The classic Chief Petty Officer’s fouled anchor and shield insignia topped with a single star has been the insignia for Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPOs) in both the Coast Guard and the Navy for over 50 years. Here, it is the focal point of an ornamental belt buckle manufactured in a style that was once permitted for wear with the daily work uniform; beside rate/rank insignia, buckles were also made with qualification insignia and even the outline of USCG cutters and their names (plain brass buckles were still mandatory seabag items, however). The practice was brought to an end with changes to uniform regulations in the mid-1980s.
Note: our Senior Chief Petty Officer ornamental buckles feature the SCPO insignia with one ray of the star pointing up rather than down as in this image, which was the prescribed design up until approximately 2000 (the 1997 Uniform Regulations display it with the ray pointing down). The change from a single downward ray (as in U.S. Navy insignia) to single upward ray was made to it easier to identify Coast Guard SCPOs by their cap and collar devices—but the star on the rating badge has remained unchanged to this day.
More Items for E-8 Senior Chief Petty Officers
Metal Collar Insignia
Combination Cap
Combination/Garrison Cap Device
Embroidered Collar Insignia
Service Stripes
Sleeve Device
Cuff Links
Tie Tack/Clasp