"Why were blue jackets the universal naval infantry?" Topic

Only the French seem to have insisted on being different, with their red pompom, but they're French, so what are you going to do?

Other than that, theuniform is globally identical, at least to my untrained eye.

Curious as to why? I'd assume the material was cheap and easily available? And kings don't care so much how their sailors look?

Because sailors sail the ocean blue!

The answer is fashion!

In 1748, the British Royal Navy adopted dark blue officer's uniforms, which would become the basis of the naval dress of other countries…

From:
link

The blue became possible from the indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria, which was native to India.
So, once Europeans started to colonize India, this color became popular.

But Blue is not always the color, see:
link

White, Tan, Khaki, even Greens have been in the mix.

Much like the USA and CSA picked styles from France for uniforms. The Royal navy set the style for most of the navies of the world.

It has been a long time since I painted my Boxer Rebellion figures, but my recollection is that for Jolly Jack Tar, as opposed to officers and petty officers, the collar color differed from one navy to another, and the undershirts often had different colors of stripes, but were otherwise the same.
But yes, the assumption was that the Royal Navy was the best in the world in the century after the Napoleonic Wars, and of course you needed to copy them, because if they had the best navy, they must also have the best uniforms (and ships, and guns, and engines, and . . .).

Grelber

Not withstanding the availability of Indigo for the British, but blue was the colour favoured by the Maritime Gauls in the days of Julius Ceasar. Their descendants the Bretons continued its use. The traditional Fishermans pullovers of both Guernsey and Jersey (having links to the Gaulic Osismi and Coriosolite tribes) have always been navy blue (the Guernsey using oiled wool to keep it waterproof).

John G

Legionarius for the win!

Military fashion does follow the winner (hence spiked helmets on US cavalry and Chilean officer cadets) – but also indigo was i) cheap and ii) dark blue is a colour very forgiving of stains

Don't forget, most sailors wore white in the summer.

Same then, even for the hat? Even the wide brimmed version?

Unlike in land combat, which traditionally had been covered in a blinding fog of gun smoke, you didn't require distinctive national uniforms to spot the enemy ships.

Glengarry 5

Good point. I guess.

Then again…

"Which ship are we firing on caprain?"

"The gray one!"

"Uh…"

Gelber

Speaking of the Boxer Rebellion, I saw 55 Days At Peking, again, not too long ago. That most brilliant of American commanders, (who could also score with really hot women of all types, from disgraced Russian baronesses to 70s afro-American post apocalyptic survivors) was commanding American marines.

How were they dressed?

You guessed it. Blue jackets.

Is that also accurate?

Three cheers and an extra ration of rum for Skipper John!

"That most brilliant of American commanders… commanding American marines. How were they dressed?

You guessed it. Blue jackets. "

@Gorgrat
To be fair, at that date the U.S. Marines' uniforms were pretty much identical to those of the U.S. Army.

Indigo was cheap, colorfast, and readily available. There may have also been some copying of the English by other navies since they were the world's naval power.

It's not universal. Confederate gray, Russian green. There are exceptions.