Underwear naval shirt - this is it sea vest, which should be made of knitted fabric with a peculiar alternation of white and blue stripes.
The first mention of the appearance of the vest dates back to the time of the appearance of the sailing fleet. Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov is the founder of the introduction of this element of clothing into the equipment of sailors.
Features of vests
Like any other thing naval vest also has its own distinctive features. These primarily include horizontally alternating blue and white stripes. This unusual color design initially made it possible to observe the work and actions of the sailors, both on deck and with sails on the yards. Subsequently, the presence of stripes on the vest became a kind of tradition.
From the very beginning of its appearance, vests exclusively with dark blue stripes were supplied to the personnel of the USSR and the Russian Navy. After some time, a black and blue vest appeared as an addition to the uniform. The Marines of the Great Patriotic War, like the revolutionary sailors of the Civil War, with their exploits made the vest a real romantic symbol of sea prowess and courage.
The vest eventually became very popular among the common population. Its other name, which sounds like “sea soul,” speaks volumes about the fame and demand for this clothing brand.
Purpose of vests
During the creation of the uniform of the USSR airborne troops, the naval infantry uniform was taken as a model. For military personnel in the summer, a vest or, in other words, a sleeveless vest is intended. The sailors' uniform also includes insulated winter vests made of thick cotton jersey, with or without fleece.
In the early nineties of the last century, manufacturers developed a vest with stripes of various colors, which later became indispensable for various troops of the Russian Armed Forces:
- black vest found application in the Submarine Forces and the Marine Corps;
- cornflower blue vests entered the uniform of the Presidential Regiment and FSB special forces;
- light green vest used in the Border Troops;
- the Airborne Forces vest has light blue stripes;
- maroon vests intended for troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Botsman store carries out sale of vests wholesale and retail. In addition, the store sells various workwear, naval uniforms, naval souvenirs and personal protective equipment.
The legendary naval sweatshirt - how much meaning is put into these words! This is the story of more than one generation. The vest is valued on a par with a shrine. In Russia, it became not only part of the infantry and submarine navy, but also the airborne armed forces, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, special forces and the internal army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Each Russian army has its own vest with a unique stripe color, the selection criteria of which, one can assume, characterize the field of activity of each...
Navy
German opponents spoke of sailors and marines during the Great Patriotic War as “striped devils.” This one wears T-shirts with black stripes. It was not a matter of color, not how many stripes there were on the vest, and not even the extremely strong-willed qualities of Russian sailors. The roots of this nickname go back to the history of Europe, where in the past, for a very long time, striped clothes were worn by heretics, lepers, and executioners who did not have any rights, rejected by society. When the Germans saw Marines on land, they were overwhelmed with fear at the genetic level. The sailors, even in battles on land, refused to change their main parts of their uniform: a peakless cap and a vest with a pea coat. This is what distinguished them from infantry soldiers.
For camouflage, the Marines dressed in the uniform of the ground forces. But even in it, the vest remained an underwear shirt. If someone carried it in a duffel bag because they wanted to keep it longer, then it was mandatory to put it on before the fight. After all, since ancient times there has been a Russian tradition: to put on a clean undershirt before the start of a battle. Someone thinks that the power of Russian sailors is hidden in a special sweatshirt - its color and how many stripes there are on the soldier’s vest.
After all, at one time the French Navy adopted a standard in 1852, according to which a vest should have 21 stripes. This is the number of victories of the great Napoleon.
Fearlessness
Sailors have always been distinguished by a special courageous spirit. Throwing their overcoat and pea coat to the ground, dressed in a vest, they walked towards the enemy with a bayonet in their hands. The sailors' first battle on land took place in June 1941, on the 25th.
Sergeant Major Prostorov, at the head of the Baltic corsairs, shouted “Polundra” and disgraced the Germans, who were known as victors in Europe. The strike force of the Russian army was formed from fighters in vests. The whole point is not how many stripes there are on the vest, but the inner strength of the Russian spirit. The command knew: these warriors would not retreat! They were where it was most dangerous to fight. The Marine Corps of the Soviet Union threw panic and instilled fear in the enemy...
Origin
The history of the vest itself dates back to the time of the conquest of the geographical space of the Earth - in the seventeenth century. At that time, maritime professions were just developing. Accordingly, there was a shortage of personnel. Most of the European fleet was made up of sailors from Brittany. Most likely, the Bretons did not care how many stripes there were on their vests - they wore black and white work shirts, which played the role of a talisman against sea evil spirits.
In addition, in such a shirt the sailor can be seen better against the background of the surrounding landscapes. In addition, dirt is not so noticeable. Most of the Breton seafaring personnel ended up on Dutch ships. They paid well here and Bretons were not prohibited from wearing striped overalls. By the end of the 17th century, it would become the body uniform of sailors throughout Europe.
Spreading
The Russians were no exception. It is not known for certain how many stripes there are on the sailor’s vest and when exactly it entered the life of the Russian fleet. But, most likely, the vest was brought to Russia by the Dutch in the mid-seventeenth century. Their merchant ships began to sail to Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory. The Dutch and British were known as trendsetters in fashionable naval equipment. Therefore, Peter I adopted the Dutch uniform for the Russian flotilla, which was in its infancy.
But she was not yet wearing Breton striped shirts. They became more widespread among Russian sailors of the second mid-19th century. There is a legend that in 1868, Prince Konstantin Romanov, who was also an admiral, received the crew of the frigate. All sailors came to the meeting in European striped sweatshirts.
They praised their merits so much that after some time the prince signed a decree from the emperor to officially include the vest in the ammunition of Russian sailors (1874).
It became a cult garment later, after the Russo-Japanese War. When there was demobilization, sailors filled the cities. All around you could hear the rhythms of sea dances and stories about the brave battles for Port Arthur.
They were looking for adventure. This is the time when flotilla culture became widespread among the masses, and the concept of “sea soul” appeared, the symbol of which was the vest.
Airborne troops and striped sweatshirt
When and how did the iconic clothing of the navy become part of the blue beret and how many stripes are there on the vest of a Russian paratrooper? History says that back in 1959 they were awarded to a parachutist for a jump into water, which is considered one of the most dangerous.
That's when vests appeared in paratroopers' uniforms (unofficially). But the key person who made the naval sweatshirt was the legendary commander. It didn’t matter how many stripes there were on the Navy vest - it didn’t matter to the paratroopers. The introduction of the “sea soul” into blue berets was opposed by Sergei Gorshkov, the commander-in-chief of the USSR Navy. He said that these were manifestations of anarchy among the paratroopers.
But Margelov said harshly that he fought in the Marine Corps. And therefore he knows what paratroopers deserve and don’t deserve!
The blue striped vest made its official debut at the Prague events in August 1968: Soviet paratroopers wearing the striped jersey proved to be a decisive force in ending the Prague Spring. The blue berets received a baptism of fire, bypassing all bureaucratic issues - with the blessing of Margelov.
The new form was not prescribed by any official document. And it doesn’t matter how many stripes there are on an Airborne Forces vest (the number simply depends on the size of the jersey) - it has become a symbol of masculinity and a special spirit of fearlessness. Even future fighters have the honor of wearing a striped sweatshirt.
Modernity
Today, Russian troops of various kinds wear a vest. The kit for cadets of naval, civil river and maritime educational institutions includes a naval vest as a mandatory element of the uniform. Although border guards, thanks to the creation of the border flotilla of the White, Baltic and Caspian Seas, put it on back in 1893, and in 1898 it began with green stripes. In the 90s of the 20th century, vests for border guards were officially developed - green, for the special forces of the VV - maroon, for the special forces of the FSB and the presidential regiment - cornflower blue, for the Ministry of Emergency Situations - orange.
Of course, you can simply count how many stripes there are on a naval vest, but this will not give anything. Since the period of the USSR, the number of stripes has depended on the size of each military man, be it an infantryman or a border guard. Conventionally: size forty-six contains 33 stripes, size fifty-six - 52.
The problem of the number of stripes has its roots in the symbolic numerology in the vests of the French. The Dutch and the British had the same symbolism. They preferred shirts with 12 stripes, the same as the number of human ribs, thus wanting to deceive fate: as if it were not a person, but a ghost-skeleton of the deceased...
The vest, otherwise called a sweatshirt, vest, or even the romantic phrase “sea soul,” begins its history from the time of the advent of the European sailing fleet. It is believed that the white-blue or white-blue coloring of the vest helped during sea voyages to always see sailors against the backdrop of snow-white sails, as well as to observe them in the water if they accidentally fell overboard.
The first naval ones appeared in the Breton fleet back in the 16th century. Then they had exactly 12 black and white stripes, the number of human ribs. In this way, the sailors wanted to deceive death itself. She was supposed to take the sailors for already dead and not touch them. And this is not a random belief, because in those days, traveling by sea was a very dangerous activity.
The tradition with 12 transverse stripes was adopted from the British by the Dutch. But the French sailors already had 21 stripes on their vests, each of which symbolized one of Napoleon’s major victories. The European experience of using vests was transferred to Russian soil only on August 19, 1874, by order of Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov.
Initially, a white-and-blue striped vest belonged exclusively to sailors of the Russian military fleet. And if at the end of the 19th century the naval vest consisted of white and blue stripes, among which the white stripes were much wider, then in our time this item of clothing contains white and blue stripes of the same width (approximately from 0.5 to 1.5 cm). Previously, vests were made from cotton and wool (in equal quantities), but now in most cases 100% natural cotton is used. The service life of a vest in the navy is one year.
During World War II, German soldiers and their allies well remembered the striped vests of the Marines (they had black and white stripes). It’s not for nothing that our sailors were nicknamed “striped devils.” And it’s not just about the courage and bravery of Russian sailors. The Europeans remembered very well that striped clothes had previously been worn by executioners, outcasts, terminally ill people and other outcasts of society who simply had nothing to lose.
Often, during battles, Marines dressed in the uniform of the ground forces for camouflage, but they always wore a vest. It was not only a comfortable piece of clothing for them, but also a special amulet. Russian warriors have also long had a tradition of putting on a clean shirt before battle. And nautical vests replaced them perfectly.
Airborne vest
Nowadays, the Airborne Forces are armed with vests with light blue stripes alternating with white. And the tradition of rewarding paratroopers who made the first parachute jump into water began in 1959. It was then, during the exercises, that Colonel V.A. Ustinovich presented the paratroopers with naval vests as a reward for successfully completing the assigned task. Although the idea of introducing vests with blue and white stripes into the Airborne Forces was carried out by the commander of the Airborne Forces V.F. Margelov and earlier, back in 1954-1959, as well as at a later time.
In the end, it was decided to make the vest an official part of the military clothing of the Airborne Forces, but only replace the blue stripes with light blue ones, symbolizing the color of the daytime sky in bright weather. And already in 1969, during the conflict in Czechoslovakia, all paratroopers wore uniform vests. Officially, this item of military clothing was assigned to the Airborne Forces by the Order of the USSR Ministry of Defense in 1969.
Vests for border troops
Since about the 1990s, vests of various colors have appeared in many branches of the military, in addition to the Navy and Airborne Forces. Border guards acquired white and green striped vests. This is due to the fact that in the 80s, a separate Vitebsk Airborne Division was suddenly transferred to the jurisdiction of the KGB of the USSR, which is why the light blue stripes were repainted green.
Then the paratroopers perceived this as an insult and oblivion of their military honor, but after the collapse of the USSR, when the division went to Belarus and again became part of the Airborne Forces, the tradition of wearing white and green vests was already firmly rooted among the border guards. And it hasn't changed to this day.
Vests of different types of troops
The colors of military vests for different branches of the military, Special Forces (special forces) and GRU (intelligence) were determined in Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 532 of 05/08/2005. In accordance with this document, the following types of vests were defined:
- Navy - vests with white and dark blue stripes. The same vests are worn by cadets of naval, as well as civilian river and sea schools;
- Airborne troops - vests with white and light blue stripes;
- Border troops - white and green striped vests;
- FSB special forces and the Presidential Regiment - vests with white stripes and cornflower blue stripes;
- Ministry of Emergency Situations - white and orange striped vests;
- Special forces of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Rosgvardia) - vests with white and maroon (burgundy) stripes.
Special mention should be made about sweatshirts with black and white stripes. You can often read that such vests are used by submariners and even the Marine Corps. However, it is not. Today, these types of troops use ordinary sailor vests with stripes of white and dark blue.
Along with vests of different colors, the Russian troops also use berets of several shades, from orange to black and green. Often, berets are part of the dress uniform or are issued to military personnel for some merit (for example, after passing sports standards). That is, the right to wear a beret often needs to be earned through hard work or some heroic deed.
Although vests are now used for everyday wear by many troops, only those with dark blue or light blue stripes can be called a classic naval vest (such vests are worn by Navy sailors and paratroopers).
Apr. 06,2017
For many years, vests have been a symbol of the navy. Read about what other colors striped vests come in in the military trade article “Starshina”.
The history of the naval undershirt began a very long time ago. Once upon a time, sailors, while passing the time, knitted themselves comfortable and warm vests from wool, and for hot climates from cotton yarn. According to existing legends, it was not for nothing that the vest became striped; there is a completely logical explanation for this.
English sailors in vests. It can be seen that the stripes are slightly narrower than on domestic ones.
Sea monsters and magical camouflage
Sailors are probably the most superstitious people in the world. Killing a seagull is a bad omen, a woman on a ship is unlucky. But the imagination of sea workers played out most vividly when it came to the inhabitants of the depths of the sea. The imagination of sailors populated the abyss with huge squids and krakens, which could swallow a sailboat in one sitting. The crafty mermaids, with their angelic singing, forced the sailors to throw themselves overboard at their call, and sea snakes of gigantic size, unexpectedly emerging, grabbed the unfortunate guys and dragged them into the depths. The solution suggested itself: to pretend to be already dead, to become like a skeleton. Most likely, this is how the stripes on the “sea soul” appeared. French sailors from Brittany are considered pioneers in this. The innovation quickly spread among the sailors of Western Europe at the beginning of the 16th century.
Ukrainian marines during the parade wearing traditional vests with black stripes.
The colors of vests are the colors of history
There is a more practical explanation for the “striations” of the vest. The color of the sea vest is blue and white. A sailor in a striped shirt was easier to spot when he fell overboard. And against the background of light sails, the sailors climbing the shrouds were better visible to the officer standing on the deck, and it was easier for him to correct their actions. But on warships, the heterogeneity of homemade vests irritated the officers, and the wearing of such shirts was almost universally prohibited by the beginning of the 18th century. Only 100 years later the vest became legal naval clothing, and in Tsarist Russia it received official status in 1874 by decree of Alexander II. The number of stripes in the European fleet then varied from 12 to 21. A person has 12 pairs of ribs and the practical Dutch took this as a basis. The French regulated 21 stripes - according to the number of Bonaparte's largest victories. In general, today everything depends on the size of the shirt; the larger it is, the more stripes will fit on it.
Belarusian retired border guard in a green vest
In many CIS countries, a vest with orange stripes is used by the Ministry of Emergency Situations
The first sign of changing the usual blue stripe to a different color in the Russian fleet was the introduction of green for the border patrol fleet in 1912. Already in the mid-60s, when berets began to be introduced into the Soviet army, a gradual “repainting” of vests began and their introduction in all branches of the military. In many ways, today the colors of vests depend on the berets worn by soldiers.
A cherry/red vest is a sign of internal troops (in Ukraine - the National Guard).
Tell me what color the vest is and I'll tell you who you are
According to established tradition, in the young Armed Forces of Ukraine, the color of the vest by branch of the military means the following. Dark blue traditional stripes on Navy vests. Submariners can be distinguished by their black stripes, the color of the abyss. Airborne troops wear sky-blue stripes, while green ones are worn by border guards. The special forces of the Internal Troops are easily recognized by their maroon stripes, and the SBU by their cornflower blue stripes. The Ministry of Emergency Situations has adopted the color orange, which means danger and a call for help.
Ukrainian sailors
Many people are interested in why the stripes don’t fade (if, of course, the product is of high quality)? They can be printed on the finished fabric, that is, with paint, or they can be knitted during the production of knitted fabric with threads of two colors; such models are more expensive. If the paint is applied in compliance with all technological requirements and has the correct composition, it will never fade. The durability of paint on a material also depends on the composition and quality of the base on which it is applied. If it is a high-quality cotton product (stitched stitch, interlock, or double elastic), then there will be no problems with the paint. And if the model feels rough and hard to the touch, it is better to refrain from purchasing it. Brushed (lined) fabrics are usually made from 2 colors of yarn rather than dyed.
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08.09.2014 0 24525
August 19 this year marks exactly 140 years since, in 1874, by imperial decree of Alexander II, the vest was officially included in the list of ammunition required to be worn by Russian sailors. Since then, this date has been considered the birthday of the Russian vest, and the striped shirt itself has firmly entered the life of the Russian sailor. But the story of its origin is still shrouded in mystery.
DEAD MAN'S JACKET
It is believed that a sailor who goes to the open sea for the first time (no matter on a fishing boat, merchant ship or military cruiser) immediately joins the brotherhood of brave conquerors of the sea elements. There are a lot of dangers there, and sailors are the most superstitious people in the world. And one of the main maritime beliefs is associated with dark and light stripes applied to the vest.
It turns out that, unlike land citizens, every real sailor is sure that the abyss is inhabited by various demons and mermaids, and each of them poses a serious danger to the conquerors of the seas and oceans. To deceive them, they used a vest: it was believed that, having put on such a shirt, the sailors seemed to the spirits of the sea to already be dead, of whom only skeletons remained.
Fishermen of French Brittany were the first to wear a robe with black and white stripes to protect themselves from the spirits of the sea. At the beginning of the 17th century, this superstition spread throughout the Old World.
Starting from 1852, according to the French standard, the vest was required to have 21 stripes - according to the number of major victories of Napoleon. In turn, the Dutch and English preferred a vest exclusively with 12 transverse stripes - the number of ribs in a person.
PAPER SHIRT
Speaking seriously, the appearance of the vest at sea was dictated by the harsh circumstances of sea travel and it is very strange that it did not appear before the 17th century. Not wanting to draw information from dubious sources, the author of the article turned to a rear admiral he knew with a request to tell him where this striped shirt actually came from. The admiral laughed and said: “Even at school, the teachers told us: stripes on a vest so that you can see the nets against the background of the sails.”
Indeed, during a voyage or sea battle, it was vitally important for the boatswain of a ship to see how many people were at work. A man in a striped blue and white shirt is clearly visible against the background of both white and colored sails. In a situation where a sailor found himself overboard, the vest again greatly facilitated his search and rescue. But the main thing why sailors fell in love with the vest is its composition.
For example, after the introduction of the vest into the uniform of Russian sailors, the official document said: “A shirt knitted from wool and paper in half,” that is, cotton. This made it possible to ventilate the body during hot weather and warm it during cold weather.
The first vests were knitted. During long journeys, sailors sometimes crocheted and knitted their favorite clothes themselves - this occupied their leisure time and greatly calmed their nerves.
OUTLAW
Despite the popularity of the vest, it was banned by the 18th century. The reason for the ban, despite the obvious stupidity, was quite logical. The leadership of the navies of a number of European countries considered the vest to be a non-statutory uniform. Indeed, sailors often knitted it by eye, without observing standards for the quality of the material and the length of the stripes.
In addition, at that time, official naval uniforms appeared in most countries. So the vest disappeared from the active use of sailors for almost a hundred years. Some sailors, out of old habit, wore a vest under their clothes, but were severely punished for this.
The striped shirt was rehabilitated only in the middle of the 19th century, when the Dutch naval uniform came into fashion: a short peacoat, flared trousers, jackets with a deep neckline on the chest, from which the stripes were visible. From that moment on, every sailor was required to have at least three vests in his wardrobe.
"SOUL OF THE SEA"
In Russia, the vest became a symbol of reckless courage, heroism and contempt for death. Today it is difficult to say when Russian sailors first saw striped shirts on their foreign colleagues. Most likely, this acquaintance occurred in the 17th century in Arkhangelsk, during a visit to the port by English or Dutch merchant ships.
It is surprising why Peter I, who almost entirely adopted the maritime traditions of Holland, did not immediately borrow the vest. Only in August 1874 did Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov issue a decree to Emperor Alexander II to include the vest in the naval uniform.
In the first Russian vest, the distance between the blue stripes was approximately 4.5 cm. It was believed that the blue and white color scheme of the vest repeated the colors of the St. Andrew's flag. The white stripes turned out to be much wider than the blue ones. Equality between them was established only in 1912. From that moment on, the width of the stripes was a quarter of an inch, in modern terms approximately 1 cm. The material now began to be exclusively cotton.
At first, the production of vests took place abroad. Only over time, St. Petersburg established its own production at the Kersten knitting factory, which after the revolution was renamed “Red Banner”.
It didn’t take long for a striped shirt to become a casual shirt. At first it was intended exclusively for long trips. As usual, lower ranks could wear it only on Sundays, on public holidays, and also when leaving for shore. Thus, the vest from a convenient household item for some time turned into an element of a dress uniform. But the sailors still tried to wear it every day, affectionately calling it “the soul of the sea.”
STRIPED DEVILS
Since 1893, the vest became part of the uniform of the flotilla of the Separate Border Guard Corps on the White, Black and Caspian Seas. In 1898, the classic blue stripes were replaced by green stripes, as they remain among border guards to this day.
The special forces of the internal troops wear a vest with maroon stripes, the FSB special forces and the Presidential Regiment wear cornflower blue stripes, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations wear orange stripes. Marines, like submariners, dress in a vest with black stripes.
Why were these colors chosen? This is a sealed secret. But it is well known for what merits the vest migrated from the sea to land. The reason for this is the use of sailors in land military operations during the Civil and Great Patriotic War. For some reason unknown to historians, the sailors turned out to be better fighters than their land counterparts.
No wonder the enemy called the Marines “striped devils” in fear. There is still a popular saying in Russia: “We are few, but we are wearing vests!” During the war, it was supplemented by another: “One sailor is a sailor, two sailors are a platoon, three sailors are a company.” In the first battle on land on June 25, 1941, near Liepaja, the Baltic sailors put to flight the Wehrmacht soldiers who had previously captured half of Europe.
Their favorite vest also played a role in the successful completion of combat missions by Soviet sailors. The fact is that the sailors, as a rule, went on the attack wearing only vests, the stripes of which created an optical illusion of more people than there actually were.
The command, making sure that the sailors never retreated, threw the “striped devils” into the breakthrough in the most difficult sectors of the front. It was because of the courage of the sailors on the fields of the Great Patriotic War that on July 6, 1969, the vest became part of the uniform of the airborne troops.
Dmitry TUMANOV