SHOULDER INSIGNIA
1. Description. Consists of hard shoulder boards, soft shoulder boards, and metal grade insignia.
2. Hard Shoulder Boards. Combination insignia indicating wearer's Grade and Line or Staff Corps are curved to fit the shoulder and secured at their inner ends by a Navy eagle, gilt button. Officers wear hard shoulder boards on reefers, overcoats, and designated uniforms. Women wear men's shoulder boards when wearing the men's reefer and women's shoulder boards when wearing the women's reefer.
a. Flag Officers (Line). The surface is covered with gold lace showing a 1/8 inch blue cloth margin on each of the long sides. A silver embroidered fouled Anchor is placed with its center line along the shoulder board's longer dimension and the crown pointing toward the squared end of the board. The unfouled arm of the stock points to the front of the wearer (right and left). Designation of grade consists of silver embroidered five-pointed star(s), placed between the crown of the Anchor and the squared end of the shoulder board.
b. Flag Officer (Staff Corps). The shoulder marks are the same as those described in subparagraph a., above, with an appropriate corps device, of the same size as that prescribed for wear on the shirt collar, superimposed on the anchor's shank.
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| Fleet Admiral |
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Admiral |
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| Vice Admiral |
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Rear Admiral |
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Rear Admiral (Lower Half) |
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c. Officers below Flag Grade. The surface is black cloth. Gold lace stripes, the same width, number, and spacing, specified for stripes on sleeves of the blue coat, designate rank. The first stripe starts 1/4 inch (½ inch for Ensigns) from the widest end. Line and staff corps devices replicate sleeve insignia and are placed as far from the stripes as specified for devices on sleeves of blue coats.
d. Warrant Officers. The surface is black cloth. Stripe widths are as specified for sleeves of blue coats but the blue break(s) are ½ inch rather than 2 inches apart. The stripe starts ½ inch from the widest end. Line or staff corps devices are sized as specified for devices on sleeves of blue coats.
3. SOFT SHOULDER BOARDS. Combination insignia indicating the wearer's grade and corps are 3/4 the size of the men's hard shoulder boards. Soft shoulder boards are worn on white epauletted shirts when worn with Service Dress Blue, and on the Navy black V-neck sweater.
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Rear Admiral
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Officer Below Flag
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4. METAL GRADE INSIGNIA. Wear regular size metal grade insignia centered on shoulder straps or epaulet with the bottom edge of the device approximately ¾ inch from the squared end of the shoulder strap or epaulet of Black Relaxed Fit Jackets and Double-Breasted All Weather Coats. Metal grade insignia may also be worn centered on the Cold Weather Parka rank tab. Dimensions of regular and miniature size metal grade insignia are provided in article 4104.5
a. Wearing Metal Grade Insignia
(1) Flag Officer. Wear insignia lengthwise on the strap so that the single rays of each star point toward the collar.
Fleet Admiral
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Admiral
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Vice Admiral
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Rear Admiral
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Rear Admiral (Lower Half)
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(2) Captain. Wear with the top of eagle's head pointing toward the collar, with the eagle (right and left) facing the front of the outer garment.
(3) Commander. Wear with the stem of silver oak leaf away from the collar.
(4) Lieutenant Commander. Wear with the stem of the gold oak leaf away from the collar.
5) Lieutenant. Two silver bars, attached near the ends. Place bars on the center line of each shoulder strap with bars in a fore and aft line.
(6) Lieutenant (Junior Grade). Place one silver bar on center line of each shoulder strap, with the longer dimension of the bar in a fore and aft line (flat bar).
(7) Ensign. Wear one gold bar on the shoulder strap as for Lieutenant (Junior Grade).
(8) Warrant Officers. Place on the center line of each shoulder strap with the longer dimension of the bar in a fore and aft line.
(a) Chief Warrant Officer, W-5 - Silver background with one 1/4 inch blue stripe centered along the silver bar.
(b) Chief Warrant Officer, W-4 - Blue background with two 1/4 inch silver breaks across, separated by 1/4 inch of blue background in center.
(c) Chief Warrant Officer, W-3 - Blue background broken across the center by a silver break 1/4 inch wide.
(d) Chief Warrant Officer, W-2 - Same as for Chief Warrant Officer W-4 but the breaks are gold.
(e) Warrant Officer, W-1 - Same as for Chief Warrant Officer W-3, except that the break is gold.