Imperial Russian Naval Uniforms
under Tsar Nicholas I
(1826-1852)

 

In this section we will track the changes in naval uniforms during the reign of Tsar Nicholas I.  As few relics are available from this period, we will do this by following the regulations issued to naval personnel for the wearing of uniforms during the period.  As artifacts (buttons, headgear, cockades, etc) become available we will display them here.
 

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and Field Gear Index		  

 

 

Imperial Navy Uniform Regulations (1)

One means of understanding the military life is to look over the changes that were made to the uniforms of the soldiers and sailors of the period.  Here we have a list of Naval uniform changes that were made during the reign of Nicholas I. 

Almost immediately uniforms underwent a major change when a sweeping new uniform statue was introduced.  Following this order, small changes continued to be made to the uniforms of naval personnel almost every year.  Prior to this period, uniform regulations had remained fairly consistent since the war of 1812.
     
Date Naval Uniform Change
 1826
  14 April A new uniform statute is introduced.
Single breasted uniform with nine buttons was issued to all Navy personnel, un-embroidered uniform and frock-coat remained double breasted.  Generals, field and chief officers having no shakos are required to wear cocked hats.
29 May Lighter crews' generals, line service, field and chief officers are ordered to have a naval uniform with a decorative white cloth and epaulets made of white cloth.
25 June Shakos were introduced for naval and naval ordnance, officers (line, field, and chief), seamen, and petty officers to be worn on table festivals, parades, and guards.
14 December Regimental uniforms are approved for officers and naval conductors of the Naval Architect's College.

Field and chief officers: dark green with black collar and cuffs, silver embroidery, buttons and epaulets.  It includes a saber with a black leather shoulder belt and a hat is also worn. 

Working dress uniforms: a frock-coat with epaulets and a service cap.

Naval conductors: Jacket with silver petty officer's lace, white buttons, and red shoulder straps, an artillery sword with a black shoulder belt, and a service cap with an emblem in the form of two crossed hatchets and an anchor.

1827
  27 January A new statute on training naval working crew was approved.  The crew's privates were issued braid shoulder straps, the officers were issued silver epaulettes.
10 March A statute on the 1st Navigation half-crew was approved.  Red shoulder straps were introduced for their privates, naval accessories on the officer's and private's shakos were also modified.
13 April A new statute on the Naval Navigator's College was approved.  Officers were to have a uniform having a collar with red edging, gold epaulettes, and a saber with a black shoulder belt.  Naval conductors of the college were issued red shoulder straps and an artillery knife with a black shoulder belt.
1828
  17 March Knife knots were abolished for all Navy Department privates.
16 September Stripes of braid and lace on sleeves was introduced for privates for irreproachable and long service.
16 October Stripes established for privates for long service.

1829
  19 March The 42nd Naval Crew was granted decorations on shakos for the battle of the Danube crossing on May 27, 1828.
29 July Officer's sabers with a shoulder belt were introduced for the medical personnel of the Navy Department and for skippers.
25 October A red cloth edging near the collar lower hem of jackets and greatcoats is introduced for naval conductor companies of the Training naval working crew.
1830
  16 January Buttons with an image of the state and naval symbolism are approved for all the military personnel of the Navy Department.
15 October Two white edgings instead of the red ones are issued on the cap band for the Guards' crew personnel.
21 November Rank distinction stars on epaulets are introduced for officers of the naval crews, Guard's crew, and Training naval crew.
27 November Unembroidered uniform of the lighter and working crews' officers and stripes on their uniform were abolished.  Rank distinction stars on epaulettes are introduced for those crews' officers.
1831
  7 January Rank distinction stars on epaulettes are introduced for the Naval ordnance college officers.
7 May Oil cloth covers are introduced on the cocked hat and shako.
11 May A dark blue collar edging, shoulder straps, and epaulette lining of the same color is established on the officer's naval uniform of the 1st Finnish naval crew.  The inscription "1 F" is traced on the epaulettes.
1832
  1 January All gold sabers and swords decorated with diamonds and inscribed with "for gallantry" are to be worn without knots.
25 May Common regimental uniforms are introduced for officers of the watch.
13 June All admirals, generals, field and chief officers of the Navy Department are ordered to wear a moustache.
25 June Copper forged anchors are established on shoulder straps for senior naval cadets of the Naval College.
5 October A cane is introduced for officers and petty officers of the Naval prisoner companies.
3 November Transversal stripes (badges of rank) are introduced on the shoulder straps of narrow braid for petty officers of the Navy Department.
1833
  8 February Sword knots are abolished for senior naval cadets and naval cadets of the Naval College, these are retained only for sergeant majors.
16 October Officers of the Naval Architects' College are authorized to wear uniforms given to officers of the Naval ordnance college.

1834
  20 December A dark green service cap with white edging along the cap band is introduced for privates and petty officers of the lighter crews, a dark green service cap with a black cap band and red edgings for privates and petty officers of the working crews is also authorized.  The bands of these service caps are to be marked with the crew's number on white cloth.
1835
  30 April Cutlasses of the Guard's field engineers are established for petty officers of lighter and working crews.
23 July It is ordered that the Naval working crews must have red edgings on the upper border of the uniform black collars, and to have cuffs and flaps of dark green cloth.  A table of uniform belongings is introduced for privates and petty officers of the lighter and working crews.
24 July The Training naval working crew is to have black uniform collars with red edging.
1836
  11 March A table of uniform belongings is approved for pilots.  They are to wear a grey service cap with a dark green band and red piping, a caftan with a dark green collar with red piping and a grey cloth belt.  A tin breast badge, grey trousers and a black necktie completes the basic uniform.  In winter they are to wear a grey greatcoat with a dark green collar and red piping on the collar top, boots, and summer linen trousers.
15 April Conductors of the Naval Navigators' and Architects' College are authorized to wear a moustache.
1837
  18 March New accessories with anchors, crew, and brigade numbers are introduced in shakos of the Naval crews and Naval ordnance brigades' corps.  Crests on officers' shakos are abolished and a silver cord with a tassel is laid on the upper brim in place of the crests.  Field officers had a silver thread on the tassel.
1843
  11 June A cloth greatcoat and a linen one are introduced for privates and petty officers of the Naval College instead of the linen long mantle.
12 June White canvas covers on the service peaked caps are approved for the officers of the Caspian flotilla.
24 November 14 versions of flannel colored shirts are introduced for oarsmen of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets.
25 November Lace and braid transversal stripes in compliance with rank are introduced in the shoulder straps of privates and petty officers.
2 December English signal horns are established instead of the bugles Guards' and Naval crews.
1844
  25 March The Naval College personnel are granted common naval shakos (with the college coat of arms).
5 May It is ordered to have white piping on the upper brim of the service cap.
9 September A shako with a plume is approved for the personnel of the Guards' crew.
1845
  7 February A cockade on shakos is introduced to be fastened just over the accessories under the crown, so that the cockade center coincides with the crown middle.
1850
  29 April Wearing the crew uniform is permitted for those transferred from the Guards' crew.
22 May A new statute is approved regarding shakos for admirals, generals, field and chief officers.
1851
  25 April Flannel shirts with dark blue collars and white piping are introduced for oarsmen of steamer divisions.
10 July A uniform for the personnel serving on ships of the Russian-American company is approved.
5 November Pupils of the conductor company of the 1st Navigation half crew are given regimental uniforms consisting of: a half-crew shako, red cloth shoulder straps with white anchors, cutlasses of the same pattern as the cades model (sergeants major and senior petty officers wear them with a silver knot), an overcoat of dark green cloth with shoulder straps of the same color, but with white anchors fastened upon them.
1852
  15 February Lighter crews and the Astrakhan lighter company are ordered to wear a naval uniform without piping on the collar, but with a decorative white cloth.  The white epaulette ground is replaced by a black cloth with an embroidered crew's number or the letter "A" (signifying the Astrakhan lighter company).

The port companies and the admiralty personnel are ordered to wear regimental uniforms of the former lighter crews.  These have a white epaulette ground (with the letter " and an embroidered company's number.  Admiralty personnel wear a black one without an embroidered number.
14 March The surgeon-in-ordinary attached to the Navy Department, honorary physicians-in-ordinary, court physicians-in-ordinary are granted Guards' arms on the shako, and shoulder straps of silver general's thread.

The Navy general-field-physician, his assistant, the chief physician of the Black Sea Fleet, medical inspectors in ports and chief physicians in naval hospitals are authorized to wear the same straps if they are of a rank not below a full councilor of State.
31 December Personnel decorated with a gold weapon are ordered to have a gold dirk haft with the inscription "for gallantry."

 

 

Further Research

Here you can navigate to the naval regulations of time periods that immediately precede or follow the era.  We have found that this is quite useful for tracking the changes in naval uniform history.  Additional information can be gained by referencing the sources listed below in the bibliography.

Earlier Period Naval Uniforms

Back to Main Uniform
and Field Gear Index

Later Period Naval Uniforms


 

Bibliography

(1) Dotsenko, V.D., The Russian Naval Uniform 1696-1917, St. Petersburg: Logos Publishing, 1994. Print.

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