It’s no secret that the Coast Guard’s uniform regulations and designs are closely related to those of the United States Navy. But that rule of thumb goes out the window in the case of the Coast Guard’s Service Dress Blue Uniform (SDB) for Junior Enlisted Males: Instead of the Navy’s iconic “Crackerjacks” for Sailors in the E-1 to E-6 grades, the Coast Guard chose to outfit them in the same style of uniform worn by its Chief Petty Officers, replacing the jumper and visible tee shirt with a single-breasted coat and long-sleeved shirt; the broadfall bell bottoms with dress trousers made from a polywool blend; and the Dixie Cup cover with a classic Combination Cap.
The Navy actually adopted the Coast Guard uniform model for a brief period in the mid-Seventies to early Eighties but reverted back to the Crackerjacks in short order, allegedly because of cries from Sailors longing for the traditions supposedly baked into the uniform design. (It’s not clear whether the clamor was from the rank-and-file of Enlisted swabbies or instead from Old Salts for whom every single tradition is a hill—or wave—to die on.)
Our Service Dress Blue Uniform Builder has all the components you need to assemble either the “Alpha” or “Bravo” variants of the SDB. Choosing your rate and rating in the drop-down selection boxes below will automatically select the appropriate types of several uniform components (we do encourage you to double-check each selection, however). Click on the image of any uniform item to open a new browser tab with more detailed product information.