5 ms·

The cynical answer is they didn't care because it was a good contract to throw to friendly companies. The one that gets me is how the Navy insisted on getting

The cynical answer is they didn't care because it was a good contract to throw to friendly companies. The one that gets me is how the Navy insisted on getting a digital pattern too. What's the point of wearing cammo on a freaking giant ship?!

jschwartzi 8y ago
The navy has land troops as well.
- drblast 8y ago
  The Navy's camo is blue and would be useless on land. It's not typically worn much on ships where blue coveralls are the norm, at least as of ten years ago. The idea that this was a gift to clothing manufacturers is pretty much the only logical explanation for the Navy's uniform...uh...situation.
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > The Navy's camo is blue and would be useless on land There are three different color patterns for the NWU, soon to be reduced to two because the blue one is being eliminated. > It's not typically worn much on ships The blue NWU was intended for ships (it was the first of the three, and the name “Naval Working Uniform” is indicative of it's intended role); it proved poor in that role because of the lack of flame resistance, which is why it became rarely used and is scheduled to be eliminated.
  - jonathankoren 8y ago
    The navy’s blue camo was intended to hide stains, not people. The colors match the paint of the ships. It’s sole purpose is to extend the life of uniforms longer than khakis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Working_Uniform https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Working_Uniform
pbhjpbhj 8y ago
>What's the point of wearing cammo on a freaking giant ship?! // Harder to analyse crew numbers from satellite or aerial imagery?
SaintGhurka 8y ago
Grease stains don't show so badly.
dogsgobork 8y ago
Make you harder to see if you fall overboard.
- mieseratte 8y ago
  Makes force reductions a breeze. /s
dragonwriter 8y ago
> What's the point of wearing cammo on a freaking giant ship?! Navy personnel don't serve exclusively on ships, and people on the decks of ships can be individual targets when the ship is within smallarms range of land or another vessel.
- DennisP 8y ago
  I know someone who served on aircraft carriers over the past few years, and was in charge of close-in ship defense on one tour. He said the camo was no tactical help at all, but was a real safety issue when people fell overboard, which occasionally did happen.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - craftinator 8y ago
    I was on a carrier for a year, and we had a large number of false alarm Man-Over board events. The pilots were incredibly frustrated at the Navy's camo, because they would have to fly around looking for a blue sailor in a blue ocean until we finally finished counting everyone on ship. The reason the Navy has those is because they look cool and "carry the honor and tradition of the US Navy", the reason the military does most things. All in all, it gets kids fresh out of high school to sign up.
jcranmer 8y ago
From what I've heard, the Navy's camo pattern does a really good job of hiding the various kinds of dirt and grime you get from being in a manual labor job, especially compared to the older uniforms.
EpicEng 8y ago
My wife was in the Navy, served a year I'm Iraq outside Baghdad. The Navy doesn't exclusively operate on ships.
- DennisP 8y ago
  Did she wear blue camo in Iraq? If so, did it help her blend in?
  - EpicEng 8y ago
    No, but the blue digis were mothballed almost three years ago now, so it was obviously regarded as a mistake. You may be right about the blues, I have no idea.
    - mcguire 8y ago
      The blue camo, discussion of its mothballery, and its greenish replacement: https://www.stripes.com/news/us/navy-announces-end-of-blue-camouflage-uniform-1.422513 https://www.stripes.com/news/us/navy-announces-end-of-blue-c...
jimnotgym 8y ago
Because Marines are in the Navy
- kaikai 8y ago
  The marines are their own branch of the military. Maybe you're thinking of the navy seals?
  - mcguire 8y ago
    Technically, they're part of the Department of the Navy. The only practical consequence I know about is that they're under the Secretary of the Navy rather than having their own civilian-in-charge. They also have different camouflage, which was never blue.

jschwartzi 8y ago

The navy has land troops as well.

drblast 8y ago
The Navy's camo is blue and would be useless on land. It's not typically worn much on ships where blue coveralls are the norm, at least as of ten years ago. The idea that this was a gift to clothing manufacturers is pretty much the only logical explanation for the Navy's uniform...uh...situation.
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  > The Navy's camo is blue and would be useless on land There are three different color patterns for the NWU, soon to be reduced to two because the blue one is being eliminated. > It's not typically worn much on ships The blue NWU was intended for ships (it was the first of the three, and the name “Naval Working Uniform” is indicative of it's intended role); it proved poor in that role because of the lack of flame resistance, which is why it became rarely used and is scheduled to be eliminated.
- jonathankoren 8y ago
  The navy’s blue camo was intended to hide stains, not people. The colors match the paint of the ships. It’s sole purpose is to extend the life of uniforms longer than khakis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Working_Uniform https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Working_Uniform

pbhjpbhj 8y ago

>What's the point of wearing cammo on a freaking giant ship?! // Harder to analyse crew numbers from satellite or aerial imagery?

SaintGhurka 8y ago

Grease stains don't show so badly.

dogsgobork 8y ago

Make you harder to see if you fall overboard.

mieseratte 8y ago
Makes force reductions a breeze. /s

dragonwriter 8y ago

> What's the point of wearing cammo on a freaking giant ship?! Navy personnel don't serve exclusively on ships, and people on the decks of ships can be individual targets when the ship is within smallarms range of land or another vessel.

DennisP 8y ago
I know someone who served on aircraft carriers over the past few years, and was in charge of close-in ship defense on one tour. He said the camo was no tactical help at all, but was a real safety issue when people fell overboard, which occasionally did happen.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- craftinator 8y ago
  I was on a carrier for a year, and we had a large number of false alarm Man-Over board events. The pilots were incredibly frustrated at the Navy's camo, because they would have to fly around looking for a blue sailor in a blue ocean until we finally finished counting everyone on ship. The reason the Navy has those is because they look cool and "carry the honor and tradition of the US Navy", the reason the military does most things. All in all, it gets kids fresh out of high school to sign up.

jcranmer 8y ago

From what I've heard, the Navy's camo pattern does a really good job of hiding the various kinds of dirt and grime you get from being in a manual labor job, especially compared to the older uniforms.

EpicEng 8y ago

My wife was in the Navy, served a year I'm Iraq outside Baghdad. The Navy doesn't exclusively operate on ships.

DennisP 8y ago
Did she wear blue camo in Iraq? If so, did it help her blend in?
- EpicEng 8y ago
  No, but the blue digis were mothballed almost three years ago now, so it was obviously regarded as a mistake. You may be right about the blues, I have no idea.
  - mcguire 8y ago
    The blue camo, discussion of its mothballery, and its greenish replacement: https://www.stripes.com/news/us/navy-announces-end-of-blue-camouflage-uniform-1.422513 https://www.stripes.com/news/us/navy-announces-end-of-blue-c...

jimnotgym 8y ago

Because Marines are in the Navy

kaikai 8y ago
The marines are their own branch of the military. Maybe you're thinking of the navy seals?
- mcguire 8y ago
  Technically, they're part of the Department of the Navy. The only practical consequence I know about is that they're under the Secretary of the Navy rather than having their own civilian-in-charge. They also have different camouflage, which was never blue.