Navy WWII Gear: The N-1 Deck Jacket

Hello, Tom Fresa here for the Naval History and Heritage Command with another one of our Artifact Spotlights. This is where we take a look at the timeline of the U.S. Navy and pull out different artifacts and teach you about them. Today we are going to be focusing on the N1 deck jacket. So the N1 deck jacket was used in cold weather environments during World War II. Think about the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. Sailors would wear these out on deck to help protect themselves from the environment. Before World War II, what the sailors had were their pea coats and some other types of foul weather gear, which, you know, the pea coat during World War II becomes more of a uniform for formal occasions during the winter. So the Navy wanted something that sailors could wear when they're out on deck to protect them. Now before the N1 deck jacket comes into the system, the Navy did experiment with different types of other deck jackets. You see a dark blue version of this jacket come out with U.S. Navy stenciled across the back. You see a type of deck jacket that comes out with, instead of button, it has these weird metal clasps, but they ultimately settle on the N1 design. And it's actually a very warm jacket itself. The exterior is covered with a type of cloth known as jungle cloth, and that jungle cloth can be waterproofed with a wax substance or different types of chemicals. And the interior is lined with alpaca. Now alpaca is very warm, but it also has the capability of, when it gets wet, it stays warm, unlike other types of fillers that, when they get wet, they get cold. Alpaca stays very warm, keeping the sailors safe. Now it's not just a jacket, but it actually has three parts to the system. You have the N1 deck jacket, the N1 helmet, which the mannequin next to me is wearing right now. It's, again, made out of jungle cloth, and it has a wool lining on the inside. And you also have bib coveralls that go with this as well, that are lined with alpaca and wool, and have the jungle cloth on the exterior. It's a very warm system, and it was with the Navy for a while, until you see other types of deck jackets come into the system. And really, the cold weather gear that you see being issued to sailors today are direct descendants of the N1 deck jacket. And how popular was the deck jacket? Well, sailors would actually take them home after their service, because they enjoyed them so much, and because they kept the sailors warm and safe. And with that, if you're interested in learning more information, please visit the website of the Naval History and Heritage Command, history.navy.mil, and we'll see you at our next Artifact Spotlight.