Anchors aweigh! a History of the Sailor Cap
A very distinctive visorless hat or small canvas bucket hat, the sailor hat immediately marks the wearer as an intrepid seafarer, a warrior on the waves. Through history, several types have emerged, all proudly worn by those servinc in their respective countries' navies to this day.
Version française : • Cap au large! l'histoi...
The French bachi I wear in this video comes from Doursoux.com . The US Dixie cup hat comes from a surplus store in Kansas City.
Title sequence designed by Alexandre Mahler
am.design@live.com
This video was done for entertainment and educational purposes. No copyright infringement of any sort was intended.
Пікірлер: 204
Fun Fact about USN Dixie Cup: works as a bucket to bail out a life boat/small boat or catch rain water when in same. Flopped down over the ears it helps protect from tropical sun. In "bucket mode" it can be used to catch some air and act as a mini life preserver. Bright white color can be waved as a signal for rescue. I was a Machinist Mate and used mine as a "glove" when grabbing hot valve handles.Also used it to haul ice down to my engine room. Soaked in ice water and put on my head in bucket mode it help against heat stress in same engine room.
@trickydicky2908
5 ай бұрын
@Amossnowdaharleyman Remember trying to get the proper roll on the edge to get the proper 'old salt' look? Lol
@garysarratt1
5 ай бұрын
Also useful to flog a buddy leaving for the last time to d/c or go to another command.
@richardduerr9983
5 ай бұрын
As a seaman (E3) USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in 1984, sent down to the engine room for the very essential and immediately needed tool, the 'BT punch', I could never have imagined how hot the engineering spaces were. Fortunately the BT's had mercy on my 18 year old, 135 pound 5 foot 8 inch skinny frame and gave me a minor punch in the arm and advised me to not let my shipmates know they gave me a break. I acted it up really well by holding my breath all the way back to my workstation, so my face would be red and I would still be sweating, and kept rubbing my left bicep in apparent pain. It worked, they all had a laugh at my, not actual expense, but they did not know that. I never told them that, I just let them think that they had gotten one over one me. I was actually familiar with the 'BT Punch' because my bootcamp company commander was an MMC and mentioned it at some point. When I got the order to go get one, I decided that I'd rather just go along with it than hide from it. The Navy does have their traditions, you will be respected more if you go along with them, so I went to the engine room to receive my BT Punch. Sorry, off subject there, I was only down there a couple times, so incredibly hot and humid!
@amossnowdaharleyman9179
5 ай бұрын
@@richardduerr9983 I was on the USS Roanoke AOR-7 in 84. I was a strange one: actually loved being at sea in my hole (engineroom). Still think of the night views of the stars 1500 miles from the nearest light pollution: what the cavemen saw...
@formerevolutionist
4 ай бұрын
When I was in basic training, we were taught to use them as a floatation device. I always thought it was stupid because it didn't work well at all. I always assumed a big reason our caps were like that was because it is easier to fold and stow. Sailors don't have a lot of space to put things on a ship, so no one would want a big hat that took up a lot of space.
Many a Seaman Recruit in boot camp came out with a 'grinder reminder'; a sunburn across the middle of the forehead and pale skin above it. Bidding farewell to my Dixie cup was an emotional moment for me when I went through CPO initiation. One of great things about the Dixie Cup is the ability to fold it into quarters and stuff it in the back of your 13 button trousers so as not to have to carry it in your hands when indoors. And you could always take your spare cover with you on deck when pulling into a foreign port and tossing it down to a pretty girl. Then all you had to do was find the gal with a hat that had your name on it!
@formerevolutionist
4 ай бұрын
"Grinder reminder" It's been ages since I heard that term! Thanks for bringing back some memories.
@mikeythesquid1427
4 ай бұрын
i was in the navy when to uniform change came around, we all hated the "dixie cup". it was very cheaply made (thanks China) and would fly into the water at the slightest breeze. I kept a stack of them in my locker for that very reason. :P
@nickgov66
3 ай бұрын
South America is not a country, it is a continent.
@ailo4x4
3 ай бұрын
@@nickgov66 Umm...yeah, of course it is. I'm guessing your comment is in reference to some other part of the comment section as I can't see how it relates to these... :-/
My Dad, who was a US Marine in WWll, always referred to it as a "gob hat". He called sailors "swab jockeys". Good presentation. Thanks
@TXMEDRGR
4 ай бұрын
Early tee shirts were called gob shirts since they were first issued to sailors, nicknamed gobs.
I was in the US Navy from '77 to '81, and up until the last year, our dress hat was that white covered chief's hat, which was properly called a "combination cap." I was delighted to get the Dixie Cup on my head when they brought them back. For working uniform we wore navy blue ball caps, through that whole period.
@TheEudaemonicPlague
7 ай бұрын
I joined in '85, and remember something being said about the change in uniform...that the Dixie cup, dungarees, and chambray shirt were voted for overwhelmingly (and the crackerjack uniform). I was pleased that I didn't have to deal with a combination cap...I've always felt they're ugly.
@janerkenbrack3373
7 ай бұрын
@@TheEudaemonicPlague Oh yeah, I came in expecting uniforms like I saw in the old movies. Bell bottoms and jumpers. I ended up spending three and a half years in a double breasted suit on watch. I was so happy the crackerjacks came back, even though it was only months before my enlistment was up.
@11C1P
7 ай бұрын
Weren't you guys allowed to have beards & longer hair back then too?
@janerkenbrack3373
7 ай бұрын
@@11C1P Yeah, that was Admiral Zumwalt. I had a full beard in 1978. He was trying to encourage enlistment and retention while civilians were, well, hippies. He even allowed African Americans to wear afros. The Navy gradually clawed that back. I was down to a mustache a year later. We didn't get to wear longer hair, though we could have it blocked in the back instead of tapered, which made it look fuller.
@ronfisher5259
5 ай бұрын
I was serving on board the USSGuam, LPpH-9, when Zumwalt came to power- and our legal officer got an order from the CNO office change ships refs to allow beards.
I retired from the Navy 21 years ago. I still have a Dixie Cup.😊
@formerevolutionist
4 ай бұрын
Me, too. My wife likes putting it on once in awhile.
@Subdood04
2 ай бұрын
I recently found one of my original ones from Boot camp, July 1984.
2001-2005 I was in the Australian Navy Cadets and we were proud of our little sailor caps.
Was in RTC when we got our Dixie cups someone turned theirs inside out and you could hear everyone realize Gilligan's hat was an upside down Dixie cup
As someone who has spent a lot of time in the sun on the water, the sennet hat is probably the best hat for dealing with sunburn and ocean glare. Although the military has rarely cared about the well being of their crews.
@johnobrien7981
5 ай бұрын
I concur!!!❤
I was in the Navy right as Admiral Zumwalt decided we were all going to look alike, officers and enlisted dress uni that is. I never got a sailor hat, which was the only reason I joined tbh...
When I was in the Navy, we called them Gilligan hats...
The harlequin uniforms! 😂😂😂 Maybe some rumors about seafaring men on long voyages are true!
We would fold our Dixie Cups in a way that would almost turn them into mini bicorns. A good example is how Jack Nicholson wore his in "The Last Detail. Others would roll the rim down along the edges.
@stevemolina8801
5 ай бұрын
Soak them in luke warm water to soften them then fold the top quarter or third down so it made a crease. made it look SALTY.
@c3aloha
4 ай бұрын
I AM the MFing Shore Patrol! 😂
@williamcribbs1298
4 ай бұрын
It's not good unless the cheese is melted! @@c3aloha
@ailo4x4
3 ай бұрын
I always rolled mine like Steve McQueen in The Sand Pebbles. ;-)
The USCG wore the white topped banded “flat hat” with dress blues or whites from 1967 to 1976. The Dixie cup was used with the undress uniform and the dungarees.
@sionanenrois1433
4 ай бұрын
I come from a long line of Coast Guard families and have quite a few photos of relatives wearing that cap.
@64MDW
3 ай бұрын
They should have kept the old uniform as there really was no need to change to the 'Bender Blues' of today that makes Coasties look like hotel doormen. I comment as having been in the CG during the uniform transition period. There were a lot of unhappy people because of the uniform change. The service was always scrapping for funds but the decision was made to go with the Blues that required millions spent on the new uniforms and millions spent on converting locker space aboard cutters to accommodate. A stupid waste of money quite like 'camo' uniforms aboard Navy ships.
Proud to have been a squid for 17 years !!
Very interesting again ! 👏 Made me think of humorist Popeck, from witch I learned touching the pompom is supposed to bring good luck.
Man, you always make the hat tipping look so easy
@Man_fay_the_Bru
5 ай бұрын
Well it is
I can't believe you left out the U.S. Coast Guard donald duck hat. -USCG vet
I was in the usn, still have my Dixie cup. I was told the reason for the Dixie cup was in the sun and tropics you coul fold the brim down and it would keep the sun off your face and neck with out being bulky or wide.
My Uncle Billy was in the Navy. He served as a radio man on board the USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16). A job that no longer exists on a ship that no longer exists. Unfortunately, he passed away from lung cancer in August 2022.
2:28 I know that it's not very important, but I'm very glad you showed a picture from "the terror", one of the most underrated TV shows of all time.
@hathistorianjc
8 ай бұрын
I love that show
@AnthonyDiBona-ob3js
7 ай бұрын
The TV show was terrific. Do yourself a favor and read the novel by American author Dan Simmons. Outstanding work.
USN under CNO Elmo Zulmwalt rescinded the cracker jack uniform in the early to mid 1970's. I spent my entire enlistment in a suit with an officer style cap. I got out in late 79. Not long after they reverted to the cracker jack
@donnarouse9432
3 ай бұрын
My daddy also but I joined because I liked the crackerJack's, although i found out when i enlisted that women couldn't wear,cracker jacks
I have a picture of my uncle wearing a talley type hat in WW II! But my brother wore the peak in the late 1970's. And on deck he wore a ball cap.
I was very glad to be made informed on this!
My fave vid so far. You covered a lot of ground in nine minutes. Very interesting.
I love this channel. It needs so many more subs and views. So much good research and fabulous presentation. Kudos to you sir!
You know what'll really intimidate our enemies? We'll dress as literal clowns😂😂
Great and interesting video!
Still got my "pork pie hat" in the British style from when I was a Sea Scout. Loved that thing!
Oddly enough, the Dixie cup is a popular sailor hat, but in the US, the striped undershirt is not US issue
I have no clue how many dixie cups I still have. Every time we had a uniform inspection, I bought a new one. I wore an eight point every day, so a dixie cup was a dress uniform only thing. It was cheap enough to grab a new one that it was not worth taking a hit on a cap that wasn't clean enough.
I have my daddy's! He was a sailor, then became a dirt sailor, which were seabees construction workers! Think the fighting seabees!
Thanks. ✌🏻👊🏼
Dressing your Sailors as Clowns was finally to much for the Admirality, the Straw that broke the Hat, so to speak.
Interesting information. My Dad was a Sea Bee during WW2. He had several of the Dixie cup hats and a flat top, Donald Duck, hat. We kids wore the Dixie cup hats outside in the summers to keep the sun off our heads. There were several kids in our neighborhood who did also.
love the channel! please do one on the coolest hat of all time; the peaked cap
sailor cap is an emergency flotation device which when turned inside out, gripped tightly and held under the body it contained a bubble of air which aided in keeping head above the water line
Love it 😊
@Horseyperson12
3 ай бұрын
The Dixe Cup only.
Interesting 🤔, great video 👍
In my day in the USN. We wore the navy ball cap on board ship and only the Dixie cup when off ship on ships business.
My dad was issued the Donald Duck cap in the 1950s, but never wore it. Was always the Dixie cup which he liked because it could be unfolded and worn out in the sun. One I thought was kind of cool was the lesser known ww2 blue Dixie cup.
Le mot BACHI est un terme argotique et populaire, connu et utilisé par les marins . Le nom officiel est BONNET. Merci pour ces vidéos toujours très interessantes.
The Navy white hat looks so awesome! in the Washington honor guards. They curl them perfectly.
You forgot: the dixie cup hat's brim can be flipped down all around for great protection
I went in the U.S. Navy in 1976 and we wore ball caps. Starting in 1980 they started bringing them back when they reissued the 'Cracker Jack' uniform. I personally hated the Dixie Cup because on my ship we had to wear them even 'underway'. The slightest wind and the Dixie Cup was in the ocean! I lost so many that I can't even remember! During the years of the ball cap, I still had the same one I was issued in boot camp until we switched back. Hated that damn Dixie Cup!
Apparently it was a custom for sailors to trade ribbons - I've seen collections of ribbons with many different ship names on them. These were private collections donated to maritime museums.
After reading through many of the comments, I was surprised to note that no one mentioned the other nickname for the "Dixie Cup". That being the "Dog Dish". I have fond memories of that hat. But have to admit a very strong sense of pride on my last day wearing that as I went through CPO initiation!
Excellent épisode, j'ai hate de voir les petits aménagements francophone!!! Merci
Yeah , i was issued crackerjacks in 73 but about 76 zumwalt turned us all into officers , also our dress whites were cotton , no piping , crackerjacks had piping they were made of wool
Well, hello sailor!
I always thought the Dixie cup was kind of silly looking, and I do recall a lot of sailors saying they could blow off on a ship. I think the Teller hats look sharper. My father was in WWII, and wore the Dixie cup on shipboard duty, but always wore the Teller hat when on leave or as a walking out uniform. Again, the Germans would wear the overseas hat on U-boats or on board ship...hard to see them blow off. The problem with Zumwalt's making sailors were the officer's uniform is uniforms like that are difficult to fold away and store on a ship. As for the griping on this thread about wearing the Dixie cup the right way, leave Foyer alone. I noted in WWII navy magazines, they were always berating sailors to not to wear the hat pushed back or cocked, but square on the head...which shows how many sailors said to hell with the regs when they left ship. These videos by Foyer are really addictive.
The red pom pom on top of the hat will also make it easier for the marksmen in the rigging to identify friend vs foe.
Encore une excellente planche ! Chapeau 🎩 . Il y a un petit problème avec le son, ta pièce a de la reverbe, malgré l'aménagement, elle pénètre ton micro-cravate (c'est souvent le cas) et est exacerbée lors de ton traitement audio. Essaie avec un micro supercardioïde, bien pointé vers toi, ça devrait bien t'aider.
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
Hmm... je regarderai! j'ai eu quelques problèmes de son avec cette vidéo
@ 5:03 ...the preferred hat of the stay puft marshmallow man
Some navy hats and caps had different insignia or different coloured pom poms to help marine snipers in the rigging differentiate fried from foes in on board battles when sailors boarded enemy ships to engage in close quarter fighting.
The Phoenician cap looked like a knitted conical hat with the point falling either to the side or forward. A similar hat was worn by some soldiers of ancient countries.
My goodness. Dixie cup not named after a paper cup but for the ice cream treat
My dad had the Donald Duck hat and I had the Dixie Cup.
One memory I have is of the institutional obtuseness that can prevail in the military. In Navy bootcamp we were in formation waiting for our company's turn in the chowhall. It was pouring rain, but we were not allowed to break down the brim of our white hats to protect us in at least some small degree from the rain. Instead we had to stand there with our hats collecting rain water, that then seeped down inside our uniforms. We were soaked from the inside out, which effectively rendered our rain slickers useless. We would have been deemed "out of uniform" had we dropped our hat brims.
@Jett-dd9tk
4 ай бұрын
At least you got to keep your covers on;. BT in the Air Force, we had to keep our covers off while waiting for chow, got double pnuem 8:58 pneumonia from that.
I was in the navy myself and the uniform still fits me, after 35 years and I still cut a good figure in it and the women praise the way it looks. The English model is also called a pig hat (affectionately). In Germany it is the plate cap ( tellermütze ).
i like your videos, have you done one on the deer stalker?
ah_hah...je vois que vous faisez vos vidéos aussi en français...bravo!
Sailors were affectionately referred to as 'milk churns' due to standing upright with that hat.
@Westyrulz
5 ай бұрын
LOL!
How is it that you look "plausible" with any hat you review? 😃 I'd look like a total dweeb in 98% of your hats. Very interesting content in your videos.
@6:09: "Other nations, such as South America..." You lost me.
@hathistorianjc
3 ай бұрын
Oops... that was supposed to be *in* South America... my mistake...
Ah ben on n'a pas la version française du casque de cycliste !
@wolverinedebergerac
9 ай бұрын
Je me suis fait la même réflexion...🤔
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
Je sais, j'attends la contribution d'une amie mais qui a eu d'autres choses qui l'ont empêché de le faire, ça va venir mais je ne sais pas exactement quand. Le reste est fini donc dès que j'ai ce segment je la mets en ligne
@jsto9686
9 ай бұрын
Traduction française svp! Tu capable💪
popeye the sailor man!
Great information. FYI, you mite wanna get some sound-absorbing material such as wall tapastries or carpet. You echo and it detracts from understanding what you say. Best of Luck, Mate!
@hathistorianjc
3 ай бұрын
yeah, my microphone malfunctioned for that particular video, the others should sound better. Sorry about that.
My father was in the RN during World War II. You could be issued with a hat, or - as soon as you got some money - you went and bought one privately, which was bigger and more imposing than the one they issued you. Not sure why they were allowed to do that. But they also did the same with their bellbottoms. The privately tailored ones had much bigger - what do you call them - leg openings. They were both supposed to be chick magnets I think.
@nickgov66
3 ай бұрын
I think that you call them "flares".
Fun fact: In 2021, the Indonesian Navy changed its sailor hat style from the dixie cup style to a style resembling those worn by sailors from communist countries (but without the ribbon). Rumor has it that the change was due to mockery of the dixie cup style, which resembled Popeye's hat.
The story about the HMS Harlequin leading to the standardisation of uniforms in the Royal Navy is both hilarious and tragically unknown.
@chedelirio6984
4 ай бұрын
And it is so utterly British. "Wot's this? This will just not do! It's silly!" Meanwhile the Captain is thinking himself such a clever boy.
The dixie cup hat and even moreso the European navy caps seem like they offer little protection against the sun. As I'd think lots of naval personnel served on deck especially around the time that these hats originated, I'm surprised navies didn't choose a hat with a wide brim.
@TheMrPeteChannel
5 ай бұрын
Because the ships lines in the age of sail would get in the way. When navy ships became ironclads the need for a broad brim became pointless because they were inside the ship 90% of the time. Also wind would blow off a broad brim hat.
White dixie cups were worn as fatigue wear in Polish navy before ww2, after the war they vanished. Pretty weird to see this piece of kit so far from its New World place of origin
I believe Donald Duck was technically in the Army. He was discharged as a sergeant iirc.
@TheEudaemonicPlague
7 ай бұрын
You're right, and "Buck sergeant" to be precise.
The Pom Pom was there so that riflemen in the rigging could tell their side from the other as they sniped at the boarders.
The "Dixie Cup" was actually called a Gob Hat.
😮
First of all I want to say that I really enjoy the knowledge and the subject is very fascinating. Unfortunately, I have a problem with the recitation of the material - it seems, as if you are reading from what is written on the page in front of you. I think if the material can be presented in another way, it would be better. sorry if i hurt you Thanks for everything keep up the good work
Will you do a video on the peaked hat?
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
I'm sure I'll get to it
Les marins norvégiens portaient aussi un bonnet avec pompom semblable au bachi pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale!
ton anglais est si bon, félicitation, je suis curieux comment tu as un si bon niveau en anglais
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
Je suis moitié Américain, c'est une de mes langues maternelles!
I noticed your inclusion of the state flag of Missouri in your decor. The official dimensions of this flag are 11x19, which are the same as the flag of Greece. I know this because my late ex-husband was born in Patras, and he loved studying vexillology. If you've already been to Missouri, please come back---I'd love to see someone who's probably a distant cousin.....
What about a video for the Sombrero? (Tipycal Mexican hat)
@hathistorianjc
8 ай бұрын
I already did one!
@bradipodaguerra8760
8 ай бұрын
@@hathistorianjc Oh, sorry my bad! I will watch it😀😀
Anchors Aweigh! A History of the Sailor Cap. The title and the beginning of the subtitle should always be capitalized.
Il n’y a pas encore de versions françaises des deux dernières vidéos ? 😀.
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
elles arrivent le 15 du mois, mais j'ai fait un post dans l'onglet "communauté" expliquant pourquoi la précédente a du retard
I never liked the dixie cup. Felt that after the bureaucrats had gotten rid of the combo cap for E-6 and below that the bill-less cap was a more suitable replacement. It made you look less like Popeye and more like a professional sailor. Unfortunately, they didn't invite me into that particular conversation. And I'm still wondering about their thought process for having sailors at sea wearing blue and gray NWUs, when *white and international orange might be a better choice for someone thrown overboard.* Jus' sayin'...
Why no brim? I would have thought that working on deck in the sun that a brim would be a good thing to have.
Bonjour, vous ne faites plus de vidéo en français? Je cherchais sur Internet le pourquoi du ponpon. J'imagine que vous en parlez
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
Si si, elles arrivent le 15 du mois, mais j'ai fait un post dans l'onglet "communauté" expliquant pourquoi la précédente a du retard
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
Et oui, j'en parle
*I STILL WANT TO KNOW HOW SAILORS AND SEAMEN ARE ABLE TO KEEP THOSE SHALLOW CAPS ON THEIR HEADS WHEN THE WIND IS BLOWING ON DECK. ANSWERS PLEASE!*
@peterwilliams2152
4 ай бұрын
Chinstays
@519djw6
4 ай бұрын
@@peterwilliams2152 Do you mean chin straps? If so, I've never seen any on sailors' caps--including the one in this video.
@futuristica1710
4 ай бұрын
OKAY THEN!
Bonjour cette vidéo ne sera pas en français ?
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
Si si, le 15
A true salt would roll the rim of his dixie cup down. I made a big deal yo everyone that listened that women should wear the same cover as men in uniform. Dixue Cups were like $5 while the ladies hat was like $40.
not going to mention the village people?
@coldlakealta4043
5 ай бұрын
thank you! a great moment in the hat's history!
The uniform change in the 1970’s was an unbelievably stupid decision. My dress uniform’s the crackerjack could be folded and put into a sea bag, the other branches of the military called them duffel bags. When taken out they didn’t need to be pressed before an inspection. Not so with the new one! Not to mention they didn’t change the lockers in the birthing compartments, there was no where to hang them. On leave at the airport I had someone just a few years younger than me, ask what branch of the military I was in? Was I pissed off ? That term doesn’t come close to how I felt.
Sou'wester?
I did 15 years in the Navy and found the hat goofy. I prefer the Navy hats of the Brits, Russians with a chin strap.
Do you know why visorless for seamen? Thanks
@TheMrPeteChannel
5 ай бұрын
Oddly enough when armies started getting rid of Shorter shakos & Kepis they picked the navy cap but added the visor to become the peaked cap that nearly every army & police force uses today.
@TheMrPeteChannel
5 ай бұрын
Also because adding a visor would make it less wind resistant
@iklone
5 ай бұрын
Officers generally have a version with a visor
Was just flipping by and saw your Missouri flag on the wall. What's that story?
5:00 Donald Duck had one
Et la vidéo en français ???
@hathistorianjc
9 ай бұрын
elles arrivent le 15 du mois, mais j'ai fait un post dans l'onglet "communauté" expliquant pourquoi la précédente a du retard
and in fact, the blue hat is known as the "donald duck hat" in the usa.
@TheEudaemonicPlague
7 ай бұрын
I have my uncle's Donald Duck hat, from when he served aboard USS Enterprise, and several dixie cup hats from when I served. I prefer the dixie cup to the extreme...who needs heavy wool on their head, unless it's cold?
@juhokuusisto9339
5 ай бұрын
In Finland, the whole navy conscript's dress uniform is known as "Aku Ankka", Donald Duck translated in Finnish. And it's the only dress uniform that FDF uses anymore for conscripts during weekend leaves/shore leaves unfortunately. Fresh camo uniforms (more worn ones are for field service) have replaced the old gray (army) and blue (air force) ones as dress uniform. With certain exeptions and service related as-needed basis you might get more fancy dress uniform to use as a conscript. Like service in the Defence Command or close relatives/partners/family members funerial. Budget cuts are the worst.
@thurin84
5 ай бұрын
@@juhokuusisto9339 thats cool info thanks for sharing. and i believe such cuts will continue and only get worse world wide wit the current economy.
But how practical are they? Wouldn't a baseball hat be better, so why did it take so long for them to be adopted into the modern navy but not sure how many countries now use ball caps