This replacement cover is for the White Combination Cap by Officers and Chief Petty Officers in the United States Navy and by Officers and Enlisted personnel in the Coast Guard. The material is White Certified Navy Twill (CNT) made of 100 percent polyester.
For the vast bulk of its history, the United States Navy has authorized Combination-style caps for wear only by Officers and Chief Petty Officers, with the primary exception being female enlisted Sailors. But they constituted a tiny fraction of the active-duty force until the Navy began assigning women to non-combat ships in the late 1970s, followed by Congressional authorization for women to serve on combat ships in 1993. The overwhelming majority of enlisted Sailors in a rate of E-6 and below wore either the Dixie Cup, Garrison Cap, or perhaps a Ball Cap—but never a Combination Cap.
Well, almost never.
According to the Naval History and Heritage Command, a survey conducted in 1970 resulted in the 1973 decision to switch enlisted Sailors’ uniforms from the traditional blue or whie “Crackerjack” jumpers and Dixie Cup hats to essentially the same uniform as worn by Chief Petty Officers, complete with necktie and, yes, a Combination Cap. Intended to instill a greater sense of pride in enlisted personnel, the move instead sparked a backlash in both the Navy and in the public at large to bring back the iconic Crackerjacks and Dixie Cups. In 1980, the change was rescinded and, once again, enlisted male Sailors had no uniform that featured a Combination Cap.