Pride or Brag Jackets

[Sam Miller III]

@Akimbo
That is a true historical patch of a very historical event -- 60 or approaching 60 years old !

Like I stated Patches begin with WW11.

I also question when embroidery became common ?

I recall that here was a place in Tia Juana that did a few club patches in the 1960s - price and quality was acceptable

SAM..

 

[Bob DBF]

This makes me wonder when automated embroidery machinery became available, which would make these patches reasonably priced.

In the late 1800's embroidery machines were produced as an offshoot of the textile industry, this expanded during WW II. I would bet the excess production ability was used to do custom work, especially after the war when demand from the military dropped. Eventually, production moved to Japan.

The US and early Japanese patches can command some big money dependant on production run size. I have some original submarine patches, not particularly rare, that can go from $25 to $50 each. They are still made now but the color, design, and material have changed subtly to make production faster and cheaper, and sell for $5 or $10. Prices may have increased since I did a display ten years back. I'll see about a picture when I get a chance.



Bob

 

[Akimbo]

In the late 1800's embroidery machines were produced as an offshoot of the textile industry,

True, but cursory Internet searches leave me with the impression that the early machines were pretty skill and labor intensive. Isn't @tbone1004 in the textile industry? It is interesting how technology impacts society in unanticipated ways. I "imagine" that innovators of this technology expected the market would be the military, police, and fancy household textiles.

That is a true historical patch of a very historical event -- 60 or approaching 60 years old !

That particular patch was given to us to sew onto our work coveralls and jackets around 1970. It pictured a rough profile of the Trieste I even though we were working on Triest IIb. I "think" that this one was used previously, but not on the team that first reached the bottom of the Marianas Trench in 1960 since it says Trieste II

You must have tons of historically important patches and decals. You can post pictures here: Historic Logos, Decals, and Patches

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

When I was really into landscape photography, I'd get patches from national parks/monuments and put them on my photo backpack. But then I ran out of room.

 

[Akimbo]

When did merit badges in the Boy & Girl Scouts become available? That is a good indication of when the production cost dropped to the point that depression-era parents could justify them.

 

[tbone1004]

@Akimbo I am in the industry, but embroidery is not something that we really get involved with. IIRC the technology to "mass produce" patches was somewhere shortly before WWI. These machines were basically "hand embroidery" on station 1, and then had multiple heads so one operator could embroider multiple copies at once. This evolved into copying punchcard type machines that came out in the 60's IIRC that was the first step in really automating the process. This was an evolution of punchcard weaving looms which are considered one of the first computers *jacquard weaving for anyone curious*

 

[Bob DBF]

True, but cursory Internet searches leave me with the impression that the early machines were pretty skill and labor intensive.

And mostly used for the simple military needs. In the early days, the crow and chevrons were sold separately, as an end run around complexity. As the need and machenry developed the work became more complex, but how complex is a Big Red One insignia. After the war it really took off, as the Japanese started with new equipment. Now you can do the same thing with a computer controlled sewing machine at home.


Bob

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I think patch jackets slowly disappeared because of the changes in the participants and changes in attitudes. Just like Sam and Akimbo stated, patches transferred over from the military and many young and adventurous divers were ex military guys. Bravado and macho were something to be proud of then and not seen as immature, dangerous, or silly.
Nowdays with how politically correct everything has become and the whole fanatical world of safety, patch jackets would be seen as a symbol of some ignorant cowboy or macho diver out of touch with the sensibilities of the ocean and the reefs.
Instead, what I see now, at least where I am from, are back windows on pick up trucks plastered with all sorts of freedive and spearfishing stickers along with all sorts of manufacturer logo stickers of freediving and spearfishing equipment. That’s about the closest thing I see to symbolism these days.
There still is an element if macho and daring that exsists in freediving, but it’s not allowed anymore in scuba. Scuba has become very touchy feely butterflies and rainbows pretty fishies (sea kittens) and any sort of percieved testosterone driven ideology has been heavily frowned upon. Scuba is a family sport now with gentle men, wives, kids, grammas, etc.
On the other end, tech diving really downplays testosterone driven machismo and heavily recommends people examine exacly why they are motivated to tech dive before they even start. They are advised to proceed with a perfectly neutral attitude and pay close attention to their ego awareness level. Ego and macho have no place in diving anymore.

 

[Compressor]

Times have changed no doubt. I remember getting my PADI Divemaster patch. I was poor then so did not put it on my brand new $99 wetsuit(from Kent Washington) as my wetsuit was so cheap, I knew it wasn’t going to last another year. Later on in life, when I because a NAUI instructor, I looked for a similar patch and could not find one. That was way back in 2002,

 

[Sam Miller III]

The questions are
1) Where are all the men and women who wore the club jackets?
2) Where are all the dive club jackets hanging ?
( My Long Beach Neptune jacket is in my closet- a reminder of times past )

I suspect the club jackets are all in the dust of early recreational dive history
Gone! Never seen by most modern diver and only a distant memory for a few who were participants or witness to the dive club jacket era …

SDM