page_title: Uniforms of the United States Navy
section_title: Junior enlisted sailors
hierarchical_section_title: Uniforms of the United States Navy / Dress uniforms / Service dress / Junior enlisted sailors
caption_attribution_description: English: PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 18, 2008) Cmdr. Richard Martel, executive officer of the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70), inspects the dress blue uniforms of Sailors during a uniform inspection on the flight deck prior to a burial-at-sea ceremony. The ceremony, which honors fallen prior military service members, will commit the remains of 12 individuals to sea. Lake Erie is operating off the coast of Hawaii in preparation for ship's Board of Inspection and Survey. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Hight (Released)
context_page_description: The uniforms of the United States Navy include dress uniforms, daily service uniforms, working uniforms, and uniforms for special situations, which have varied throughout the history of the navy. For simplicity in this article, officers refers to both commissioned officers and warrant officers.
context_section_description: Service Dress Blues for male junior enlisted sailors are based on the classic sailor suit in navy blue, colloquially referred to as "crackerjacks" because of the sailor-suited figure that adorns the packaging of Cracker Jack snacks. They consist of a navy blue wool pullover jumper with a tar-flap collar adorned with three rows of white stripes on the collar and cuffs amd two white stars, one at each corner of the collar. A black silk or synthetic fiber neckerchief, rolled diagonally, is worn around the neck, under the collar, with the ends tied in a square knot in the center of the chest. The trousers for the uniform are flared as "bell bottoms". The trousers have traditionally featured a broad-fall opening, though changes to the trouser announced in 2012 have added a zippered fly, rendering the buttons merely decorative. A traditional white "Dixie cup" hat is also worn, as well as black leather shoes. For a brief period in the 1970s and early 1980s, male enlisted sailors in paygrades E-1 to E-6 wore a double-breasted blue uniform based on the version worn by officers and CPOs, but with grey buttons and a combination cover with an emblem consisting of a silver eagle and the letters "USN".
  The female junior enlisted sailors' Service Dress Blue uniform was formerly similar to the short-lived male uniform from the 1970s. This uniform was phased out and was replaced by a female-cut variant of the "crackerjacks" with the transition begun in October 2016 and completed by the end of January 2020 (delayed from its initial date of December 2019).
  Until 2016, the junior enlisted Service Dress White uniform, for both sexes, consisted of a white jumper with plain collar, white bell-bottom trousers with a fly front (or optional skirt for women), black leather shoes, the black neckerchief worn in the same fashion as with the Service Dress Blue uniform. Males wore the white "Dixie cup" cap, while females wore the same cap as their Service Dress Blue uniforms. That Service Dress White jumper was actually derived from the former Undress White, with its wide cuff-less sleeves and no piping. However, beginning in October 2015, Service Dress White jumpers were changed to feature navy blue piping on cuffed sleeves, stars and navy blue piping on the collar, and a yoke, making it a 'photo-negative' of the Service Dress Blue jumper.
  Ribbons are worn with these uniforms over the top left pocket opening, along with qualification or warfare insignia. Either the all-weather coat or peacoat may be worn with this uniform in cold or inclement weather. The color of the enlisted rate insignia and service stripes for the Service Dress Blues is either red or gold based upon how many years the wearer has served (prior to 2019 it was contingent on disciplinary history); the colors on the Service Dress Whites are always black.
caption: An officer inspects enlisted sailors in Service Dress Blue (2008)
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