US NAVY WINTER WOOLEN SUBMARINER COAT

Today's post will feature what's safe to call the most elusive piece of US Navy militaria :The "Submariner Jacket" aka "Coat, Winter Woolen" as seen in the US Navy's 1941 uniform regulations catalog.The submariner coat was replaced the same year by the zipped blue deck jacket and in 1944 by the now famous N1. A black double Cloth herringbone wool ,was used instead of the usual blue melton seen on pea coats.The fabric widely used in the 30's for mackinaw coats and other woolen coats, is known for its lighter weight and water repellent capacities.

first produced in the mid 30's ,the coat was produced in small quantities for submarine's crew only,so,it's safe to say that entering the war effort, it made no sense to the Navy to keep its production going strong instead of reinforcing standardization on every branch of the service.Examples from the 30's have a plain unmarked or sometimes stenciled back ,with the owner's or boat's name on it . In 41 a factory stenciled US NAVY  was added to it .....

Alaska early 1900's settlers

today's post after a long break i must admit, is about an album salvaged a week ago  all about early settlers in Alaska around 1910 and the little town of Cordova .A rare look at what was Americans life on the last real frontier.The gold discoveries and people rushing north led the U.S. Army to return to Alaska and establish six posts to maintain order. These posts were complete communities. Around the posts, communities grew, providing goods and services.When the posts were closed down, the local communities declined. This same pattern occurred during and after World War II and the Cold War.
Starting construction in 1900, the U.S. Army built Alaska's first significant road and a telegraph system. The Trans-Alaska Military Road went from Valdez north and east to Fort Egbert, the army's headquarters near Eagle on the Yukon. The Army constructed a 1,900 mile long telegraph to connect the six army posts. Along the telegraph routes, small communities grew around telegraph stations and roadhouses were built to serve workers and travelers, including the U.S. mail carriers.
Several private companies built railroads after the gold discoveries. Seward was founded as the southern end for a road that would cross the Kenai Peninsula and then head north to Fairbanks. Cordova was the seaport end for the railroad to bring the rich Kennecott copper out of the Wrangell Mountains. Stations along these routes grew into small towns.