SUBMARINER SWEATERS

Aboard a submarine, water, oxygen and space get scarce. While on duty, submariners don’t see the light of day for months.

World War I: Royal Navy endowment

During the First World War, the Admiralty adapted its rules for the British Royal Navy submariners. The crew’s hygiene is less strict, the style is more casual, and the British « War Office » supplied thick wool sweaters in ecru, grey and navy blue – very comfortable and above all useful to endure the cold in the North Sea.

These sweaters, still in use today, became one of the distinctive elements of submariners to a point that in 2019, they asked for the permission to wear them onshore as well as offshore.

Democratisation and diversion of the submarine pullover

The submariners were seen as the « pirates » of the British army, and after the Second World War, the sweater won over other rebels: bikers, the Beatles, Mick Jagger, 70s’ anti-mainstream groups, and even intellectuals… while its technical qualities seduced the Royal Air Force pilots.