress uniform for official functions. When I got my license I bought a dress jacket from Douglas the Tailor & Uniform in Roseville, MI. Lighthouse Uniform Company sells a large selection of Merchant Marine Uniforms.

When I was a cadet (and all cadets for that matter) are required by law to wear a merchant marine uniform. The academy in Traverse City only requires a dress uniform and work uniform, but every other academy (Mass, Maine, ect) requires the whole line of uniforms (summer and winter dress, work, dinner dress, it’s like $3000 for uniforms)

I occasionally wear mine for things like memorial services, when I go to mass for Christmas and Easter, things like that.
When I am on watch in the pilot house I wear nicer clothing, like kaki pants and collared shirt, but that’s my personal preference it’s not a requirement.

[hayhugh1]

Back in the 50s/60s USS did supply uniforms to the officers. Most only wore the hats on board. The captains would put on tie, white shirt and uniform suit coat when going thru Soo . Most Captains would wear uniform hat when going up the street. Chief Engineer was the only one on the after end who would sometimes wear the uniform hat.

[Randy S]

A couple of my remaining working brain cells just collided and I remember that when I visited The Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum in Rogers City (Calcite), MI ... I saw that they have many, Many photos of crew members in uniform.

[fireman12]

When I sailed with Carryore subsidiary Nipigon Transport in 1979 - 1980 , on the Lake Nipigon , the officers all wore khaki casual uniforms . Short sleeve shirts , and pants . No rank shoulder boards . I assume they same thing was the norm on the Carryore jobs .

[Les Weston]

I'll toss in my 3 cents here. I sailed for Cliffs 1953 and 1954 and I remember the Deck Officers wearing kahki uniforms, and sometimes the Engineers.

I have photos of a few Captains and some had full dreaa uniforms when guests were aboard, khaki other times.

I do not remember having to get padlocks opened, except for critical, or expensive parts.

Bear in mind that was over 50 years ago and my memory is not really reliable sometimes.

[Guest]

Any truth to the suggestion that the Cleveland-Cliffs fleet required the wearing of uniforms? I had a relative that had an opportunity to sail for Cliffs and he told me the he didn't because of a uniform requirement. Had also heard something along the same vein that Cliffs was stringent about locking everything up on their boats, that everything had a padlock on it and if you wanted so much as a lightbulb you had to go get a key from an officer.

[ML]

I saw more than several Captain's wearing their uniforms with USS/GLF in the 60's and 70's. Mostly for Soo transits a couple that I remember were Don Lawless and T.P. LeRoy. I've seen a few wear their white shirts with bars and a tie to dinner when guests were aboard. The only time I saw or heard my dad wearing his was at the fitout meetings or company business pictures. Other than that, casual shirt and slacks were the attire. I believe he had to purchase his Capt. uniform and hat, which I know he wasn't happy about that.

[Lakercapt]

Misner Shipping supplied all their mates and engineers with white shirts and black pants with epaulet's of rank.
Captain and chief engineer were supplied with full uniform.

[Guest]

Through the 50s & 60s most of the officers in the Hanna fleet wore a khaki shirt and trousers. The shirts had the individuals position & I believe on the othe side the Hanna embelem. Mike

[Capt Metz]

When I sailed for the Soo River Co. Mr. Pierson bought each Captain and C/E uniform's. We would wear them at the Soo Lock's and in the Welland Canal.
Capt. R. Metz

[Randy S]

When I worked for USS in the mid-late 70s, I only saw one uniform, and that was worn by Capt Louis Carter. Capt Carter would often wear the uniform when arriving in our home port - Calcite.

[DavidFrank]

No uniforms on the ships.
I worked for 8 companies on the Great Lakes from 1972-2001. Nobody wore uniforms, just regular work clothes. At the dock the "uniform" was coveralls to keep the coal and taconite dust off our clothes.
I worked for 5 ocean companies from 1998-2011. No uniforms there either. The closest was one captain wearing a captain's hat that he bought on his own. A couple of companies gave me t-shirts with the company name. Exxon provided Khaki clothing with the company name on the shirts. Wearing them was optional though. Mostly I wore clothes that I purchased at Goodwill.

[Office Man]

Do any of the US or Canadianfleets support company uniforms to be worn by the vessel officers? How about the salties?