C031356 LARGE U.S. SEABEES UNIFORM GROUPING.

BACKGROUND: The uniform regulation for the Navy was first introduced by the secretary of War on August 24th, 1791. It was not until August 27th, 1802, that blue and gold became the official colors of the Navy. The anchor became the official symbol for the navy in 1588 when Britain adopted it. The United States took the symbol because of the strong influence of the British and their Naval traditions. The Seabees were a Navy Construction Battalion that was formed to follow the Marines ashore and construct fuel storage tanks, bridges, roads, airfields and Quonset huts for use as hospitals, warehouses and housing. They were not an offensive force but had the capability to defend them selves if attacked and because of this it was decided to take the worker bee as their emblem as the bee doesn’t bother anyone until he is bothered and he comes back with his sting.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: This is a fourteen piece grouping consisting of a foul weather raincoat, a white undress "doughboy or Dixie cup" hat, a crew-neck sweater, an undress white Jumper, a neckerchief, a pair of "bell bottom" trousers, two pair of socks, a web belt, a pair of canvas gaiters and a duffle bag. The 3/4 length raincoat is made from a synthetic rubber coated olive drab cloth. It has lay down collar and a distinctive overlapping French fly front closure with the right side having five buttons and three button holes while the left side has five mating button holes to the exterior with an extra flap to the interior with three buttons that mate with the button holes on the right side. This creates a multilayered closure that would keep out wind and rain. The raglan sleeves have three vent holes in each armpit area and the cuffs have a tab with button hole that mate with a button. There is a horizontal slash opening pouch pocket on either side that is also accessible from the inside. The pieces of the coat are all glued together, with no stitching, with reinforcing rivets at most of the corners. There is a hanging loop to the interior of the collar a below which is stamped "Y-0381. Almost all the pieces have a number "874813" stamped on them. There is a cloth tag stitched to the inner flap of the fly with the text "Raincoats, Synthetic Rubber Coated, o.d., GR-S Dismounted", "Raglan Sleeve", "Small", "A.B.Zuckert Co.", "Cont. W-36-030-qm-3901", "Dated Mar. 23, 1944", "Q.M.C. Tent. Spec.", "P.Q.D. No. 71-F", "Dated 5/24/43", "Stock No. 72-R-4088-21", "Phila. Q.M. Depot" along with a line below which is "Inspector". The raincoat is in very good condition with some usage staining but it has all the buttons and all the seams are intact with no holes or tearing. The white cap, also known as, Dixie cup hat or Doughboy hat, is made from white cotton twill. It is in good condition with minor stains on the sweat band and brim of the hat. It also has the name "J. Fasulo" stenciled in black ink to the inside of the brim and hand written to the sweatband. The cap is in very good condition with no holes and all stitching intact and some minor staining and age yellowing. The dark navy blue sweater is machine knitted and has an elasticized 2" wide crew-neck, tight fitting 2 1/4" cuffs and a 3 1/4" waist band which has "Fasulo" stenciled in white to the inside. The mirror image of the name can be faintly seen on the other side of the interior of the waist band. The sweater appears to be unused and is in excellent condition. The white jumper has a deep "V"-neck collar, which widens as it passes over the shoulders, and terminates in a 12 1/2"" wide horizontal flap which descends approximately 9" across the upper back. There is a "V" bottom patch pocket on the left breast while the left upper arm has the remnants of thread from where a circular patch has been removed. Stenciled to the inside of the waistband in two places is the name "J. Fasulo" while "F 7767" is stamped between them. The jumper is in very good condition with some light usage staining and age yellowing but has no holes and all the stitching is intact.. The black silk neckerchief is about 55' long and 10' wide tapering down to a point at both ends. It is rolled and has a piece of tape at its approximate center which holds it in its rolled shape and besides being wrinkled is in very good condition. The navy blue "bell bottom" trousers have approximately 32' waist, 39" in length and 28' inseam with a front flap with thirteen buttons and an additional button above to hold the waist closed. There are two horizontal slash pockets, the one on the left having a zipper closure. The back of the pants have the draw string to tightened or loosen the pants has desired. To the interior, stenciled in white on the left pocket pouch is the name "J. Fasulo", while sewn to the right pocket pouch is a white cloth manufacturers label with an anchor to each upper corner between which is the text "Manufactured By", below that "Naval Clothing Factory" and two dotted lines with "Name" before one and "Rate" before the other. Hand written to the label beside "Name" is "Fasulo Joe" and beside "Rate" "793". "J. Fasulo" is also stenciled to the interior of either leg cuff. The trousers appear to be in unused condition. The two pairs of black socks appear to be unused and are marked with the size on the toes "11". The white, webbed canvas belt, 2 1/8" wide and approximately 40" in overall length. There are seventeen sets of blackened brass grommets equidistantly positioned along its length with each of the vertically-arranged sets of three grommets comprised of a larger upper and lower, with a smaller grommet between them to the center. One end of the belt is folded over and stitched to itself forming a loop though which has been inserted a brass ring with a open rectangular protrusion while the other end is capped with a three grommet folded metal plate with a central adjustment hook that mates with the central grommets on the belt to adjust its length. The belt has been threaded through another brass ring, that has a projecting tab which mates with the other brass ring to secure the belt, with the excess folded back on itself and held in place by two blackened metal floating retainers between where the hooked end is fixed and the formed loop. The belt is in good condition with moderate to heavy usage soiling with the blackening wearing off the brass pieces and some verdigris forming on some of the grommets. A pair of three-piece, khaki-colored canvas leggings, approximately 11 3/4" tall, each with ten blackened alloy grommets to one side of their openings, and nine blackened metal hooks, with two more grommets, to their other sides. What appears to be their original, white laces are threaded through the grommets. 8 1/2" long webbed canvas straps, with brass caps to their ends, are sewn to each of their bases, which would have passed under the insteps of the boots and up to mate with the blackened metal gripper buckles riveted to the other side of their bases. To both the lower and upper edges of each legging are reinforced canvas bands. Stenciled twice to the inside of both leggings is the name "J. Fasulo". The leggings are lightly soiled and usage stained with one having a small hole to the bottom. The large canvas duffle bag is about 35" high with the top folded over and stitched to itself to create 2 3/4" cuff to reinforce the opening. Spaced equally around the opening are four blackened alloy grommets, three which pass through both layers of the cuff and one which is on the outside layer only which has a metal loop secured in it with the remnants of a piece of rope that was used to secure the top closed. The bottom of the bag is sealed with a piece of canvas that is about 10 1/2" square. Stenciled on the bag in three places, two on the sides and one on the bottom, are light green "Seabees" logos and in white "J. Fasulo". Hand written in white under the names are the numbers "77-67". The numbers "10033A" are also stenciled to the side of the bag in black. Hand written in red to the side of the bag is "7097767", Joseph Fasulo", "1936 Pitkin Ave", "Brooklyn #7", "New, York". To the interior is a flap, which has stenciled on it " N.X.S-X38185", about 1/4 of the way down that is attached to one side and would be used to help protect the contents. The bag shows heavy soiling and usage stains, with some of the stencils and writing wearing off, but other than one hole close to the bottom it is fully intact. A very nice almost completely named group.

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