Imperial Navy Uniforms

[aramis]

I didn't say the individual uniforms hadn't changed. I said the categories hadn't. Mess, Working Dress, Undress/office, Field/Dungaree. Now, PT has been added. And vacuum deployable troops need to add a vacuum uniform...

BTW, those Zouave uniforms (and other odd local color disticntions) were abolished DURING the US CW, at least in regulations because of their lack of uniformity with the rest of the army. (Units were not enforced as such until after the war was over... but such uniforms were banned by the Uniform regulations.)

The uniform mayhem at the start seems to have annoyed several key generals. (ISTR U.S. Grant being one of them...)

 

[Greg willaby]

IMTU the imperial Navy Uniform is black with the braiding used to indicate the status of nobles. The imperial navy is also a place for social climbers so the fruit salad can be very important to those individuals. I like the things that I have seen on StuffOnline I just don't like the red uniform, besides the imperial starburst would show up very well on a black uniform.

 

[Moose]

Has to be Navy Blue with gold braid - white shirt-sleeve order for normal daily use with blue trousers and jackets.

 

[Ganidirsii O'Flynn]

IMTU the Navy uniform is black with gold distinctions. While many uniform orders of dress are stipulated in regulations, I'll go into just three here.

The dress uniform is a black frock coat for officers and single-breasted coat for enlisted. A white shirt with black tie is worn underneath this coat, as are black trousers (piped gold for Chief Petty Officers) and shoes. A forage cap, piped gold, is worn outdoors. Rank insignia is worn on the sleeves for both officer and enlisted personnel and all medals and qualification badges are worn. Branch insignia is worn on the coat lapels for enlisted personnel and above the rank rings for officers. An arching flash is worn on the top of the left shoulder identifiying the fleet unit or command of the wearer. In some cases, this may just read 'Imperial Navy'. On the right shoulder is embroidered the IN yellow sun. Belts (black for enlisted, gold for officers) are worn in this order with a simple square buckle in gold metal with the Imperial sunburst. Officers' swords are worn in this order, as are cutlasses by Chief Petty Officers and honor guards. Sashes for Orders of Knighthood are worn with this order of dress.

The basic working shirtsleeve order (aka 'dirt-dress') is short sleeved with trousers and shoes. A belt is worn around the waist in black for enlisted and gold for officers. Rank insignia is worn on the shoulders (officers) or sleeves (enlisted). Ribbons for decorations are worn by order of the commander, however IN regulations stipulate that qualification badges are worn in this dress order.

Aboard ship, these uniforms are replaced with a shipsuit similar to the IISS TL-14 suit. Durable, comfortable and almost impervious to fire and low level radiation, this shipsuit is also black and includes an integral support belt that is, as usual, black for enlisted and gold for officers. Rank is worn on a chest tab. This suit contains two upper thigh pockets that contain a temporary helmet mask and gloves to make the suit vacuum-proof for up to two hours in the case of a sudden breech in hull integrity. Also included are connectors that can be connected to internal ship emergency life support and commo systems. This support system is standardized within Imperial forces.

 

[solsec23]

Considering the diversity of uniforms in our world, I can only imagine the greater range of options when you multiply that by 11,000 other worlds.

While it makes sense that the Imperium would have a set uniform, it makes more sense to me that they would have set insignia that would/could be added to any local Domain, Sector, or Subsector dress in order to unify, but individualize those forces. That seems to be the m.o. of the Imperium, control over the individual worlds while allowing them their individuality.

Perhaps Marc, being a sociologist by education, understood that there is far too much diversity amongst the inhabitants of 11,000 worlds to set a single standard. Insignia that unified the diverse components of vast space would be more reliable and less intrusive, imo.

I did think that it was canon that the Scouts used black, but that might not be a 'canon' source I read it from.

 

[aramis]

I did think that it was canon that the Scouts used black, but that might not be a 'canon' source I read it from.

Never canon, but it was in Scouts and Assassins (Paranoia Press).

 

[solsec23]

I think I remember reading that Dur Telemon from the Traveller's Digest adventures wore the black dress uniform of the Scout service in one issue.

GT First In shows black clad Scouts, probably wearing ship's suits (TL15 Vacc Suits).

 

[solsec23]

Another thing to remember about what is 'canon' is that Traveller was billed as a sci-fi game that happened to have a background universe you could use or you could build your own.

I imagine that player buy-in is why Traveller is so strong after so many years. Developing your own uniforms creates a good chunk of buy in from GM's & players alike.

 

[Ganidirsii O'Flynn]

One of my rationales in my shipboard uniform description was DGP's World Builder's Guide and the TL 14 IISS Duty Vacc Suit. Seems to me that it was too good an idea for the IN not to have it too. There is also the illustration on the cover of GT: Starships, for that matter.

I also took a page from an illustration of the dress uniform of the 1914 Kaiserliche Kriegmarine (Imperial German Navy). I did, however, draw the line at sailor bibs and hats with ribbon tassels on them. Imperial Navy Spacehands do not look like Popeye. I'll leave bosun's whistles to the individual GM.

As to the shirtsleeve order, I just kept with the theme. The 'basic black and gold' seems to me to be a practical theme.

Insofar as rank is concerned, the illustration on page 69 of Traveller: 1248, Bearers of the Flame showing the bloody sleeve of a flight branch commander over a reader display was my primary guide. Also, I kept the Traveller's Digest article that describes the Imperial Joint Services Rank Insignia in mind (colored Sunbursts indicating rank). This insignia is worn on a magstrip from the right chest pocket in those areas where they are required by regulation. As to the black and gold belts, I have several friends in the USN Submarine service and they explained that at sea you could always tell an officer from behind by the khaki belt they wear, it being different from the navy blue belt of enlisted grades. Like the shipsuit, it seems to me to be too practical for the IN not to adopt.

Other than the insignia of the various Knighthoods in the full dress uniform, there is no special insignia for nobles. Relative wealth is displayed in the quality of uniforms and adornments. This is in keeping with British Royal Navy tradition that whatever his breeding, an officer of HRM's Navy should be an officer first and foremost. HOWever, we have the MT canon statement that nobles are required to carry a highly decorated magnum revolver in the presence of the Emperor. I don't think it would not be too far a flight of fancy to see Sblt. The Honorable Eneri Stanford-Giirki, Baron Yasoub, carrying his magnum revolver in place of the IN issue gauss pistol on those occasions where wearing a sidearm was appropriate. You must admit, it would smooth things with the eldest son of the Aslan ko his Captain is negotiating with to have an easily identifiable fellow warrior-noble to talk to.

 

[Ganidirsii O'Flynn]

Never canon, but it was in Scouts and Assassins (Paranoia Press).

Well, so was the exploding belt buckle... :lol

 

[far-trader]

One of my rationales in my shipboard uniform description was DGP's World Builder's Guide and the TL 14 IISS Duty Vacc Suit. Seems to me that it was too good an idea for the IN not to have it too.

Absolutely. That mirrors my experience as well.

Well, so was the exploding belt buckle... :lol

I loved that bit of the article

 

[far-trader]

I did think that it was canon that the Scouts used black, but that might not be a 'canon' source I read it from.

As noted not canon. I don't recall any official canon on uniform colours. I'm sure we covered the canon colors of the Imperial Sunburst for the services somewhere though. In another thread if not this one. A quick recap is easy:

Scouts are Red, Navy is Yellow (the original for the Imperium), Army is Black, Marines are Maroon, and (my own invention), the (Imperial) Merchant (Service) is Green.

For what it's worth

I use that for the accent colors for the uniforms.

 

[Ganidirsii O'Flynn]

Come to think of it, there is alot of useful material in MJ Dougherty's Grand Fleet from ComStar. This, coupled with Fighting Ships, is the most complete source of the IN's organization and operations that I've ever read. Ok, the Power Projection: games are way up there too.

 

[rancke]

Considering the diversity of uniforms in our world, I can only imagine the greater range of options when you multiply that by 11,000 other worlds.

While it makes sense that the Imperium would have a set uniform, it makes more sense to me that they would have set insignia that would/could be added to any local Domain, Sector, or Subsector dress in order to unify, but individualize those forces. That seems to be the m.o. of the Imperium, control over the individual worlds while allowing them their individuality.

The way I see it, the regular Imperial forces would have one set of uniforms (for each service) that were the same from one end of the Imperium to the other. The 270 or so different duchies would each decide how the uniforms of their service would be. Many of them (say, 4 out of 5) would pattern their uniforms on the Imperium's, with only different patches to distinguish them (though a lot more of them might have distinct gala uniforms). The rest would have uniforms that reflected the uniforms of a pocket empire that dominated their subsector back before the Imperium. A few might deliberately have created uniforms that were different from the Imperium's.

Finally, the planetary forces would be a riot of different uniforms, with perhaps 1 in 10 copying the Imperial version.

(Note: Those fractions -- 4 in 5 and 1 in 10 -- I just grabbed out of thin air because I thought they sounded about right).

Perhaps Marc, being a sociologist by education, understood that there is far too much diversity amongst the inhabitants of 11,000 worlds to set a single standard. Insignia that unified the diverse components of vast space would be more reliable and less intrusive, imo.

Different services might want to resemble other services or want to look as unlike other as possible, but the same service -- Imperial Navy, Imperial Marines, IISS, Imperial Army (if it exists), etc. -- would IMO want the same uniforms no matter where they were (all other things being equal).

I did think that it was canon that the Scouts used black, but that might not be a 'canon' source I read it from.

AFAIK the only thing that is canonical is the color of the starburst each service use. That and whatever information that TD article provided, but IIRC it didn't mention the Scouts.


Hans

 

[aramis]

TD provided rank insignia
1-3 small silver starbursts for JIS O1-O3
1-3 large gold starbursts for JIS O4-O6
1-5 stars for JIS O7-O11

The enlisted ranks have multiple patterns in imperial service. In the Solomani Rim, they use the dots to avoid overlap of the Solomani's Chevrons.

World Builders Handbook defined blueish gray as the uniform color for scouts.

 

[RossWinn]

They wear black...

The Solomani Marines already wear black. SolSec already wears Black. Does everyone in Solomani Service wear Black? (Does that actually make any kind of sense?)

Well considering all of the cues to make Solomani visuals reference Nazis I am not terribly surprised. Yes, probably all Solomani uniforms are black, like their cold, cold hearts...

 

[solsec23]

Let's not forget that many times the uniform will be mission specific, either for camouflage purposes or for practicality in the environment.

 

[aramis]

Let's not forget that many times the uniform will be mission specific, either for camouflage purposes or for practicality in the environment.

In the Army, Marines, or COACC, sure.

In the navy, no. The "environment" is the same across 99.9% of space and ships... sure, engineers might have an engineering suit, but every engineer in every ship faces the same threats. Every plasma turret crewman faces the same threats as every other plasma turret crewman. Every machinists' mate faces the same issues of vacuum, cutting, shaping, and welding.

 

[Nick Nova]

In the Army, Marines, or COACC, sure.

In the navy, no. The "environment" is the same across 99.9% of space and ships... sure, engineers might have an engineering suit, but every engineer in every ship faces the same threats. Every plasma turret crewman faces the same threats as every other plasma turret crewman. Every machinists' mate faces the same issues of vacuum, cutting, shaping, and welding.

Ah, but not all spacers are in spaceships, in space, all the time.

If the IN is like most navies then the vast majority of its personnel will be dirt-side most of the time, providing logistical support, maintenance and repairs, training, research, security, intelligence, legal, diplomatic, and administrative services etc. There will need to be some standard uniform variations to accommodate the extremes of climate found on different worlds.

At the very least I would expect there to be different hot weather/cold weather uniforms as one sees in today’s navies, lest the spacer bake/freeze every time he/she/it steps outside. And since the down-port might be located in almost any environment from searing desert to steamy jungle to arid tundra, a few more variations might be in order.
As I see it anyhow.

 

[Imperial Planetologist]

High Passage 5 shows what appears to be an Imperial Navy officer's uniform on page 51 - it's dark with light trim.

IMTU IN unis are midnight blue with gold trim.